William BishopFilmography

Short Cut to Hell

Actors: Robert Ivers, Georgann Johnson, William Bishop, Jacques Aubuchon, Peter Baldwin

Synopsis: As a favor to an old friend, producer Alex Gordon, James Cagney turned director for the first and only time in his career with Short Cut to Hell. The film is a remake of the 1942 Veronica Lake-Alan Ladd starrer This Gun For Hire. Robert Ivers plays Kyle, a hired killer who is double-crossed by his Read More

The Phantom Stagecoach

Actors: William Bishop, Kathleen Crowley, Richard Webb, Hugh Sanders, John Doucette

Synopsis: Amidst a sea of late-1950s psychological westerns, The Phantom Stagecoach is almost refreshingly old-fashioned. The plot is motivated by an ongoing war between two rival stagecoach firms. Stagecoach owner Joe Patterson (Frank Ferguson) is as honest as the day is long, which is more than can be Read More

The Boss

Actors: John Payne, William Bishop, Gloria McGhee, Doe Avedon, Roy Roberts

Synopsis: John Payne always felt that he delivered his best screen performance in The Boss. Set in the years following WW1, the story concerns a small-town veteran named Matt Brady (John Payne), whose brother, machine politician Tim Brady (Roy Roberts), arranges for Matt to get a cushy government job. When Read More

The White Squaw

Actors: David Brian, May Wynn, William Bishop, Nancy Hale, William Leslie

Synopsis: The White Squaw offers an interesting twist on a standard western plot device. Instead of attempting to force an Indian tribe off their land, the government is trying to reclaim the property of white settler Sigrod Swanson (David Brian) and then give it back to the Indians. The title character Read More

Wyoming Renegades

Actors: Philip Carey, Gene Evans, Martha Hyer, William Bishop, Douglas Kennedy

Synopsis: Phil Carey is his usual rough-and-tumble self in the Columbia western programmer Wyoming Renegade. Carey plays Brady Sutton, a former outlaw who wants to go straight. Trouble is, everyone is convinced that Sutton is still a no-good -- everyone, that is, except heroine Nancy Warren (Martha Hyer). Read More

It's a Great Life

Top Gun

Actors: Sterling Hayden, William Bishop, Karin [Katharine] Booth, James Millican, Regis Toomey

Synopsis: In this western with echoes of High Noon, gunman Rick Martin (Sterling Hayden) rides into a small frontier town to warn its citizens of a pending raid by thug Quentin (John Dehner) and his men. Rick offers himself as a hired killer/protector, but the nasty and hostile town wants no part in this Read More

Gun Belt

Actors: George Montgomery, Tab Hunter, Helen Westcott, John Dehner, William Bishop

Synopsis: Technically a "B" western, Gun Belt is a notch or two above the norm. George Montgomery stars as former outlaw Billy Ringo, whose bank-robbing brother Matt (John Dehner) implicates him in a recent holdup. When Matt is killed in a shootout, Matt's son Chip (Tab Hunter) holds Billy responsible. When Read More

The Redhead from Wyoming

Actors: Maureen O'Hara, Alex Nicol, Robert Strauss, William Bishop, Alexander Scourby

Synopsis: The title character of this western can only be one of two actresses: Maureen O'Hara or Rhonda Fleming. But Fleming apparently had something else to do, so O'Hara won the coin-toss. She plays a dance-hall gal who protects the identity of a cattle rustler--mainly because she's the same crooked Read More

Breakdown

Actors: Ann Richards, William Bishop, Anne Gwynne, Sheldon Leonard, Wally Cassell

Synopsis: Low-budget Realart Films managed to pick up an above-average property when it secured the screen rights to the Robert Abel play The Samson Slasher. Retitled Breakdown, the story concerns a heavyweight boxer, played by William Bishop. Framed for murder, Bishop is sent to prison, but is released Read More

Cripple Creek

Actors: George Montgomery, Karin [Katharine] Booth, Jerome Courtland, William Bishop, Richard Egan

Synopsis: Cripple Creek is an excellent example of Columbia's "A-minus/B-plus" Technicolor westerns of the 1950s. Government agent Bret Ivers (George Montgomery) goes undercover to infiltrate a gang of gold smugglers. Ivers and his two partners (Jerome Courtland and Richard Egan) face exposure and sudden Read More

The Raiders

Actors: Richard Conte, Viveca Lindfors, Barbara Britton, Hugh O'Brian, Richard Martin

Synopsis: It's always a pleasure to see ace western director Leslie Selander in action, and Riders of Vengeance is no exception. Originally released as The Raiders, this Universal programmer stars Richard Conte as a miner who leads an expedition of his compatriots to the California Gold Rush. Crooked Morris Ankrum Read More

