She was born Barbara Lee Redfield on November 16, 1927, and died at the age of 39, on May 8, 1967, but between those dates she rose and fell as BARBARA PAYTON!
There are several detailed biographies of her life and I am not going to compare this article to those. However, I am also not going to avoid giving my reader a look into the life of a young woman who could have been a 1950's major Hollywood star, the breaks where there, but she self-destructed from some of the same demons her parent's had.
Yet, she is remembered today by fans of science fiction, for a British "Frankensteinish" feature film, and perhaps one outlandish American low-budget horror movie, such are the winds of fame.
Growing Up Wild :
As I said above, Barbara Lee Redfield was born on November 16, 1927. This was in Cloquet, Minnesota, part of the city is on the "Fond du Lac Indian Reservation".
Barbara's parents were Erwin Lee "Flip" Redfield, and Mabel Irene Todahl Redfield, her younger brother was Frank Leslie Redfield.
I have found conflicts in certain aspects of Barbara's life and I will point them out for my reader to decide. We know that her parent's had a combination restaurant and ice cream parlor. What we do not know for sure, is as to where?
According to the website, "Hub Pages", her parent's restaurant was in Cloquet.
https://discover.hubpages.com/entertainment/Barbara-Payton-A-Sad-True-Tale-of-Hollywood
According to her biographer, John O'Dowd, in his 2006, "Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye, The Barbara Payton Story", it was located in Little Falls, Minnesota, after the family moved there.
The following photo of Barbara was taken when she was 8-years-old.
It can be verified that the family moved to Odessa, Texas, when she was 11-years-old.
According to the website, "Find A Grave", https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/3994/barbara-payton
Her grandfather's, which parent's father I could not determine, timberland was destroyed by a forest fire. Again, if true, I could not find the location of the timberland, but the fire caused Barbara, Frank, and their parents, I presume with the grandparents, to move to Odessa, Texas. The move was apparently with the financial assistance of Erwin's sister. There they purchased, "Antlers Motel", that had a court of tourist cabins.
It is in Odessa, that we get a picture of family life for the Redfield's. According to an interview, by John O'Dowd, of Barbara's first cousin, Richard Kuitu:
Her parents started drinking midmorning and didn't stop until they went to bed. According to Richard, "Lee" was slow-talking and alcohol would cause him to explode, taking it out on his wife, Mabel. Who he left mainly to deal with their children.
It seems, according to O'Dowd, that Mabel Redfield had no problem with her 11-years-old daughter, catching the eye from adult men. In fact, according to John O'Dowd, Barbara's mother encouraged such attention, because she felt her daughter was so beautiful and should share that beauty.
There is no disagreement about Barbara attending Baylor Junior High School, but when it comes to high school, I have two versions. "Find a Grave", states that Barbara graduated High School, but John O'Dowd mentions that 16-years-old, Barbara Redfield had quit high school during the 11th-grade. He writes that her parents didn't have a problem with that, because they believed a high school education was not really needed for anyone to succeed in life.
However, there was a event that took place prior to Barbara dropping out of high school that might cast a shadow over her Homelife. In November 1943, Barbara Redfield eloped and married her teenage boyfriend William Hodge. Was this a way to get back at her parents, as O'Dowd speculates? Whatever the reason, Barbara and William's marriage was annulled.
The Road to Hollywood:
Located on Highway 80, halfway between Odessa and Midland, Texas, was "Midland Army Airfield".
When exactly in 1944, and under what circumstances, Barbara Redfield met decorated Army combat pilot John Lee Payton, who was stationed at "Midland", I could not locate, but the two were married on February 10, 1945.
The following biographical sentence about "Captain Payton", comes from the website, "Find a Grave" at: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/32300773/john-payton
He joined the Army Air Corps in 1942, and performed 40 B-26 missions in the North African Theater as a navigator and bombardier.
Reservist, Captain John Payton took his wife to Los Angeles, and he enrolled under the GI-Bill, at the University of Southern California". Not use to being a housewife, Barbara Payton wanted to be a fashion model, which would cause fraction in her marriage. Apparently, she hired a photographer for a photo shoot and did become a model for "Saba of California". Which used Barbara is a new, at the time, line of fashions called "Sue Mason Juniors". However, on March 14, 1947, Barbara and John, Sr.'s, son, John Lee Payton, Jr. was born, adding more stress to the marriage.
Rita La Roy, below, had been a motion picture actress since 1929, and in the 1940's, added "The Rita La Roy Modeling School and Agency". Below, she is seen as "Martha Kirk", in the Ellery Queen feature, 1936's, "The Mandarin Mystery".
Six-months after the birth of her son, La Roy hired Barbara Payton, and found her work mostly advertising Studebaker cars in magazines. Barbara was being noted as a "High Energy Personality", and started making the club scenes. Her husband had reached a breaking point over her lifestyle and its effects on their Home Life, and the two separated in July of 1948. The two would divorce in 1950, more on this later.
Returning to John O'Dowd, it was Barbara Payton's fun loving, party girl notoriety, that caught the attention of William Goetz, below, the head of production for "Universal Pictures". He signed Barbara Payton, in January 1949, to a contract.
Hollywood Films and a Scandalous Lifestyle:
Barbara Payton's first on-screen appearance was in a 27-minute, partial remake, of a 1941, Johnny Mack Brown, "B" Western for "Universal Pictures", that had been entitled "The Mask Rider".
Barbara Payton's short remake was called "Silver Butte", and more importantly, a vehicle for "Western swing" musician, Tex Williams and his band, released on July 28, 1949. Barbara Payton portrayed "Rita Landon", Tex Williams portrayed "Tex Williams".
The villain of the piece was portrayed by popular western villain Lane Bradford, as "Del Randolph". Who is after the silver shipments out of the "Hernandez Mine", between music by Williams.
Like Tex Williams, Smokey Rogers portrayed the very original name of "Smoky Rogers".
Barbara Payton's next role was as the "Uncredited Girl Photographer", in the Robert Montgomery, and Ann Blythe, comedy, "Once More My Darling", released on September 10, 1949.
Above, Robert Montgomery, who also directed, Barbara Payton, and Ann Blythe
Next came a break-through motion picture that brought major attention to the young actress.
TRAPPED premiered in Los Angeles on September 27, 1949
This "B" film-noir was directed by Richard Fleischer. The future director of Walt Disney's, 1954, "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea", Kirk Douglas's, 1958, "The Vikings", and 1966's, "The Fantastic Voyage", had to start somewhere. Even though his father was animator Max Fleischer. Richard had started directing in 1943, with the first of a series of comedy shorts, called "Flicker Flashbacks". Which took silent movies and played with their speeds and burlesqued the stories. He had just released the 1949, comedy, "Make Mine Laughs", starring Joan Davis, Dennis Day, and Ray Bolger. Richard Fleischer followed this feature film with another film-noir, 1950's, "Armored Car Robby", starring Charles McGraw, Adele Jergens, and William Talman, the future "Hamilton Burger", on television's. "Perry Mason".
The original story and the screenplay came from two writers, Earl Felton, 1954's, "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea", and, George Zuckerman, 1956's, "Written on the Wind".
Lloyd Bridges portrayed "Tris Stewart". Bridges had been appearing in movies since 1935. During the Second World War he had served in the "Coast Guard". The actor just had sixth-billing in the Yvonne DeCarlo and Howard Duff western, 1949's, "Calamity Jane and Sam Bass", and followed this feature with fourth-billing in the Randolph Scott and Ruth Roman western, 1950's, "Colt .45". However, it was 1950's, "Rocketship X-M", 1951's, "Little Big Horn", and a role in 1952's, "High Noon", that stand out in this period of his career. My article is "ROCKETSHIP X-M, EXPEDITION MOON (1950): Anatomy of a Cult Science Fiction Classic" examined at:
http://www.bewaretheblog.com/2022/07/rocketship-x-m-expedition-moon-1950.html
Barbara Payton portrayed "Meg Dixon" alias: "Laurie Fredericks".
John Hoyt portrayed "Treasury Agent John Downey" alias: "Johnny Hacket". Hoyt's first on-screen appearance was as a Nazi Colonel in Alan Ladd's, 1946, "O.S.S.". He would be promoted to play a Nazi General in the James Mason, 1951, "The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel", but that same year he was seen in two science fiction cult features, the "Lost Continent", and producer George Pal's, "When World's Collide".
