
Mari Blanchard
Actor · 1923 – 1970 · Long Beach, California, USA
Petite, attractive Mari Blanchard rarely managed to get the lucky breaks. The daughter of an oil tycoon and a psychotherapist, she suffered from severe poliomyelitis from the age of nine, which denied her a hoped-for dancing career. For several years, she worked hard to rehabilitate her limbs from paralysis, swimming and later even performing on the trapeze at Cole Brothers Circus. At the urging of her parents, she then attended the University of Southern California, where she studied international law before dropping out nine units short of a degree. Her university studies did not lead to a career either. Sometime in the late 1940s, she joined the Conover Agency as an advertising model and, at the same time, was promoted by famed cartoonist and writer Al Capp, becoming the inspiration for one of his Li'l Abner characters. As the result of an advertisement on the back page of the Hollywood Reporter, Mari was signed to a contract with Paramount. However, her early experience in the movie business proved an unhappy one, most of her roles being walk-ons and bit parts. Ten Tall Men (1951), for example, limited her to a token stroll down a street, twirling a parasol and smiling seductively at members of the Foreign Legion. It wasn't until Mari joined Universal that her fortunes improved somewhat, with a co-starring role (opposite Victor Mature) in The Veils of Bagdad (1953). After that, it was all downhill again. Burt Lancaster, co-producer and star (with Gary Cooper of the excellent A-grade western Vera Cruz (1954), had requested Mari as his leading lady, but Universal refused her release to United Artists and forbade her to accept the lucrative role (Denise Darcel ended up getting the part). Mari then lost the lead in a much lesser picture,Saskatchewan (1954), to Shelley Winters. Instead, she was cast as Venusian Queen Allura in one of the least exciting outings by Universal's leading comic duo, Abbott and Costello Go to Mars (1953). Mari did end up with a respectable starring role in the western Destry (1954) opposite Audie Murphy. A remake of the classic Destry Rides Again (1939), she was cast in the Marlene Dietrich part and took great pains to affect a totally different look, darkening her hair so as not to be compared to the great star. Even the name of her character was changed from 'Frenchy' to 'Brandy'. "Destry" was not all smooth sailing. There was tension between her and director George Marshall (who had also directed the original version) and Mari suffered a facial injury as the result of a fight scene. The film was critically well received, but unfortunately Universal failed to renew its contract with Miss Blanchard, and her career then went into free fall. Freelancing for lesser studios, she played a TB victim injected with a serum turning her into a Mr. Hyde-like killer in the lurid She Devil (1957) (during filming she nearly died of acute appendicitis). Mari then appeared for Republic in the eminently forgettable No Place to Land (1958) before briefly starring in her own short-lived adventure series Klondike (1960). Her last role of note was as the cheerful and likeable town madam in the rollicking John Wayne western comedy McLintock! (1963). Sometime that year, Mari Blanchard developed the cancer which was to claim her life in 1970 at the age of just 47.
Movies23
Movie6.6WesternComedyAging rancher and self-made man, George Washington McLintock is forced to deal with numerous personal and professional problems. Seemingly everyone wants a piece of his enormous farmstead, including high-ranking government men and nearby Native Americans. As McLintock tries to juggle his various adversaries, his wife—who left him two years previously—suddenly returns. But she isn't interested in George; she wants custody of their daughter.
McLintock!
1963 · 266 votes
Movie6.1WesternWarWestern remake of "Destry Rides Again", starring Audie Murphy, Mari Blanchard, Thomas Mitchell, Lori Nelson and Lyle Bettger.
Destry
1954 · 37 votes
Movie5.4ComedyScience FictionLester and Orville accidentally launch a rocket which is supposed to fly to Mars. Instead it goes to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. They are then forced by bank robber Mugsy and his pal Harry to fly to Venus where they find a civilization made up entirely of women, men having been banished.
Abbott and Costello Go to Mars
1953 · 58 votes
Movie7.3DocumentaryHistoryThe story of how Norma Jeane Mortenson became Marilyn Monroe (1926-62), a lucid path of self-discovery, from anonymity to stardom: the painful birth of a myth.