Overland Pacific

Actors: Jock Mahoney, Peggie Castle, Adele Jergens, William Bishop, Walter Sande

Synopsis: Billed "Jack Mahoney" for the occasion, former stunt man Jock Mahoney steps up to the plate as a leading man in this average Western originally released in an inexpensive color process. Mahoney plays Ross Granger, a railroad agent masquerading as a telegrapher and looking into a series of Comanche Read More

Lorna Doone

Actors: Barbara Hale, Richard Greene, Carl Benton Reid, William Bishop, Ron Randell

Synopsis: Lorna Doone is based on the oft-filmed novel by Richard D. Blackmore. Set in 17th century Scotland during the reign of Britain's Charles II, the story concerns young Lorna (Barbara Hale), a member of a much-hated landowning family. Lorna falls in love with a humble villager (Richard Greene), who Read More

The Frogmen

Actors: Richard Widmark, Dana Andrews, Gary Merrill, Jeffrey Hunter, Warren Stevens

Synopsis: In this World War II drama, Richard Widmark plays Lt. Cmdr. John Lawrence, a strict navy commander assigned to replace the popular senior officer of a group of underwater demolition divers -- better known as frogmen. Lawrence tightens the discipline of this brave but fiercely independent group of Read More

The Texas Rangers

Actors: George Montgomery, Gale Storm, Jerome Courtland, Noah Beery, Jr., William Bishop

Synopsis: Not a remake of the 1936 film of the same name, The Texas Rangers is an enjoyable second-echelon western from the Columbia Pictures mill. George Montgomery stars as Johnny Carver, a former outlaw serving a life sentence in prison. Carver is given a second chance by the Texas government. Here's the Read More

The Basketball Fix

Actors: John Ireland, Marshall Thompson, Vanessa Brown, William Bishop, Hazel Brooks

Synopsis: The title tells all in Realart's Basketball Fix. Talented young basketball star Johnny Long (Marshall Thompson) allows success to go to his head. To keep on living in the manner to which he is accustomed, Johnny agrees to shave a few points here and there at the behest of gambling boss Mike Taft (William Bishop Read More

The Tougher They Come

Actors: Wayne Morris, Preston S. Foster, Kay Buckley, William Bishop, Frank McHugh

Synopsis: Set in a rugged Northwest logging camp, this drama follows the exploits of the lumberjack who inherits the camp. For a long time, he has been courting a pretty young thing, and now that she believes him wealthy, she decides to finally accept his proposal. When she finds out that the company has Read More

Harriet Craig

Actors: Joan Crawford, Wendell Corey, Lucile Watson, Allyn Joslyn, William Bishop

Synopsis: Harriet Craig is the third film version of George Kelly's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Craig's Wife. Joan Crawford stars as the title character, a thoroughly selfish woman who prizes her house and her possessions above all else. Harriet Craig is even willing to spoil the business opportunities of Read More

The Killer That Stalked New York

Actors: Evelyn Keyes, Charles Korvin, William Bishop, Dorothy Malone, Lola Albright

Synopsis: A married team of diamond smugglers enter New York to fence their purloined gems unaware that the wife is carrying the highly contagious, deadly smallpox virus. The crooks ensconce themselves in a hotel without realizing that the wife's every move is being monitored by a Treasury agent. The 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

Anna Lucasta

Actors: Paulette Goddard, William Bishop, Oscar Homolka, John Ireland, Broderick Crawford

Synopsis: Philip Yordan's stage hit Anna Lucasta posed two problems to Hollywood in 1949. For one thing, the story concerned a prostitute who is exploited by her greedy family. For another, the characters were black, thereby cutting the box-office potential in half in those racially divisive times. In Read More

The Walking Hills

Actors: Randolph Scott, Ella Raines, Arthur Kennedy, John Ireland, William Bishop, Edgar Buchanan

Synopsis: The Walking Hills stars Randolph Scott as a Westerner named Jim Carey. He is one of several people searching for a lost gold mine. Carey's cohorts in this treasure hunt include at least one convicted murderer and several potential killers, so it's a source of wonder who'll survive till fade-out Read More

Coroner Creek

Actors: Randolph Scott, Marguerite Chapman, George Macready, Sally Eilers, Edgar Buchanan

Synopsis: Randolph Scott is a single-minded gunman bent on tracking down and killing the white man responsible for an Indian raid on a stagecoach. Scott's fiancee was killed in the raid and a large army payroll was stolen. The villain is George Macready, a "solid citizen" with fingers in several dirty pies. Read More

Thunderhoof

Actors: Preston S. Foster, Mary Stuart, William Bishop

Synopsis: In this off-beat western, a middle-aged rancher endeavors to realize his dreams of starting up a horse ranch in Texas. His much younger wife, is opposed to the idea and begins questioning her love for her husband. The would-be rancher's adopted son doesn't help matters by trying to seduce his Read More

The Untamed Breed

Actors: Sonny Tufts, Barbara Britton, George "Gabby" Hayes, Edgar Buchanan, William Bishop