James Todd portrayed "Jack Sylvester". I could not locate much about Todd, his first on-screen role was in the 1931, Zane Grey western, "Riders of the Purple Sage", with 5th-billing. His on-screen career through 1958, consisted of a combination of motion picture and television roles for a total of 42. There is a gap between 1932 and 1948, that I also could not find any information about, below just to Barbara Payton's right, is James Todd.
The Basic Story:
During the 1940's and early 1950's, the docudrama was a favorite plot line for both "B" and "A" list motion pictures. This film opens with a woman walking into her local bank to deposit a $20-dollar-bill in her bank account. However, the bill is counterfeit and the screenplay switches to "Tris Stewart", a counterfeiter in prison. He agrees to work with the Treasury Department to get an early release and find out who is using his own $20-dollar plates from before he went to prison. A faked prison break now takes place.
Note: At the time of this writing, $20 in 1949, is equal in 2024, to $265.
As expected, "Stewart" escapes from the agent supervising his release. However, knowing that "Tris's" girlfriend, "Laurie Fredericks" works at a nightclub, the Treasury Department had previously done two things. The first was to bug her apartment, and the second, agent "Downey", now calling himself, "Hackett", is pretending to be a shady but wealthy patron of the nightclub. "Hackett" has become a regular of "Laurie's" and has been trying for a romantic relationship with "Fredricks".
"Tris Stewart" now shows up, moves in with "Laurie", and discovers that his ex-partner, now a bankrupt drunk, sold the plates to "Jack Sylvester".
Now, in typical film noir crime formula, things move fast, as "Tris" visits "Sylvester". He asks to purchase $250,000 in counterfeit $20-dollar bills, equal as of this writing to $3, 315, 798, from "Stewart". Which in 1949 Mexico, would give him a good life with "Laurie Fredricks".
The problem is that "Tris" needs $25,000, non-counterfeit, to purchase the counterfeit money, but his attempt to rob the night club that "Laurie" works at fails. He now turns to "Hackett", offering to make him a very rich man, if he will stake him. Next, "Tris" and "Hackett" meet with "Sylvester", and a trial run of exchanging the real money for the counterfeit takes place.
The screenplay is full of double-crosses, you may need you toes plus your fingers to count them.
Back at the nightclub, "Laurie Fredricks" overhears an old acquaintance of "John Downey" recognizing him, and talking over his background with treasury. Learning that "Hackett" is "a cop", "Tris Stewart" attempts to kill him, but fails and lands back in custody. However, "Downey" decides to go ahead with the sale, picks up "Sylvester", and the two head for the counterfeiter's printing press with the treasury agent driving the car. "Sylvester" realizes that the car is being tailed, forcing "Downey/Hackett" to ditch the tail and, next, the car arrives at a warehouse.
Inside the warehouse, a large amount of money is given to "Hackett" by "Sylvester" and "Downey" stalls counting the money, hoping his back-up has found him. Outside, a motorcycle cop recognizes "John Downey's" car and calls it in.
This ending is a bit confusing, because half-way through production, for still a question never answered by anyone as of this writing, Lloyd Bridges just left the production.
https://www.reddit.com/r/filmnoir/comments/1d9e1pk/do_you_know_why_lloyd_bridges_left_trapped_1949/
The reference to Bridges leaving, in the above link, is to film critic Eddie Muller, the guest host of "Turner Classic Movie's NOIR ALLEY".
Inside the warehouse, "Laurie Fredrick's" shows up with the person who knows "Downey" and his cover is blown once more. "Sylvester" now shoots her, saying if her boyfriend worked with the feds, maybe she has also. "Sylvester" now turns his gun on "Downey", who flips a table and starts to run as police swarm into the warehouse, but "Sylvester" flees. A chase takes place to a streetcar barn, where "Sylvester" is accidently electrocuted and the case is marked closed.
At the time of this writing, the following link takes my reader to the motion picture:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5roBxKFvRsw
In 1949, according to John Dowd, comedian, Leslie Towne "Bob" Hope, was in Dallas, Texas, promoting a radio program. Also on a promotional tour was Barbara Payton, and the two started an affair. Hope set Payton up in a Hollywood Apartment, but over time their affair eventually ended. In the tell-all gossip magazine, "Confidential", July 1956, Barbara Payton was quoted as saying:
Hope was ... at times a mean-spirited individual with the ability to respond with a ruthless vengeance when sufficiently provoked.
Bob Hope denied that the affair ever took place.
After grabbing attention with 1949's, "Trapped", Barbara Payton returned to a Tex Williams short based upon another full length, 1941, Johnny Mack Brown, Western, "Rawhide Rangers". This musical short was entitled, "The Pecos Pistol", released on October 27, 1949.
How, and when,
Barbara Payton first met "B" actor
Tom Neal is debatable, depending upon who's providing the information. There also is a problem with when, and how, she met "A List" actor,
Franchot Tone. Who had been seen in
Jean Harlow's, 1933, "Bombshell", was nominated for the
"Best Actor Academy Award", for
1935's, "Mutiny on the Bounty", and was also seen, among many other movies, in director
Billy Wilder's, 1943, classic chess game between
German African Corps General Erwin Rommel, and a British officer hiding out from the Germans,
"Five Graves to Cario".
According to page 7, of biographer, poet, essayist, and critic, Robert Polito's, 2009, "Hollywood and God", published by the "University of Chicago Press":
At a Hollywood party early in 1950, Barbara Payton met "B" actor Tom Neal. Among his films was director Edgar G. Ulmer, classic 1945 film-noir, "Detour". After the party, the two started an affair, but according to Polito, the affair ended after she met "A" List actor Franchot Tone.
Above, Barbara Payton and Tom Neal.
However, according to the website "Legsville", https://legsville.com/tone-payton-neal-hollywoods-most-toxic-triangle/
There is a different version of the same story. Speaking to the first meeting between the 45-year-old Tone and the 22-year-old Payton, I quote:
In 1949, she starred with Lloyd Bridges in the film noir, Trapped. In the spring of 1950, she was a gangster moll opposite James Cagney in Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye. Barbara Payton was impressive in both films.
She met Franchot Tone that summer, either when she was trolling at Ciro’s or after he watched her win a Charleston dance contest at the Mocambo.
According to the website, Barbara Payton didn't met Tom Neal until summer 1951, and I quote again:
Tone’s relationship with Payton had only deepened by this time. The forty-six-year-old sophisticate and the woman half his age were now engaged, on the path to their own third weddings — until the summer, when Payton laid her eyes on knockabout actor at a pool party.
More to follow, but let's go back and look at that mentioned, 1950 crime thriller starring James Cagney, and produced by his brother William Cagney.
KISS TOMORROW GOODBYE premiered in New York City on August 4, 1950
The Cagney's purchased the rights to author Horace McCoy's hard hitting 1948 novel of the film's title. Back in 1935, McCoy had written "The Shoot Horses, Don't They?".
Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye" is a brutal story containing characters without redemption, or morality. A trademark of Horace McCoy's written work, and why it took until 1969 for somebody to decide to make his excellent, but depressing, "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" into a motion picture.
The screenplay was written by Harry Brown, 1945's, "A Walk in the Sun", 1948's, "Wake of the Red Witch", and 1949's, "The Sands of Iwo Jima"
The picture was directed by Gordon Douglas, as a true gangster story, and not a film-noir. Although some reviewers still used that term for this feature film, because it had become the norm for crime movies by the mid-1940's. Douglas had started out directing Hal Roach's "Our Gang (Little Rascal's)" shorts. In 1951, reflecting "McCarthyism", Douglas directed the very good, "I Was a Communist for the FBI", starring Frank Lovejoy, and the claimed, true story event in the life of Frank and Jesse James, "The Great Missouri Raid". However, it was three years later, that Gordon
Douglas would direct the classic science fiction, 1954's, "THEM!". Later on, he directed films at the request of Frank Sinatra, such as 1964's, "Robin and the Seven Hoods", 1967's, "Tony Rome", and Sinatra's controversial 1968, "The Detective". My article is "Gordon Douglas: The Little Rascals (Our Gang) - Giant Ants - and Francis Albert Sinatra" found at:
James Cagney portrayed "Ralph Cotter". Cagney had just been seen as "Cody Jarrett", in
1949's, "White Heat". That role would be considered tame as compared to this one. He followed this feature film with the musical, 1950's, "The West Point Story", co-starring with
Virginia Mayo, Doris Day, Gordon MacRae, and Gene Nelson.