Movie6.2ActionAdventureSgt. Mike Kincaid of the French Foreign Legion learns, from a Riff prisoner, that an attack will soon be made by the villainous Hussin on the Legion's outpost of Tarfa. Kincaid volunteers to lead nine other Legionnaires on a mission to delay Hussin's attack till reinforcements arrive. When he discovers that Hussin plans to marry Mahla, a girl from a rival tribe, in order to build a coalition against the French, Kincaid kidnaps Mahla. Hussin forcefully takes her back, but by now his planned attack on Tarfa is crumbling and Mahla has begun to fall in love with Kincaid.
Ten Tall Men
1951 · 19 votes
Movie6.2HorrorFantasy3 horror stories based on the writings of Nathaniel Hawthorne. In the 1st story titled "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment", Heidegger attempts to restore the youth of three elderly friends. In "Rappaccini's Daughter", a demented father is inoculating his daughter with poison so she may never leave her garden of poisonous plants. In the final story "The House of the Seven Gables", The Pyncheon family suffers from a hundred year old curse and while in the midst of arguing over inheritance, a stranger arrives.
Twice-Told Tales
1963 · 85 votes
Movie6.8DramaA young crusading reporter in a small town tackles civic corruption.
Bannerline
1951 · 4 votes
Movie6.9DramaAdvertising executive Alan Miller, a recovered alcoholic who now does interventions on behalf of Alcoholics Anonymous, is called to help Broadway actress Jenny Carey whose developing career is threatened by an increasing dependence on alcohol. Alan's growing interest in Jenny strains his marriage to Edna, with whom he has two children.
Something to Live For
1952 · 9 votes
Movie5.8WesternThe story of a wild black stallion and the cowboys who set out to capture him.
Black Horse Canyon
1954 · 9 votes
Movie5.9ThrillerDramaParis-based New York Herald Tribune reporter Jimmy Race is sent by his boss behind the Iron Curtain in Budapest to investigate a meeting involving the Hungarian ambassador.
Assignment: Paris
1952 · 19 votes
Movie6.8DramaActionAntar is sent by Suleiman, head of the Ottoman Empire, to Bagdad to prevent Hammam, Pasha of Bagdad, from purchasing the services of local leader Mustapha to unite the hill tribes and overthrow the emperor. The intrigue mounts as Antar falls in love with dancer Selima, who tries to avenge her father's death against Hammam's right-hand-man Kasseim, whose wife Rosanna has fallen in love with Antar!
The Veils of Bagdad
1953 · 4 votes
Movie6.7DramaThe opportunistic Jean marries an older man, plantation owner Don Luis, for financial security and finds herself falling for his virile right-hand man, Carlos. Jealous of Carlos' position and fearing that Jean will inherit Luis' money, his greedy cousin, Miguel, does his best to turn Luis against the would-be lovers and come out on top in the process.
Machete
1958 · 5 votes
Movie6.5WesternA federal agent arrives in Laramie to try to find out who is behind the efforts to stop the construction of a new railroad track.
Rails Into Laramie
1954 · 12 votes
Movie5.1AdventureFantasyLegendary pirate and adventurer Sinbad is in single-minded pursuit of two things: beautiful women and a substance called Greek Fire--an early version of gunpowder.
Son of Sinbad
1955 · 18 votes
Movie5.7Science FictionHorrorBiochemists give fruit-fly serum to a dying woman, with side effects.
She Devil
1957 · 19 votes
Movie10.0ComedyFurther misadventures of comic soldiers Willie and Joe, now in Japan.
Back at the Front
1952 · 1 votes
Movie6.1ComedyRomanceIn this fast-paced remake of the Maurice Chevalier vehicle Folies Bergère, talented Danny Kaye plays both a performer and a heroic French military pilot.
On the Riviera
1951 · 26 votes
Movie5.4MusicComedyA TV executive tries to create a musical special to save his network.
