Willard ParkerFilmography

Waco

Actors: Howard Keel, Jane Russell, Brian Donlevy, Wendell Corey, Terry Moore

Synopsis: In this western, a gunfighter is hired to clean up the chaotic streets of Emporia, Wyoming. The gunfighter arrives and finds that his ex-lover is there and is married to the town preacher. Though the two are still attracted, they resist temptation. When he sees how violent the town really is, the Read More

The Earth Dies Screaming

Synopsis: This obscure little science fiction/horror film (a British-American co-production) stars Willard Parker as a heroic astronaut who returns from a test flight to discover that most of England has been utterly destroyed by alien invaders, whose armies of killer robots have transformed nearly all of Read More

Air Patrol

Synopsis: Air Patrol is a 62-minute Cinemascope programmer, specifically designed for lower berths in 20th Century-Fox double-feature programs. Willard Parker and Robert Dix play a pair of airborne detectives, in search of a couple of art thieves. The criminals have made a clean getaway, courtesy of a Read More

The High-Powered Rifle

Actors: Willard Parker, Allison Hayes, Dan Simmons, John Holland, Shirley O'Hara Krims

Synopsis: The High-Powered Rifle is a "B"-grade, private detective flick about Dancer (Willard Parker), a PI with a serious problem. Some hired hitmen are trying -- again and again -- to kill him, and now Dancer has had enough. He starts to get to the bottom of these attempts on his life, and that search Read More

Walk Tall

Actors: Willard Parker, Joyce Meadows, Kent Taylor, Russ Bender, Ron Soble

Synopsis: In every way a routine western except for its excellent color photography, Walk Tall by "B"-movie director Maury Dexter relates the struggles of lawman Ed Trask (Willard Parker) to bring in outlaw Ed Carter (Kent Taylor). Carter nearly provokes a war when he and his gang brutally raid a Shoshone Read More

The Lone Texan

Actors: Willard Parker, Grant Williams, Audrey Dalton, Douglas Kennedy, June Blair

Synopsis: A routine western with a classic theme, the "lone Texan" of the title is Clint Banister (Willard Parker) who finds trouble at home when he returns after serving in the Union Army during the Civil War. Given his military history, he is hardly welcomed with open arms. In addition to the animosity of Read More

Young Jesse James

Actors: Ray Stricklyn, Willard Parker, Merry Anders, Robert Dix, Emile G. Meyer

Synopsis: Few outlaws can equal Jesse James for name recognition, or for the number of Hollywood films on their exploits. This standard western biopic by director William F. Claxton stars Ray Stricklyn as Jesse during his formative years, the only years handled here. He and brother Frank (Robert Dix) Read More

Lure of the Swamp

Synopsis: Based on a novel by Gil Brewer, Lure of the Swamp top-bills Marshall Thompson as a Florida swamp guide. Thompson is hired by mysterious stranger Willard Parker, who intends to a hide a large sum of money somewhere in the deepest recesses of the swamp. It later turns out that Parker is a bank Read More

The Naked Gun

Synopsis: Not to be confused with the popular David Zuckor comedy from the late '80s that starred Leslie Nielson, 1956's Naked Gun chronicles the adventures of a bored insurance salesman who spices up his drab life by heading to the Mexican jungle to search for an ancient Aztec treasure and return it to its Read More

The Vanquished

Actors: John Payne, Coleen Gray, Jan Sterling, Lyle Bettger, Willard Parker

Synopsis: The Vanquished represented another winner from Paramount's Pine-Thomas unit. John Payne plays Rock Grayson, a Civil War POW who returns to his Southern home to find carpetbagger Roger Hale (Lyle Bettger) in charge of things. An old enemy of Grayson's, Hale has commandeered the Grayson Read More

The Great Jesse James Raid

Actors: Willard Parker, Barbara Payton, Tom Neal, Wallace Ford, James Anderson

Synopsis: Within its own modest limits, The Great Jesse James Raid is a well-crafted western. Willard Parker plays Jesse James, who when the film opens is seen comfortably settled into respectable retirement. At the instigation of the unscrupulous Bob Ford (Jim Bannon), Jesse leaves hearth and home behind Read More