Barbara Payton portrayed "Holiday Carleton".
Helena Carter portrayed "Margret Dobson". Carter was just seen in the 1950 adventure film with actor, MacDonald Carey, "South Sea Sinner", and followed this picture with Donald O'Connor's, 1951 pirate comedy, "Double Crossbones". However, it was her final and 13th motion picture that Helena Carter is known for by serious science fiction fans, and that is director William Cameron Menzies, classic 1953, "Invaders from Mars". After which, she left motion pictures and married her second husband, Michael Meshekoff.
Ward Bond portrayed "Inspector Charles Weber". Bond was a member of what was known as "The John Ford Stock Company" and had co-starred with other "Stock Company" members, Ben Johnson, Joanne Dru, and Harry Carey, Jr., in director Ford's, 1950's, "Wagon Master". Ward Bond followed this feature film with 1951's, "Operation Pacific", starring fellow "Stock Company" member, John Wayne.
An Overview of the Screenplay:
The motion picture basically starts with a trial of seven defendants, there should have been eight, be he's dead. The defendant's present are, "Holliday Carleton", the accused murderess, her accomplice, "Police Inspector Charles Weber", "Police Lieutenant John Reece", portrayed by Barton MacLane, another accomplice, "Keith 'Cherokee' Mandon", an attorney and accomplice portrayed by Luther Adler, still another charged accomplice, "Prison Guard Peter Cobbett", portrayed by John Halloran, and still two other charged accomplices, "Vic Mason", portrayed by Rhys Williams, and "Joe 'Jinx' Raynor", portrayed by Steve Brodie.
There are two other characters in the "Supreme Court" room, the "District Attorney", portrayed by Dan Riss, and "Judge George Spaulding", portrayed by the uncredited and type-cast George Spaulding.
The audience hears the "District Attorney" describe the seven defendants as:
Look at [the seven defendants] carefully, because they are your enemies and the enemies of every decent citizen. They’re at war with you—and always have been and always will be! Should they escape this time, the next victim may be you! Or you! Or you!”
As some reviewers have pointed out, this bit of dialogue from Harry Brown, might have come out of the lips of Senator Joseph McCarthy. Who along with the "House Committee on Un-American Activities" had just started their attacks on perceived Communists.
The screenplay switches to a flashback and the audience sees a prison chain gang, and specifically three prisoners, "Ralph Cotter", "Byers", portrayed by William Frawley, and "Carleton", portrayed by the uncredited Neville Brand, working with other members of the chain gang. "Cotter" fakes fainting, and the three are taken to the river to get him some water by "Prison Guard Cobbett". Who would appear to any other prison guard to be guarding the three convicts at the river. "Cotter" now pulls an inner tube from the river and removes two hand guns. He takes one, gives one to "Carleton", and they knock out the unneeded "Byers". It appears the two are making their escape from "Cobbett", as seen by any other guard. However, a guard on horseback does appear, and "Cotter" shoots him. "Carleton" panics and starts to run away and "Cotter" shoots and kills him. As "Cotter" is running toward the road, another guard on horseback appears, but is shot by someone that is unseen. "Cotter" gets into a waiting car and meets "Carleton's" sister, "Holliday", who was the one that shot the guard. She starts to break down and presumes that one of the guard's killed her brother and does not suspect "Ralph Cotter". Driving the get away care is "Joe 'Jinx' Raynor".
The three makes it to safety at a garage run by "Vic Mason", "Raynor" leaves to go back to the radio station he works at, and in the garage "Cotter" wants to speak to "Holiday", but she brushes him off.
So starts the events the seven are on trial for being involved in.
Barbara Payton held her own opposite James Cagney and many reviewers thought she was the better actor of the two in their roles. "Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye" is infamously known for its sadomasochistic bond between "Ralph" and 'Holliday". The "State of Ohio" banned the picture from showing, partly because of a scene of James Cagney whipping Barbara Payton with a wet towel.
As of this writing, the following takes my reader to the complete motion picture:
Above left to right, Herbert Heyes portraying "Ezra Dobson", Helena Carter, and James Cagney.
Above left to right, Barton MacLane, Barbara Payton, James Cagney, and Ward Bond.
Below, left to right, Robert Karnes portraying "Detective Tom Bray", Barbara Payton, and Kenneth Tobey portraying "Detective Fowler".
John Huston was casting his 1950, crime film-noir, "The Asphalt Jungle", and Barbara Payton tried out for the role of "Angela Phinlay". She lost to another young actress, named Marilyn Monroe.
Next, Barbara Payton had 5th-billing in a major "A" List Western.
DALLAS released December 30, 1950
Above, a pre-release add for the motion picture, below, the re-release poster.
The motion picture was directed by
Stuart Heisler. He had just co-directed with actor
Mel Ferrer, Faith Domergue in
1950's, "Vendetta". Heisler followed this motion picture with
1951's, "Journey Into Light", starring
Sterling Hayden.
The screenplay was written by John Twist. He had just co-written the 1949, Joel McCrea, Virginia Mayo, and Dorothy Malone, Western, "Colorado Territory". He followed this motion picture by writing the Randolph Scott Western, 1951's, "Fort Worth".
Gary Cooper portrayed "Blayde 'Reb' Hollister". Cooper was first seen on-screen in 1923's, "The Last Hour". He had just co-starred with Lauren Bacall and Patricia Neal in 1950's, "Bright Leaf", and followed this feature with the 1951 comedy, "You're in the Navy Now".
Ruth Roman portrayed "Tonia Robles". Roman had just co-starred with Eleanor Parker and Patricia Neal, in director Robert Wise's, 1950 mystery-drama, "Three Secrets" The actress followed this motion picture with Alfred Hitchcock's, 1951, "Strangers on a Train".
Steve Cochran portrayed "Bryant Marlow". Cochran had just co-starred with Ginger Rodgers, Ronald Reagan, and Doris Day, in director Stuart Heisler's, 1950, film-noir, KKK, feature,"Storm Warning". He would follow this motion picture with the Western, 1951's, "Raton Pass", co-starring with Dennis Morgan and Patricia Neal.
Raymond Massey portrayed "Will Marlow". Massey started on-screen acting with 1929's, "High Treason", in 1931, he portrayed "Sherlock Holmes", in "The Speckled Band", in 1932, he co-starred in director James Whale's, "The Old Dark House", in 1936, he co-starred in director William Cameron Menzies, "Things to Come", from a screenplay written by Wells. In 1940, he portrayed "Abraham Lincoln", in "Abe Lincoln in Illinois", in 1942, it was director Cecil B. DeMille's, "Reap the Wild Wind", and just before this motion picture. Massey was seen on the television anthology series "Pulitzer Prize Playhouse", in a 1950 live broadcast of "Abe Lincoln in Illinois". The actor followed this movie with the Randolph Scott, 1951 Western, "Sugarfoot".
Above center left is
Steve Cochran, center right is
Raymond Massey
Barbara Payton portrayed "Flo".
Above left to right, Gary Cooper, Steve Cochran, and Barbara Payton
The Dull and Ridiculous Screenplay:
The Civil War has just ended and a band of carpetbaggers raid and murder a Southern family in Georgia. Problem for them, is the husband, "Blayde Hollister", wasn't there. Now, he's out for vengeance, but is also a wanted man for his crimes as a Confederate officer. However, he learns that the leader of the carpetbaggers is now a big man running Dallas, Texas, named "Will Marlow".
"Holllister" next meets "Wild Bill Hickok", portrayed by Reed Hadley, below right, the only actor who seems to be having fun. Both men meet the inexperienced, and way over his head in the wild west, back east, city dude, "United States Marshall Martin Weatherby", portrayed by Leif Erickson, below center.
"Blayde" now changes places with the Marshall, who admits the only reason he took the position was to impress his fiancee "Tonia Robles" in Dallas. The two go to the "Robles" ranch and the real Marshall is introduced as "Martin's" brother. They also take "Tonia" into their confidence and in town the apparent "Dude Eastern Marshall, Martin Weatherby" informs the man, "Will Marlow", who led the attack in Georgia, that "Blayde Hollister" is dead. "Weatherby-Hollister's" problem is getting the evidence to prove this.