Don't Knock the Twist
1962 · 5 votes
Movie5.9AdventureRomanceCarlos Delargo, the banished son of a royal princess of Mandorra, is returned to the kingdom to be tried for a murder change. However, he is freed by King Lorenzo, whom bears a remarkable resemblance to Delargo. When the king is wounded by assassins sent by Napoleon, Delargo takes over the throne at the request of the Prime Minister in a plot to thwart the traitors. He also falls in love with Princess Teresa, the king's fiancée.
The Brigand
1952 · 7 votes
Movie3.5AdventureRomanceA cropduster pilot finds himself caught between two women—one who loves him and the other, who doesn’t handle rejection well, who’s out to destroy him.
No Place to Land
1958 · 4 votes
Movie6.1DramaWith the help of some seedy gangsters, young attorney Steve Keiver makes some quick cash by bending the law, and in the process, he impresses the mobsters so much that they invite him to work for them on a regular basis. But when Police Inspector Matt Duggan realizes that Steve is working as a middleman for the mob, the young lawyer finds himself in a life-threatening situation. In order to clear his name, he must betray the deadly crooks he's been working for.
No Questions Asked
1951 · 17 votes
Movie7.3WesternActionTo redeem his father's wrongdoings, Ericson joins the law to fight outlaws.
The Return of Jack Slade
1955 · 3 votes
Movie7.3RomanceStrong-willed Luisa attracts lots of men, but her intelligence and sharp tongue often sends them running. When she meets Carlos, who is equally cagey, sparks fly. The two of them marry, and quickly begin clashing on a daily basis, humiliating each other as they try to teach one another lesson after lesson.
Series18
TV7.7MysteryDramaThe cases of master criminal defense attorney Perry Mason and his staff who handled the most difficult of cases in the aid of the innocent.
Perry Mason
1957 · 139 votes
TV6.5WesternDramaThe Shiloh Ranch in Wyoming Territory of the 1890s is owned in sequence by Judge Henry Garth, the Grainger brothers, and Colonel Alan MacKenzie. It is the setting for a variety of stories, many more based on character and relationships than the usual western.
The Virginian
1962 · 35 votes
TV3.8DramaMysteryClimax! is an American anthology series that aired on CBS from 1954 to 1958. The series was hosted by William Lundigan and later co-hosted by Mary Costa. It was one of the few CBS programs of that era to be broadcast in color. Many of the episodes were performed and broadcast live.
Climax!
1954 · 12 votes
TV6.3DramaBurke's Law is an American detective series that ran on ABC from 1963 to 1965 and was revived on CBS in the 1990s. The show starred Gene Barry as Amos Burke, millionaire captain of Los Angeles police homicide division, who was chauffeured around to solve crimes in his Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II.
Burke's Law
1963 · 12 votes
TV7.2WesternDramaThe tale of trail boss Gil Favor and his trusty foreman Rowdy Yates as they drives cattle across the old west. Along the way they meet up with adventure and drama.
Rawhide
1959 · 49 votes
TV5.6CrimeDramaPrivate Eyes Tom Lopaka and Tracy Steele are based out of Hawaiian Village Resort where they work both hotel security and are hired by others to look into various matters. They're helped by their trusty right-hand man Kazuo Kim who runs a taxi company and is always eager to help them.
Hawaiian Eye
1959 · 10 votes
TV6.0WesternThe Texan was a Western television series starring popular B movie actor Rory Calhoun, which aired on the CBS television network from 1958 to 1960.
The Texan
1958 · 6 votes
TV5.8DramaAn anthology series that explored the ways sudden and unexpected wealth changed life for better or for worse. It told the stories of people who were given one million dollars from a benefactor who insisted they never know him, with one exception.
The Millionaire
1955 · 4 votes
TV5.1WesternSugarfoot is an American western television series that aired on ABC from 1957 to 1961. The series stars Will Hutchins as Tom Brewster, an Easterner who comes to the Oklahoma Territory to become a lawyer. Jack Elam is cast in occasional episodes as sidekick Toothy Thompson. Brewster was a correspondence-school student whose apparent lack of cowboy skills earned him the nickname "Sugarfoot", a designation even below that of a tenderfoot.