Kiss Me Kate

Actors: Kathryn Grayson, Howard Keel, Ann Miller, Keenan Wynn, Bobby Van

Synopsis: Cole Porter's Kiss Me Kate is a musical within a musical -- altogether appropriate, since its source material, Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, was a play within a play. Howard Keel and Kathryn Grayson star as famous Broadway singing team who haven't worked together since their acrimonious Read More

Sangaree

Actors: Fernando Lamas, Arlene Dahl, Patricia Medina, Francis L. Sullivan, Charles Korvin

Synopsis: Filmed in 3-D, Sangaree is a satisfactory swashbuckler adapted from a novel by Frank G. Slaughter. Fernando Lamas portrays the son of an 18th century slave whose fortunes take a radical turn when he inherits a huge cotton plantation in the American colonies. Arlene Dahl (later Mrs. Fernando Lamas) Read More

Caribbean

Actors: John Payne, Arlene Dahl, Cedric Hardwicke, Francis L. Sullivan, Willard Parker

Synopsis: Caribbean was another box-office winner from Paramount's "two dollar bills," producers William H. Pine and William Thomas. Set in the 18th century, the film stars John Payne as adventurer Dick Lindsay, hired by pirate leader Charles Barclay (Sir Cedric Hardwicke) to pose as the long-lost nephew of Read More

My True Story

Actors: Helen Walker, Willard Parker, Elizabeth Risdon, Emory Parnell

Synopsis: Mickey Rooney made his directorial debut with My True Story. Per its title, the film is based on an article which first appeared in the pages of True Story magazine. Jewel thief Ann Martin (Helen Walker) is paroled thanks to some string-pulling by criminal boss George Trent (Wilton Graff). Ann Read More

Apache Drums

Actors: Stephen McNally, Coleen Gray, Willard Parker, Arthur Shields, James Griffith

Synopsis: Shortly before his death, horror film producer Val Lewton switched creative gears by overseeing the Universal western Apache Drums. The scene is the potentially prosperous western town of Spanish Boot, built from nothing by a group of determined settlers. Before they can enjoy the fruits of their Read More

The Secret Fury

Actors: Claudette Colbert, Robert Ryan, Jane Cowl, Paul Kelly, Philip Ober

Synopsis: The Secret Fury works best if one is willing to suspend one's disbelief from the outset. Claudette Colbert stars as Ellen, a famed concert pianist who, on the day of her wedding, is accosted by a stranger who insists that she's already married to someone else. Ellen is willing to laugh this off Read More

David Harding, Counterspy

Actors: Willard Parker, Audrey Long, Howard St. John, Raymond Greenleaf, Harlan Warde

Synopsis: No sooner had Columbia called it quits with the "Blondie" series than the studio launched a new group of "B"-pictures, based on the popular radio series David Harding, Counterspy. Third-billed Howard St. John plays Harding, with actor/director Fred Sears co-starring as Harding's assistant Peters. Read More

Hunt the Man Down

Actors: Gig Young, Lynne Roberts, Mary Anderson, Willard Parker, Carla Balenda

Synopsis: Gig Young was just beginning to toughen up his previously lightweight screen image when he starred in Hunt the Man Down. In a tense, tight, 68 minutes, public defender Paul Bennett (Young) dedicates himself to freeing an innocent man who has already spent 12 years in jail. Accused of murder Read More

Bodyhold

Actors: Willard Parker, Lola Albright, Hillary Brooke, Allen Jenkins, Roy Roberts

Synopsis: The TV-generated popularity of professional wrestling in 1950 inspired a brief cycle of inexpensive films on the subject. Columbia's C-plus Bodyhold borrows the old Kid Galahad formula of a naive young man becoming a wrestler by accident, only to be exploited by crooked promoters. Willard Parker Read More

Emergency Wedding

Actors: Larry Parks, Barbara Hale, Willard Parker, Una Merkel, Alan Reed, Sr.