The movie runs the normal formula of 1950's Westerns being turned out by "Warner Brothers". "Tonia" and the fake "Martin" are falling in love. "Bryant Marlow" is causing problems for his brother "Will" with the not so "Dude" United States Marshall, that will end with the two shooting it out. As he is dying with witnesses around him, "Bryant" provides the evidence "Hollister" needs, by confessing that "Will" led the raid on his home. Below, "Will Marlow" faces justice at the hands of the good people of Dallas.
The picture ends with "Blayde Hollister" going to marry "Tobia Robles", and the real "United States Marshall Martin Weatherby" handing "Hollister" the pardon he obtained, and wishing the two well.
Barbara Payton's role of "Flo" is very small and is described as the "Trollop" girl friend, of Steve Cochran's "Bryant Marlow".
Above, Steve Cochran and Barbara Payton relaxing during the filming of "Dallas". It is reported that the known womanizer, Cochran, and Payton had a small affair.
I could not locate a copy of "Dallas" on line.
Another Western with another major Hollywood star came next.
ONLY THE VALIANT aka: FORT INVINCIBLE released on April 11, 1951, in limited release under both names
The feature film was produced by
William Cagney.
The screenplay was based upon a "Saturday Evening Post" story by Charles Marquis Warren. Besides Western novels, or short stories. Warren was also a producer, a motion picture screenplay and television script writer, and a director. It was Charles Marquis Warren who adapted the radio series "Gunsmoke" for television. He also created the television series "Rawhide".
This screenplay had two writers, the first was Edmund H. North. He would follow this screenplay with 1951's, "The Day the Earth Stood Still". North originally wrote his screenplay as a parable of the last days of "Jesus Christ", with an interesting twist. Because the United States was experiencing the "Second Red Scare", North has American's not recognizing that "Klaatu" and "Jesus" are one and the same person. The populace can't hear the Klaatu-Jesus message of peace. The scene of "Klaatu's" return to life was edited and rewritten by order of Darryl F. Zanuck, to avoid religious controversy from, among other groups, the "Catholic League of Decency".
"Only the Valiant's" second screenplay writer was Harry Brown, besides the three motion pictures I mentioned above. Brown would co-write, just before this feature, the Elizabeth Taylor, Montgomery Clift, and Shelley Winters, 1951, "A Place in the Sun", He followed this Western with both 1951's, "Apache Drums", and "Bugles in the Afternoon", co-starring Ray Milland, Helena Carter, and Hugh Marlowe.
The motion picture was directed by Gordon Douglas. Douglas had just directed 1951's, "The Great Missouri Raid", about Frank and Jesse James, and followed this feature film with 1951's, "I Was a Communist for the FBI".
Gregory Peck portrayed "Captain Richard Lance". He had just starred in the excellent United Kingdom film version of British author C. S. Forester's, "Captain Horatio Hornblower", opposite Virginia Mayo and directed by American Raoul Walsh. He followed this motion picture with director Henry King's, 1951 Biblical epic, "David and Bathsheba", co-starring Susan Hayward. My article is "Gregory Peck: Five Westerns - Five Different Characters" found at:
Barbara Payton portrayed "Cathy Eversham".
Ward Bond portrayed "Corporal Timothy Gilchrist". Bond had just been seen in 1951's, "The Great Missouri Raid", and followed this motion picture with 1951's, "On Dangerous Ground".
Gig Young portrayed "Lieutenant William Holloway". Young had just been seen in the Second World War movie, 1951's, "Target Unknown" and followed this feature with the Western, 1951's, "Slaughter Trail".
Lon Chaney portrayed "Trooper Kebussyan". Lon had just been seen in the 1951 Western, "Inside Straight", and followed this feature with the Farley Granger and Shelley Winters, 1951 crime comedy, "Behave Yourself!". My article is "LON CHANEY JR: 'OF MICE AND WEREWOLVES" for reading at:
Jeff Corey portrayed "Scout Joe Harmony". By his career's end, the character actor had appeared in 241-roles, having started acting in 1937. Prior to this role, he was seen in the Susan Hayward, Tyrone Power, and Hugh Marlowe, 1951, Western, "Rawhide", directed by Henry Hathaway, and followed it with the 1951 Western, "New Mexico". He also was the real bad guy, "Luke Benson", in 1951's, "Superman vs the Mole Men".
Michael Ansara portrayed "Tucsos". The Syrian born actor seemed to find himself portraying Native Americans. Probably his most known Native American role was as "Cochise" on the television series, "Broken Arrow", 1956 - 1958.
The Screenplay: Stop Me, if You've Heard This Before:
The motion picture opens with an Apache attack on "Fort Invincible", built at the entrance to a box canyon to stop the Apache's from attacking settlers in the New Mexico territory. However, the entire garrison has been killed, before a column of cavalry, under the command of "Captain Richard Lance", arrives. "Lance" engages the remaining Apache's, capturing their leader, "Tucsos". The scout, "Joe Harmony", advises "Lance" to kill the Apache, but the by the book, West Point graduate, will not kill without a proper trial. The column, with their prisoner, returns to a small cavalry outpost that has women and children there.
The audience learns that the daughter of "Captain Eversham", portrayed by Hugh Sanders, "Cathy Eversham", is loved by both "Captain Lance", and "First Lieutenant William Holloway", one subplot.
The other subplot is that the soldiers at this post dislike the by the book Captain.
"Cathy" is torn between the two officers, and finally decides she loves "Lance".
The commanding officer, who is confined due to injuries, "Colonel Drumm", portrayed by Herbert Hayes, wants "Tucsos" taken to the main fort for the territory under guard. "Captain Lance" volunteers and is told to assign someone else. As "Drumm" needs "Lance" to take command of the fort should the Apache's attack.
"Lance" assigns "Holloway" to lead the escort of the prisoner. Of course, the Apache's attack, rescue "Tucsos", and kill "Holloway", and his men. It is common knowledge that "Captain Lance", the night before assigning "First Lieutenant Holloway" to escort "Tucsos", saw "Holloway" kissing "Cathy". However, he did not know that she had just told the lieutenant that she loves the captain.
Everyone, including "Cathy Everham", believe "Lance" assigned "Holloway" to the escort, to get the lieutenant away from her. None know that "Captain Richard Lance" was following the direct orders of "Colonel Drumm".
Next, "Captain Lance" is ordered to take a group of soldiers and return to "Fort Invisible" to hold off the Apache's, once again under "Tucsos". He assembles a troop of misfits to go on what is a suicide mission.
As of this writing, the following link takes my reader to the complete motion picture.
According to Lynn Haney's, 2003, "Gregory Peck: A Charmed Life", while filming this motion picture, July to September, 1950, Peck and Payton had a short affair.
While the gossip columns may have mentioned the short affair between Payton and Peck. She was still having two actual affairs, one continuing, whatever the true facts of her first meeting, with Tom Neal. The other with Franchot Tone, the man Barbara was engaged to marry. She was switching back and forth between her two lovers, according to Hollywood gossip.
Which moves this story to the start of filming, on July 27, 1951, of one of the two motion pictures she is remembered for:
BRIDE OF THE GORILLA premiering in Los Angeles on October 10, 1951
This is actually a classic piece of low-budget horror, because of Barbara Payton's name in the credits.
The motion picture was written and directed by Curt Siodmak. Don't recognize the name? It was Siodmak who created story and screenplay for 1941's, "The Wolf Man" and came up with the classic poem of a man turning into a werewolf under the full moon. His other screenplays include producer Val Lewton's classic, 1943's, "I Walk with a Zombie", and, 1946's, "The Beast with Five Fingers". With his brother, classic 1940's, film-noir director, Robert Siodmak, the two made 1943's, "Son of Dracula", based upon the German expressionist cinema of their youth. My article is "CURT and ROBERT SIODMAK: Horror and Film Noir" to thrill my reader at:
Barbara Payton portrayed "Dina Van Gelder".
Lon Chaney portrayed "Police Commissioner Taro". Chaney followed this movie with what is described as a Film Noir Western, 1951's, "The Bushwackers", starring John Ireland, Dorothy Malone, Wayne Morris, and Lawrence Tierney.