Sugarfoot
1957 · 8 votes
TV6.7Action & AdventureDramaSea Hunt is an American adventure television series that aired in syndication from 1958 to 1961 and was popular in syndication for decades afterwards. The series originally aired for four seasons, with 155 episodes produced. It stars Lloyd Bridges as ex-Navy frogman Mike Nelson, and was produced by Ivan Tors.
Sea Hunt
1958 · 20 votes
TV7.2CrimeDramaStu Bailey and Jeff Spencer are the wisecracking, womanizing private-detective heroes of this Warner Brothers drama. They work out of an office located at 77 Sunset Strip in Los Angeles, California, right next door to a snazzy restaurant where Kookie works as a valet. The finger-snapping, slang-talking Kookie occasionally helps Stu and Jeff with their cases, and eventually becomes a full-fledged member of the detective agency. Rex Randolph and J.R. Hale also join the firm, and Suzanne is their leggy secretary.
77 Sunset Strip
1958 · 26 votes
TV6.7Action & AdventureDramaThe Detectives is an American crime drama series which ran on ABC during its first two seasons, and on NBC during its third and final season. The series, starring motion picture star Robert Taylor, was produced by Four Star Television. Captain Matt Holbrook (Robert Taylor) is head of the detective division of a large metropolitan police force—a man whose devotion to duty, professional brilliance, and quick judgment are reflected in his 20-year career on the force. His aides, Lt. Johnny Russo (Tige Andrews), Lt. Otto Lindstrom (Russ Thorson), and Sgt. Chris Ballard (Mark Goddard) form a team that is both proficient and warmly human. The stories stress the interrelationships between the men as well as the solutions to crimes and the apprehension of criminals, adding a dimension of human drama to the excitement, action, and suspense inherent in each story of the detectives' difficult, sometimes thankless, and frequently dangerous assignments.
The Detectives
1959 · 10 votes
TV6.0WesternBronco is a Western series on ABC from 1958 through 1962. It was shown by the BBC in the United Kingdom. The program starred Ty Hardin as Bronco Layne, a former Confederate officer who wandered the Old West, meeting such well-known individuals as Wild Bill Hickok, Billy the Kid, Jesse James, Theodore Roosevelt, Belle Starr, Cole Younger, and John Wesley Hardin.
Bronco
1958 · 8 votes
TV6.7DramaAn honest professional gambler operates a floating casino.
Mr. Lucky
1959 · 6 votes
TV7.4DramaBreaking Point
1963 · 5 votes
TV6.3WesternDramaGunslinger was a Western television series starring Tony Young that aired on the CBS television network from February 9 until May 18, 1961 on Thursdays from 9 to 10 p.m. EST. The series theme song was sung by Frankie Laine. Young played Cord, a young gunfighter who works undercover for the local army garrison commander, acting as a secret law enforcement agent in the territory. The series lasted for only twelve episodes. Gunslinger was the successor to Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater.
Gunslinger
1961 · 3 votes
TV5.0Action & AdventureTerry and the Pirates is a short-lived American adventure series based on Milton Caniff's popular comic strip, was telecast from June 26, 1953 to November 21, 1953. The syndicated series ran for 18 episodes and was produced by Don Sharpe Enterprises. Canada Dry Ginger Ale was the show's original sponsor.
Terry and the Pirates
1952 · 2 votes
TV6.6WesternKlondike is a 17-episode half-hour American Western television series starring Ralph Taeger and James Coburn that aired on NBC. The series premiered on October 10, 1960 and ran until February 13, 1961, facing stiff competition from The Danny Thomas Show on CBS and the second half of the first-season detective series Surfside 6 starring Troy Donahue on ABC. Klondike followed Dale Robertson's Tales of Wells Fargo on the NBC schedule.
Klondike
1960 · 5 votes