Synopsis: 1950's Emergency Wedding is a remake of 1940's You Belong to Me. The later film stars Larry Parks, who'd had a bit role in the original. Parks plays wealthy Peter Kirk, a playboy, while Barbara Hale co-stars as female doctor Helen Hunt. When Peter marries Helen, it is a "given" that he'll stay Read More

Bandit Queen

Actors: Barbara Britton, Willard Parker, Phillip Reed, Barton MacLane, Martin Garralaga

Synopsis: Long before she became a TV cosmetic-commercial spokeswoman, Barbara Britton essayed the title role in Bandit Queen. Britton plays Lola, daughter of a American father and Spanish-aristocrat mother. When her parents are murdered, Lola forms an outlaw band, dedicated to reclaiming those portions of Read More

Calamity Jane and Sam Bass

Actors: Yvonne De Carlo, Howard Duff, Dorothy Hart, Willard Parker, Norman Lloyd

Synopsis: For various reasons, the 1949 western Calamity Jane and Sam Bass has a rather poor reputation amongst film buffs. Many observers feel that stars Yvonne de Carlo and Howard Duff merely go through the motions, while others complain that the usually dependable Universal-International production Read More

Slightly French

Actors: Dorothy Lamour, Don Ameche, Janis Carter, Willard Parker, Adele Jergens

Synopsis: Director Douglas Sirk's love of cinematic esoterica was kept in check in the musical comedy Slightly French. Dorothy Lamour stars as Mary O'Leary, a carnival entertainer who's discovered by enterprising director John Gayle (Don Ameche). The plot dictates that Gayle must pass off Mary as an elegant Read More

The Wreck of the Hesperus

Synopsis: This adventure is based on Longfellow's famous poem. It's the story of an ex-sea captain who uses devious means to make his salvage company a success. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide Read More

The Mating of Millie

Actors: Glenn Ford, Evelyn Keyes, Ron Randell, Willard Parker, Virginia Hunter

Synopsis: So often wasted in passive roles, Evelyn Keyes is virtually the whole show in The Mating of Millie. Keyes is cast as pretty businesswoman Millie McGonigle, who hopes to fill a gap in her life by adopting orphan boy Tommy Bassett (Jimmy Hunt, future star of 1953's Invaders from Mars). But this is Read More

Relentless

Actors: Robert Young, Marguerite Chapman, Willard Parker, Akim Tamiroff, Barton MacLane

Synopsis: Described by one critic as a western version of The 39 Steps, Relentless stars Robert Young as a cowboy on the lam. Framed for murder, Young must find the one man who can clear him, while a posse dogs his trail. He briefly becomes an outlaw, hoping to make contact with his quarry by befriending Read More

You Gotta Stay Happy

Actors: Joan Fontaine, James Stewart, Eddie Albert, Roland Young, Willard Parker

Synopsis: In this romantic comedy, a wealthy heiress marries hastily and realizes her mistake on her honeymoon in New York. Though it is her wedding night, she decides not to consummate the union and so ends up hiding in the room of a fellow whose airplane cargo company is facing financial ruin. He assumes Read More

Renegades

Actors: Willard Parker, Larry Parks, Edgar Buchanan, Jim Bannon

Synopsis: Whenever budget-conscious Columbia laid out good money for Technicolor in the 1940s, it was usually for a musical or an "A" western. Renegades falls into the latter category. Fresh from The Jolson Story, Larry Parks stars as the son of a notorious, Scripture-spouting outlaw (Edgar Buchanan). Parks Read More

One Way to Love

Actors: Willard Parker, Marguerite Chapman, Chester Morris, Janis Carter, Hugh Herbert

Synopsis: In this comedy, a Chicago team of radio scriptwriters must split up when he takes a job with his bride-to-be's father, and the other must write commercial jingles. Their agent then appears and tells them they have a $1,000 per week assignment in Tinseltown provided they work together. They accept Read More