Raymond Burr portrayed "Barney Chavez". Curt Siodmak originally wanted Lon to portray the role, but the actor's age came into play and Burr was cast instead. Burr had just been seen in director William Cameron Menzies spy mystery, 1951's, "The Whip Hand". He would follow this motion picture with the Lucille Ball, John Agar and Patricia Medina, 1951, Arabian knight fantasy,"The Magic Carpet". My article is "RAYMOND BURR BEFORE PERRY MASON: Film-Noirs, 'B' Westerns, A Certain Monster and the Queen of the Nile"for your reading at:
Tom Conway portrayed "Dr. Viet". George Sanders was portraying the freelance adventurer and detective, "Gay Lawrence aka: The Falcon" in a series of 1940's movies. After he left the series, the next entry was "The Falcon's Brother" and the character was now played by Tom Conway, Sander's actual brother. Conway co-starred in both producer Val Lewton's, 1942, "The Cat People", and 1943's, "I Walked with a Zombie", and played a scientist in the 1959 science fiction, "The Atomic Submarine".
Above left to right,
Tom Conway, Lon Chaney, and
Raymond Burr
Gisela Werbisek billed as Giseille Werbisek portrayed "Al-Long". The Austria-Hungarian born actress started on-screen in 1912. She had last been seen in the Gregory Peck and Ava Gardner, 1949, "The Great Sinner". The actress followed this motion picture with "Wedding Day", Season One, Episode One, of the television anthology series, 1953's, "General Electric Theatre".
Above left to right, Raymond Burr, Giseille Werbisek, and Lon Chaney
The reason Curt Siodmak thought of Lon Chaney, for the role of "Barney Chavez", is his screenplay was a shlock version of 1941's, "The Wolf Man". In this case, it's about a cursed man turning into a gorilla.
"Barney Chavez" runs the plantation for Dutch owner, "Klaas Van Gelder", portrayed by Paul Cavanagh. "Barney" lusts for "Van Gelder's" wife, "Dina", and dreams of owning the plantation itself.
"Barney" murders "Klaas", making the murder appear as if by an animal attack. He thinks his way to "Klaas's" wife is now clear, but he is of course wrong.
What he doesn't know is the murder was witnessed by an old native witch, "Al-Long". She places a curse on the plantation manager, who has been treating the other native workers badly.
Next, a superstitious police commissioner named "Taro", following police protocol, investigates the accidental death of "Klaas Van Gelder", and speaks to both "Van Gelder's" wife, and best friend, "Dr. Viet".
Next, strange animal deaths start occurring, and the commissioner is wondering, as are the plantation workers, if a
"Sukara" isn't responsible? A "Sukara" is a mythical jungle demon described as a gorilla that sometimes has a human head covered with hair. The following link describes alleged encounters with a "Sukara".
http://www.bigfootencounters.com/creatures/sisimite.htm
Meanwhile, to his liking, "Barney" and "Dina" have been getting romantically involved, but as the animal killings continue. She is wondering why he is seems more interested in the jungle than her?
While, the commissioner and the plantation workers hunt is now on for the "Sukara", "Barney-Sukara" enters "Dina's" room, but the "Barney" personality takes over and he leaves her.
In his own room "Barney" stares into a mirror and instead of his face and body, he sees a gorilla, portrayed by Steve Calvert, his "Sukara" self.
"Dr. Viet" figures things out, and contacts "Taro", but "Dina" sees "Barney" walking into the jungle and decides to follow him. There she meets the "Sukara", who attacks her, but "Dr. Viet" and "Commissioner Taro" arrive and "Viet" shoots the gorilla. It turns back into "Barney Chavez", and before he dies. "Barney" stares into a nearby pond and the "Sukara" stares back at him.
As of this writing, the following link takes my reader to the "Bride of the Gorilla".
The next feature I will mention was filmed from October to November, 1950, but before its release in late 1951. The picture gained some publicity not intended by the producers, the "King Brothers", or "RKO Pictures". The Tom Neal affair came to a head on September 14, 1951. The following link will take my reader to the September 15, 1951, front page of the "St. Petersburg Times", in Florida.
The article speaks to former boxer, Tom Neal, physically attacking Franchot Tone in Barbara Payton's apartment. The result was Tone having a broken nose, smashed cheekbone, a concussion, and leaving the actor in an 18-hour-coma. Barbara Payton decided to honor her engagement to Franchot Tone, and the two were married on September 28, 1951. She also agreed never to see Tom Neal, more on that later.
DRUMS OF THE DEEP SOUTH released on October 16, 1951
The screenplay was based upon "Women With a Sword: The Biographical Novel of Anna Ella Carroll of Maryland", by Charles Hollister Noble. Noble was accused by Marjorie Barstow Greenbie of plagiarizing her research on the same subject. Before the verdict of the lawsuit came in, Hollister committed suicide over the negative publicity he was getting. He was found not guilty.
Anna Ella Carroll wrote pamphlets against slavery during the American Civil War. She was, also, an adviser to President Abraham Lincoln's cabinet.
The screenplay was by two writers, Philip Yordan also wrote 1945's, 'Dillinger", 1949's, "House of Strangers", 1949's, "Anna Lucasta", and 1951's, "Detective Story". Sydney Harmon had co-written 1952's, "Mutiny" with Philip Yordan. That screenplay was based upon another novel by Charles Hollister Noble.
It should be noted that Ann Ella Carroll is not found in this screenplay. Neither is Abraham Lincoln, or his cabinet.
William Cameron Menzies directed the motion picture and H. G. Wells's, 1936, "Things to Come". It was Menzies who burned Atlanta, in 1939's, "Gone with the Wind", and created childhood nightmares with 1953's, "Invaders From Mars", as both the production designer and director. My article is "William Cameron Menzies: Art Director, Production Designer and Motion Picture Director" at:
James Craig portrayed "Major Clay Clayburn". Craig was just seen in the musical, film noir, crime drama, 1951's, "The Strip", starring Mickey Rooney, and Sally Forrest. He followed this motion picture with 1952's, "Hurricane Smith", co-starring Yvonne DeCarlo and John Ireland.
Barbara Payton portrayed "Kathy Summers", seen below with Craig.
Guy Madison portrayed "Major Will Denning", seen below with Barbara Payton. Madison had recently been seen co-starring with Rory Calhoun in the 1949 Western, "Massacre River". He followed this motion picture with 1952's, "Red Snow", overly described by IMDb, as an action, adventure, drama, science fiction, and a thriller. From 1951 through 1958, Guy Madison was starring on televisions, "Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok".
An Overview of This Civil War Mini-"Gone with the Wind":
William Cameron Menzies was both the Production Designer and Second Unit Director on 1939's, "Gone with the Wind". Most reviewers of this motion picture seem to agree this was his mini-version of the epic Civil War film, and his production design and direction are the best thing about it.
Drums in the Deep South begins, after a two-minute sequence of credits accompanied by orchestral music and titling on the screen to let us know where and when we are, with a well dressed man with a Bryl-cream hairdo riding up on a horse to a classical Southern plantation.
The year is 1861, friends "Clay Clayburn" and "Will Denning" have graduated from West Point, and go to visit another friend and graduate, "Braxton Summers", portrayed by Craig Stevens, at his Georgia plantation. "Clay" still loves "Braxton's" wife, "Kathy".
Above left sitting is
Guy Madison, standing behind him is
Craig Stevens, sitting is
Barbara Payton, and on the right
James Craig.
The above sequence concludes with "Braxton" and "Will" going off to discuss the plantation he now has brought out of debt and owns completely. While "Clay" is left with "Kathy", and the two admit to still being in love with each other. "Clay" now gives her a necklace that he knows will send a signal to "Braxton".
As they embrace and passionately kiss, "Uncle Albert Monroe", portrayed by
Taylor Holmes, comes rushing through the front door looking for "Braxton". His news is that Fort Sumner has been fired upon and the American Civil War has started. "Will" excuses himself, and heads north to Boston.
Above, Craig Stevens and Barbara Payton
Returning to the above mentioned website and another William Cameron Menzies touch:
The next scene shows us the passage of time. Scenes of cloudy smoke, shadowy soldiers on horseback, and regular cannon fire are overlain by a stream of years: 1861. 1862. 1863. 1864. When we emerge from this segue, three grey-coated Confederate officers are discussing an unnamed man of immense bravery and cunning.
The man in the discussion is "Clay", now a Confederate Major of field artillery. While :'Will" is his opposite in the Union Army, and "Braxton" is somewhere fighting for the Confederacy.
Very Briefly:
The story now becomes a plan by the Confederacy to block "Union General Sherman's" march to the sea. "Clay" is ordered to lead a party of men and their disassembled cannon into the caves that lead to the top of Devil's Mountain. From which cannon can shoot at, and destroy, the railroad running through Snake Gap.
"Kathy", at the plantation with "Uncle Albert", agrees to forward information about Union troop movements that could affect "Clay" and his men. Of course, who should show up, but "Will" at the head of those troops.
"Kathy" now volunteers to go up the mountain to "Clay" and try to convince him to surrender to "Will's" overpowering troops. "Will" is having engineers mine the mountain to blow up "Clay's" deadly cannon positions. While, "Clay", believes if the mountain is blown up, the rockslide will also cover the railroad tracks further preventing "Sherman's" march to the sea.
As she climbs the mountain and enters the caves, one of "Clay's" sentries shoots her by mistaking her for one of the Union troops. Brought to "Clay", she repeats "Will's" offer of surrender, and "Clay" orders his men down the mountain to surrender.
After which, "Clay", tends to "Kathy's" wound when the mountain explodes and it is presumed that both died.
According to "Movieland Briefs", in the "Los Angeles Times", October 23, 1951, because of how profitable was this film's box office. The "King Brothers" announced a semi-sequel to the motion picture, "Murder March", about "Sherman's March to the Sea", once more starring James Craig, Barbara Payton, and Guy Madison. That motion picture never was made.
At the time of this writing, my reader will found the motion picture at:
Downward Spiral:
"Warner Brothers" informed Payton that they had dropped her contract with them, originally made by the Cagney's. Next, Franchot Tone discovered Barbara was still seeing Tom Neal, and in May, 1952, he was granted a divorce. This was also the end of both Payton's and Neal's American film careers, but Franchot Tone's was not touched and was looked upon as the victim.
Not being able to find work in the United States, Barbara Payton crossed the pond and made two feature films for England's "House of Hammer Productions", for release in 1953.
The first of the two was filmed in August 1952 by director Terence Fisher. While the second was filmed between September 25 and October 19, 1952.
The filming's were followed by Barbara Payton and Tom Neal touring the United States in a 1953
revival of playwright Jame M. Cain's, 1936 stage play, "The Postman Always Rings Twice". The play was based upon Cain's 1934 novel. The box office showed that Americans wanted to see the scandalous pair.
That first released "Hammer Film: was:
THE FLANAGAN BOY released first in the United States as BAD BLONDE on April 10, 1953, and under its British title in July 1953
Above the first edition of the Max Catto, 1949 novel, that the motion picture is based upon. It should be noted that this thriller has similarities to James M. Cain's, 1934 novel, "The Postman Always Rings Twice" and the 1946, Lana Turner and John Garfield, motion picture screenplay.
Two writers created the screenplay, the first was British writer, Guy Elmes. He had just co-written,
1953's, "The Planter's Wife (Outpost in Malaya), starring Claudette Colbert and Jack Hawkins. He followed this screenplay with 1953's, "Wheel of Fate".
The other writer was American, Richard Landau, 1953's, "Spaceways", starring Howard Duff and Eva Bartok, 1955's, "The Quatermass X-periment", starring Brian Donlevy, both 1957's, "The Pharaoh's Curse", and "Voodoo Island", starring Boris Karloff.
Reginald Le Borg directed the motion picture. He had been directing since 1936, and among his other work are three of Lon Chaney's, "Inner Sanctum" mysteries, 1943's, "Calling Dr. Death", 1944's, "Weird Woman", and 1944's, "Dead Man's Eyes". Le Borg was also the director on two classic "Universal Pictures" horror entries, 1944's, "Jungle Woman", and the same years, "The Mummy's Ghost". Just before this film, he had directed Howard Duff and Coleen Gray in 1952's "Models, Inc".
Barbara Payton portrayed "Lorna Vecchi".
Frederick Valk portrayed "Giuseppi Vecchi". Valk had just been seen in the Clark Gable and Gene Tierney's, 1953, "Never Let Me Go", and followed this film with the Second World War drama, 1953's, "Albert, R.N. (Break to Freedom)".
Sidney "Sid" James portrayed "Sharkey". For my American readers, among Sid James films are Alec Guinness's, 1951, "The Lavender Hill Mob", the Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, and Gina Lollobrigida, 1956, "Trapeze", 1957's, "Quatermass 2 (Enemy from Space)", and Charlie Chaplin's, 1957, "A King in New York".
Tony Wright portrayed "Johnny Flanagan". Prior to this motion picture the actor had only one appearance in a television drama. He would portray a British detective in several French motion pictures, and was married to actress Janet Munro from 1957 - 1959.
In "The Postman Always Rings Twice", the reader meets "Cora" and her much older husband, "Nick Papadikas", sometimes referred to as "The Greek". He owns a rural California diner that "Cora" wants for her own. Enter the young drifter, "Frank Chambers", and "Cora" manipulates him through sex to kill her husband. The story ends tragically with both getting their comeuppance.
The Very Basic Screenplay:
"Johnny Flanagan" was raised on the streets where he had to fight to survive. He's at a local fair in an amateur boxing match to win some money. Along comes a shady ex-boxing manager named "Sharkey" to watch the match. He's been looking for a way to make his own comeback and spots "Flanagan". "Sharkey" approaches "Johnny" and talks the young boxer into letting him become his manager.
Next, "Sharkey" needs the financial backing to train his boxer and gets it from wealthy Italian, "Giuseppi Vecchi". The problem is that "Giuseppi" has a young wife, "Lorna",who wants him dead, and his money, hers. As he starts to rise as a professional boxer, "Lorna" meets "Johnny Flanagan".
"Lorna" starts a sexual relationship with "Johnny", as part of her plan to get him trapped into killing her husband. "Johnny Flanagan" isn't ready to murder "Giuseppe", until "Lorna" lies to him about being pregnant with their child.
"Giuseppi" regularly takes a swim at the lake by his home and "Johnny" drowns him, making his death seem to be an accident. By this time, "Johnny Flanagan" has become a name in the British boxing arena, and "Sharkey" is making a lot of money managing him.
The climax comes, when "Johnny" tells "Lorna" his conscious can't take their secret anymore, and he's going to the police to confess the murder. To stop him, "Lorna" poisons "Johnny", making it look like a suicide, but she forgets "Sharkey". Who takes his revenge upon "Lorna Vecchi".
Back in the United States, in May 1953, Barbara Payton announced her engagement to Tom Neal and their plans to be married later during the summer in Paris, France. The following link takes my reader to the "Spokane Daily Chronicle" for May 18, 1953 at:
Barbara Payton's second motion picture for "Hammer Films", relates to this article's title and a little modernized Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. The following is part of my article, "Four Odd 1950's Science Fiction Movies From the United Kingdom". The complete article may be read at:
THE FOUR SIDED TRIANGLE released in the United Kingdom on May 25, 1953
The above poster's tag line helped to entrap an audience:HE OUTDID FRANKENSTEIN
This motion picture was directed by Terence Fisher, and foreshadowed Fisher's, classic 1957, "The Curse of Frankenstein", starring Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, and Hazel Court.
The actual screenplay was written by Terence Fisher, but the story outline was by Paul Tabori, a writer for British television. Who had adapted this short story by British science fiction writer William F. Temple, first published in a 1939 issue of the pulp magazine, "Amazing Stories", under the same title.
Speaking to foreshadowing, most "Hammer Films" historians believe this screenplay was partly the basis for Terence Fisher's, 1967, "Frankenstein Created Woman".
My small look at Terence Fisher's career, is one of four parts, along with the fictional "Bernard Quatermass", character actor Michael Ripper, and make-up artist Philip Leakey, in my article, "HAMMER FILMS: A Look at the 'House of Hammer' By An American Fan" available for your reading at:
http://www.bewaretheblog.com/2015/02/hammer-films-look-at-house-of-hammer.html
Barbara Payton portrayed the dual role of "Lena Maitland" and "Helen".
James Hayter portrayed
"Dr. Harvey". British character actor Hayter had just appeared in the
1953 sports comedy,
"The Great Game", co-starring with
Diana Dors. He would follow this feature with
1953's, "Always a Bride".
Stephen Murray portrayed
"Bill Leggat". British actor
Murray had fourth billing in the
Merle Oberon, Richard Todd, and
Leo Glenn, 1952, "Affair in Monte Carlo", and followed this film with sixth billing in the
Trevor Howard, Alida Valli and
Richard Basehart, Italy and United Kingdom co-production,
1954's, "La mano dello straniero (The Hand of a Stranger)".