The Fighting Guardsman

Actors: Willard Parker, Anita Louise, Janis Carter, John Loder, Edgar Buchanan

Synopsis: Columbia Pictures' entree into the swashbuckling genre was the opulent 18th century costumer The Fighting Guardsman. Willard Parker stars as Baron Francois de Sainte Hermaine, who is in reality the Robin Hoodlike righter-of-wrongs Roland. Robbing the wealth-laden coaches of King Louis XVI (Lloyd Read More

What a Woman!

Actors: Rosalind Russell, Brian Aherne, Willard Parker, Alan Dinehart, Edward Fielding

Synopsis: In his book on "screwball" comedies, the late William K. Everson described What a Woman as "indistinguishable from a dozen other big-business comedies, but a pleasant and zany time-killer." Once again, Rosalind Russell is cast as a high-pressure female executive, in this instance liteary agent Read More

The Zero Hour

Actors: Frieda Inescort, Otto Kruger, Adrienne Ames, Donald Douglas, Jane Darwell

Synopsis: Hankies are not optional for this grim melodrama that tells the story of a kindly producer who mentors a beautiful young girl and helps her to become a big Broadway star. In time the two fall in love and decide to wed. Unfortunately, en route to a justice of the peace, tragedy strikes the happy Read More

Accidents Will Happen

Actors: Ronald Reagan, Gloria Blondell, Dick Purcell, Sheila Bromley, Addison Richards

Synopsis: Ronald Reagan is his usual sprightly self as ambitious insurance claims adjuster Eric Gregg. While diligently investigating a phony insurance racket, Gregg remains blissfully unaware that his own wife Nona (Sheila Bromley) has become deeply indebted to the crooks. Once this fact surfaces, Gregg Read More

A Slight Case of Murder

Actors: Edward G. Robinson, Jane Bryan, Allen Jenkins, Ruth Donnelly, Willard Parker

Synopsis: Slight Case of Murder is a breakneck-paced comedy starring Edward G. Robinson as a tough but good-hearted bootlegger. When Prohibition is repealed, Robinson faces a financial crisis: His beer tastes so awful that no one wants to drink it legally. As an additional headache, Robinson is under Read More

That Certain Woman

Actors: Bette Davis, Henry Fonda, Ian Hunter, Anita Louise, Donald Crisp

Synopsis: Edmund Goulding directed this remake of his own 1929 The Trespasser, which starred Gloria Swanson. Here Bette Davis assumes the lead role of Mary Donnell, a young innocent married to a bootlegger. When her husband is killed, she decides to pursue a better life and gets a job as a secretary to Read More

Over the Goal

Actors: June Travis, William Hopper, Johnnie Davis, Mabel Todd, Gordon Oliver

Synopsis: In this football drama, a college gridiron star attempts to leave the game, at the request of his girl friend who does not want to see him injured. Unfortunately, it is not that simple for his college will win a large donation if they can win the Big Game. When he learns that his family is betting Read More

The Devil's Saddle Legion

Actors: Dick Foran, Anne Nagel, Willard Parker, Granville Owen, Carlyle Moore, Jr.

Synopsis: Returning to his home spread in the Red River border area between Texas and Oklahoma, Tal Holladay (Dick Foran) is falsely accused of murdering a young family friend (Carlyle Moore, Jr.) in this frequently entertaining Western directed, incongruously, by dance director Bobby Connolly. Imprisoned Read More

Love Is on the Air

Actors: Ronald Reagan, Eddie Acuff, Robert H. Barrat, Raymond Hatton, Willard Parker

Synopsis: The first of three remakes of the 1933 Paul Muni picture Hi, Nellie, Love is on the Air is historically important as the screen debut of Ronald Reagan. In the original Hi, Nellie, a Winchellesque newspaper reporter is demoted to writing the "advice to the lovelorn" column when he steps on too many Read More