John Van Eyssen portrayed "Robin Grant". South African actor Van Eyssen was just in the made for British television movie, 1953's, "The Kentish Robin", and followed this picture with another made for British television movie, 1953's "Gunpowder Guy". He also portrayed
"Jonathan Harker", in
Terence Fisher's, 1958, "Dracula" aka
"Horror of Dracula" from "Hammer Films".
The Screenplay:
The motion picture begins with "Dr. Harvey" breaking the fourth wall of the theater and addressing the audience. He tells the audience, in flashback, a strange story that took place in his small village.
"Dr. Harvey's" story beings when the three main characters, "Bill", "Robin" and "Lena", are children and playing together. As the boys compete for "Lena's" attention in an old barn they all liked.
However, "Lena's" family moves away and the story switches to the grown "Bill" and "Robin". Who have both become research scientists working on their invention, "The Reproducer". A device that can copy any object. Enter the adult "Lena", and "Bill" and "Robin's" forgotten feelings towards her.
Above, "Dr. Harvey" joins "Lena", as the two watch "The Reproducer" recreate an object.
Next, "Lena" starts to work with "Bill" and "Robin" on their invention. This is in the same old barn the three played in as children.
Time passes, and "Bill" and "Robin" have not gotten any further with their invention, than when "Lena" first arrived. The two have now stopped working on "The Reproducer". While, "Robin" leaves the village to learn the family's business that he is expected to take over.
Sometime after "Robin" left, "Bill" restarted his work on the invention, with the assistance of Dr. Harvey". Over time, "Bill" has fallen in love with "Lena", but learns that she is in love with and plans to marry "Robin". It is at this point that he talks "Lena" into letting him use "The Reproducer" to create a duplicate of her for himself. Thereby, as he sees it, solving the problem facing both men being in love with the same woman.
The duplication of "Lena" takes place and "Bill" names her "Helen".
Above, "Lena" with "Robin", and below "Helen" with "Bill".
The climax comes, when "Bill" discovers he has made a too perfect duplicate of "Lena". "Helen" is also in love with "Robin", like her original self. "Bill" believes that electro-therapy can erase "Helen's" knowledge of "Robin" and she agrees to it. "Bill" now gets "Lena" to assist in the procedure, but something goes wrong and apparatus overheats causing a fire.
The fire has trapped both women and "Bill", but "Robin" and "Dr. Harvey" arrive in time to pull one of the women out of the fire. When they turn to reenter the laboratory, they are unable to reach the other woman, and she, with "Bill", die in the fire.
Now, the question facing both "Robin" and "Dr. Harvey",
is which woman did they save?
This "Lena/Helen" has amnesia! Then, "Dr. Harvey" remembers, that at one point after "Lena's" return, when she was first working with "Robin" and "Bill", her heart had stopped. In an attempt to restart it, "Robin" had attached a device to the back of "Lena's" neck and it left two marks. On the back of this woman's neck are those two marks. The woman they saved from the first, must be "Lena", and not her duplicate, "Helen", right?
Barbara Payton's next motion picture was a comedy made in the United States.
RUN FOR THE HILLS was released in June 1953
The original story was by Leonard Neubauer. His total stories between 1940 and 1980, were 9, including three for television and one for soft porn producer, Russ Meyers.
The screenplay was by Marion Parsonnet, billed as Richard Stroup. She was the writer for the Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford, 1946, "Gilda". Her total screenplays between 1937 and 1961, were 26, including eight for television.
The motion picture was directed by Lew Landers, who started directing in 1934, as Louis Friedlander. In 1935, he directed the classic Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi, "The Raven". He would move to television in 1951, with "The Adventures of Kit Carson", and continue in that medium into 1962.
Sonny Tufts portrayed "Charlie Johnson". Tufts is probably best known, for 1953's, 3-D, "Cat-Women of the Moon". He had fourth-billing in the Marilyn Monroe and Tom Ewell classic comedy, 1955's, "The Seven Year Itch", and had just co-starred with Trevor Howard and Richard Attenborough in the British Second World War film, 1952's, "Glory at Sea". Tufts followed this motion picture, by co-starring with Lew Ayers in the 1953, film noir, "No Escape".
Barbara Payton portrayed "Jane Johnson".
In the early 1950's, with the "Second Red Scare", Hollywood was turning out mostly science fiction films. This is classified as a science fiction comedy like the following years, "The Atomic Kid", starring Mickey Rooney, and both deal with atomic bombs.
The screenplay is about an insurance salesman who is afraid for is family, after learning that the Soviet Union had successfully tested a H-Bomb. He has disappeared, without saying a word, on three consecutive weekends. This gets his wife "Jane" suspicious of what "Charley's" up too? However, on the fourth weekend, he takes her to an old abandoned gold mine with a cave further inside that he has purchased.
What follows is a series of misadventures that leads to "Charley" and "Jane's" family living in the cave. When the ground starts violently shaking, "Charley" believes the Russian's have finally dropped the H-bomb, but it's only an earthquake. After the family realizes what has actually happened and that there was no H-bomb. They discover the quake uncovered several veins of pure gold that "Charlie" now owns the mineral rights too.
Finally, Barbara Payton and Tom Neal would be seen together on the motion picture screen. In what seemed like a lower budget version of Gordon Douglas's, low budget, 1951, "B" Western, "The Great Missouri Raid".
THE GREAT JESSE JAMES RAID released July 17, 1953
The screenplay was written by Richard Landau. Landau wrote the screenplay for the John Wayne and Anthony Quinn, 1945, "Back to Bataan". Among his other work is the 1951, science fiction, the "Lost Continent", starring Cesar Romero, and both, Hammer Films, 1953 science fiction, "Spaceways", and 1955's, "Quartermass X-periment". Along with two screenplays for Boris Karloff, 1957's, "Voodoo Island", and 1958's, "Frankenstein 1970". For Walt Disney, Richard Landau came up with the story for the dark science fiction thriller, 1979's, "The Black Hole".
Reginald Le Borg directed this "B" Western and it immediately followed the same years "The Flanagan Boy (Bad Blonde) for the director.
Williard Parker portrayed "Jesse James". Parker first appeared on-screen with 4th-billing, in singing cowboy, Dick Foran's, 1937, "Devil's Saddle Legion". He was a solid low-budget, "B" movie character actor with the occasional leading role. From 1955 - 1958, Willard Parker starred as "Ranger Jace Pearson" in the forgotten Western television series, "Tales of the Texas Rangers". In 1964, Parker starred in director Terence Fisher's, low-budget United Kingdom science fiction, "The Earth Dies Screaming".
Barbara Payton portrayed "Kate". Note that the above poster has her billed as Barbara "Bad Blonde" Payton.
Tom Neal portrayed "Arch Clements". Neal had just appeared as "Lash Corby", in "Vigilante Story", on televisions, "Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok", starring Guy Madison and Andy Devine. He followed this feature film with an "Unknown Episode" of the forgotten, 1954 television series, "A Time to Live", that ran for one-season and had 129, 15-minute episodes.
Above, a publicity still of left to right, Barbara Payton, Tom Neal, and Willard Parker
Wallace Ford portrayed "Elias Hobbs". United Kingdom born character actor Ford, was first seen on-screen in 1929. He starred in director Tod Browning's classic 1932's, "Freaks". He was 5th-billed in director John Ford's, "Academy Award Winning", 1935, "The Informer", and co-starred in both 1940's, "The Mummy's Hand", and 1942's, "The Mummy's Tomb".
Above left to right, Unidentified actor, Wallace Ford, Tom Neal, Willard Parker, Jim Bannon portraying "Bob Ford", and Barbara Payton.
I’ve hardly got the energy to review this one, it’s so bad. I suppose I better, though, being a Western blogger and all. I’ll be brief anyway.
The picture was a typical low-budget "B" Western on par to the television Westerns at the time. With a claim for a true untold story, which it is not, because the story was completely created by Richard Landau. It should be noted that "Jesse Jame's" brother "Frank James" is nowhere to be seen, or mentioned.
Western blogger, Jeff Arnold, had watched the movie on television and he wrote that the print was scratchy. The following link, at the time of this writing, will take my reader to a better print.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wy5Zt2Gn_u0
My interest in this film is Barbara Payton and I quote Jeff Arnold once more to set up the final years of her life.
There’s another dame, Creede saloon gal Kate (fading star Barbara Payton, who just looks bored – she herself said the picture “didn’t mark a step up”). She’s Bob’s squeeze but he mistreats her and she takes a shine to young Johnny – she can’t go for Jesse because he’s a married man and it’s the moral 1950s. Ms Payton was a buxom blonde in red who sleepwalked through this one but I doubt if the (male) audience minded that.
I now come to the end of the Tom Neal and Barbara Payton story and some more confusion. I mentioned that the two were to have been married in Paris during the summer of 1953. That never took place, or maybe it did take place. It all depends upon your source for that confirmation.
According to the "Turner Classic Movie" website for the movie at:
https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/76888/the-great-jesse-james-raid#notes
The Great Jesse James Raid marked the final screen appearance of actor Tom Neal (1914-1972). Neal and actress Barbara Payton were married during the film's production, and this was their only film together.
I now switch to the "Oxnard Press-Courier" for March 29, 1954 and an entirely different story at:
https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Zw9MAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ASQNAAAAIBAJ&pg=3610,5668612&dq=barbara+payton+tom+neal&hl=en
They report that the:
ex-wife of Franchot Tone, has severed romantic ties with actor Tom Neal and plans to re-marry her first husband, an army captain.
The article also mentions that Captain Lee Payton had been a Chinese Communist prisoner of war during the "Korean War", and Lee and Barbara had been talking a lot about their seven-years-old son, Lee Payton, Jr.
In Actuality Tom Neal:
In 1956, Tom Neal married Patricia Fenton, and the couple had a son, Patrick Thomas Neal in 1957. Sadly, Patricia passed away from cancer in 1958. Neal would become a gardener in Palm Springs, California, and he opened his own landscaping business. In 1960, he married receptionist Gail Bennett, on April 1, 1965, he was charged with murdering her. On November 18, 1965, he was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and spent six-years in prison. He returned to landscaping and on August 7, 1971, Tom Neal was found dead from a heart attack in his North Hollywood, California home, with his son asleep next to him on the bed.
In Actuality Barbara Payton:
Barbara Payton had only two motion pictures remaining, but the second was an uncredited cameo. Her last non-cameo picture was an interesting "B" film noir.
MURDER IS MY BEAT released February 27, 1955
The film noir story was written by both Martin Field, his only one, and Aubrey Wisberg. Wisberg also wrote the screenplay. His first screenplay was 1942's, "Submarine Raider", starring John Howard, Marguerite Chapman, and Bruce Bennett. Science fiction fans should know him as the writer of 1951's, "The Man from Planet X", 1952's, "1,000 Years from Now (Captive Women)", 1953's, "The Neanderthal Man", and 1968's, "Mission Mars".
The motion picture was directed by Edgar G. Ulmer. His first motion picture was the classic German film, 1930's, "Menschen am Sonntag (People On Sunday)". He left Germany with the rise of Adolph Hitler and in 1935, directed Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi and David Manners in "The Black Cat". As I mentioned much earlier, Ulmer directed Tom Neal in 1945's, "Detour". In 1951, Edgar Ulmer directed "The Man from Planet X", and later, the Victor Mature, Italian movie, 1959's, "Hannibal".
Paul Langton, below with Payton, portrayed "Ray Patrick". Langton was first seen on-screen in 1943's, "First Comes Courage", starring Merle Oberon and Brian Aherne. His films include director Mervyn LeRoy's, 1944's, "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo", director John Ford's, 1945, "They Were Expendable", and the first "Abominable Snowman" movie, 1954's, "The Snow Creature". In 1957, Paul Langton, portrayed the brother in "The Incredible Shrinking Man", and in 1959, the actor portrayed an army general in John Agar's, "Invisible Invaders".
Barbara Payton portrayed "Eden Lane".
Robert Shayne portrayed "Police Captain Bert Rawley". Shayne started on-screen acting in 1929, and his science fiction films include 1946's, "The Face of Marble", 1953's, "Invaders from Mars", the title role of 1953's, "The Neanderthal Man". Along with 1954's, "Tobor the Great", 1956's, "The Indestructible Man", both 1957's, "KRONOS", and "The Giant Claw", both Roger Corman's, 1958, "War of the Satellites", and "Teenage Cave Man", and was in the same years "How to Make a Monster". However, he is best known for the role of "Police Inspector Henderson", in "The Adventures of Superman", 1952 - 1958.
The basic set-up:
The screenplay starts with "Detective Ray Patrick" alone in a roadside motel. His superior "Captain Bert Rawley" has tracked him down. Discovering "Patrick" alone, "Rawley"starts to handcuff the other detective. This leads to a plea for a little more time to find the missing "Eden Lane", and the real murderer. The story now turns into the first of several flashbacks:
Business man "Frank Deane" is found murdered with his face and hands deliberately burned beyond recognition.
"Detective Ray Patrick" tracks down "Deane's" girlfriend, night-club singer, "Eden Lane", and arrests her for the murder. To even "Detective Patrick's" surprise, "Eden Lane" admits involvement in "Frank Deane's" death. She is convicted, sentenced to prison, and "Detective Ray Patrick" ordered to escort her to prison by train.
At a train stop, looking out the window, "Eden" gasps, seeing the dead man standing on the platform.
As of this writing, the following link takes my reader to "Murder is My Beat", with several more twists, turns, and flashbacks within flashbacks. at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmexPsq8Rsw
Also in 1955, Barbara Payton had been arraigned for check fraud, seen below.
The next item of interest about Barbara Payton, was found in the "St. Jospeh News-Press", dated November 29, 1955, with the small article:
BARBARA PAYTON WEDS EXECUTIVE
https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=AlNUAAAAIBAJ&sjid=yjoNAAAAIBAJ&pg=3005,1776028&dq=barbara+payton+provas&hl=en
The article announced her wedding, not to her ex-husband, but to 23-year-old, furniture executive, George A. Provas. The two would divorce in August 1958.
Additionally, on March 10, 1956, the "Ludington Daily News", had a small article that IF her marriage to Provas, hadn't completely destroyed the idea that Barbara Payton and Captain Lee Payton were getting back together. This one did:
https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=MVFOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=OTwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3007,3256446&dq=barbara+payton+son+custody&hl=en
The headline read:
FATHER GIVEN CUSTODY OF SON OF BARBARA PAYTON
The article stated that:
Payton had moved for custody charging his former wife had failed to provide with an adequate home, and had exposed him to "profane language, immoral conduct, notoriety, unwholesome activities and no moral education.
According to John O'Dowd, it was at this time that Barbara Payton became an alcoholic, as her parents still were. This can be collaborated by moving forward, for the moment, to 1962, and quoting, Robert Polito, in his previously mentioned, "Hollywood and God", page 5, about Barbara Payton's visits to "The Coach and Horses", in Hollywood, at 7617 Sunset Boulevard, where his father tended bar:
Barbara Payton oozed alcohol even before she ordered a drink," Polito said. "Her eyebrows didn't match her brassy hair; her face displayed a perpetual sunburn, a map of veins by her nose...[S]he carried an old man's potbelly...[H]er gowns and dresses...[were] creased and spotted. She must have weighed 200 pounds... She does not so much inhabit a character as impersonate a starlet.
Which brings my reader to, George Albert "Scotty" Bowers, a "Self Proclaimed Hustler", known for procuring prostitutes for Hollywood actors. According to his 2012 book, "Full Service: My Adventures in Hollywood and the Secret Sex Lives of the Stars", co-written by Lionel Friedberg. On Page 163, Scotty Bowers alleged that Barbara Payton had become a high class call girl and was much in demand.
At the start of a May 20, 2003, interview by A. K. Rode of John Dowd, in"The Big Chat interview series, noirfilm.com, at http://www.noirfilm.com/BC_John_O%27Dowd.htm my reader finds:
BACKGROUND:Real life femme fatale Barbara Payton, once a promising actress, hoped to take Hollywood by storm in the 1950’s. It wasn’t long before the storm took her.Payton was a natural beauty who got her kicks by pitting man against man, painting her face with bizarre tattoos and non-stop sex. She went from starlet to hooker on Sunset Boulevard in just a few short years.
On December 18, 1973, the motion picture "Four For Texas", premiered.
Above left, is Ursula Andress portraying "Maxine Richter", speaking to the uncredited Barbara Payton, portraying a "townswomen".
In 1965, Barbara Payton married Jess Rawley, I could not locate anything about who he was, but they separated at the start of 1967. On May 8, 1967, in San Diego, California, Barbara Payton passed away from heart and liver problems. She was living in her parent's home.
Above, Barbara Payton in 1953, RIP.
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