Synopsis: All cruel jokes aside, actor Sonny Tufts did on occasion deliver something resembling a good screen performance. In the Columbia B-plus western The Untamed Breed, Tufts plays a Texas rancher hoping to improve his breed of cattle. The play is to purchase an expensive Brahma bull and allow the Read More

Adventures in Silverado

Synopsis: Stagecoach driver Bishop needs to capture the infamous bandit known as "The Monk" for his hooded attire. If Bishop can't bring the outlaw to justice, a crime will rest on his name. ~ All Movie Guide Read More

Port Said

Actors: Gloria Henry, William Bishop, Edgar Barrier, Richard Hale

Synopsis: Fans of TV's Dennis the Menace should get an extra kick out of Columbia's Port Said, wherein Gloria Henry, aka Dennis' mother Alice Mitchell, essays a dual role. The story concerns the pursuit of neo-Nazis in the exotic titular port city. Henry plays both Gina Lingallo, daughter of itinerant Read More

Black Eagle

Actors: William Bishop, Virginia Patton, Gordon Jones, James Bell

Synopsis: Black Eagle was based on The Passing of Black Eagle, a short story by O. Henry. William Bishop stars as Jason Bond, who stays out of trouble by the simple expedient of avoiding other people. Unfortunately, the plot dictates that Bond must come into contact with several characters, all of whom end Read More

Devil Ship

Actors: Richard Lane, Louise Campbell, William Bishop, Damian O'Flynn, Myrna Liles

Synopsis: It's nice to see perennial supporting player (and future TV sportscaster) Richard Lane in a full-fledged leading role, even in an inconsequential "B" like Columbia's Devil Ship. Lane plays a tuna-boat skipper whose business is in the dumpster. To pad his income, he agrees to ship convicts to Read More

The Romance of Rosy Ridge

Actors: Van Johnson, Joyce Arling, Janet Leigh, James Bell, William Bishop, Thomas Mitchell, Jim Davis, Charles Dingle

Synopsis: Janet Leigh made an impressive film-debut in MGM's The Romance of Rosy Ridge. Though the title suggests a lighthearted musical, the film is actually a fairly sober adaptation (with slight comic undertones) of a novel by Mackinlay Kantor. In the days following the Civil War, a Missouri farming Read More

Song of the Thin Man

Actors: Leon Ames, Warner Anderson, William Bishop, Bruce Cowling, Bess Flowers

Synopsis: In the sixth and final Thin Man whodunit, Nick (William Powell) and Nora Charles (Myrna Loy) look into the mysterious killing of bandleader Tommy Drake (Phillip Reed). The police quickly hone in on the owner of a gambling ship, Phil Brant (Bruce Cowling), who was about to lose Drake's band to a Read More

Lost Angel

Actors: Margaret O'Brien, James Craig, Marsha Hunt, Philip Merivale, Keenan Wynn, Henry O'Neill

Synopsis: Margaret O'Brien, MGM's newest child sensation, was given her first starring vehicle with Lost Angel. O'Brien plays Alpha, who has been groomed to be a genius by a trio of well-meaning but misguided professors (Philip Merivale, Henry O'Neill and Donald Meek). Taking pity on the reluctant prodigy Read More

A Guy Named Joe

Actors: Spencer Tracy, Irene Dunne, Van Johnson, Ward Bond, Lionel Barrymore, James Gleason

Synopsis: Opening in England during the middle of World War II, A Guy Named Joe tells the story of Pete Sandidge (Spencer Tracy), a tough, devil-may-care bomber pilot who's amassed an enviable record in combat, mostly by taking chances that give his C.O. (James Gleason) the shakes, much as he and the top Read More

Girl Crazy

Actors: Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, June Allyson, Nancy Walker, Gil Stratton, Robert E. Strickland, Rags Ragland

Synopsis: This second film version of the George and Ira Gershwin's Broadway hit Girl Crazy stars reigning MGM musical prince and princess Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland. The 1932 version of Girl Crazy de-emphasized the main plot, building up the comic subplot involving a timorous temporary sheriff and a Read More

Salute to the Marines

Actors: William Lundigan, Wallace Beery, Reginald Owen, Fay Bainter, Keye Luke, Ray Collins

Synopsis: In this wartime comedy drama an ultra-macho but aging Marine sergeant does all he can to keep his men intimidated and towing the line while they are stationed in the Philippines at the beginning of WW II. The tough-as-nails jarhead does have a terrible secret though--he has never been involved in Read More

Swing Fever

Actors: Marilyn Maxwell, William Gargan, Lena Horne, Nat Pendleton

Synopsis: In most of his movie vehicles, bandleader Kay Kyser played a bandleader named Kay Kyser. In Swing Fever, however, Kyser is cast as aspiring songwriter Lowell Blackford. Though he isn't too successful at peddling his songs, Blackford does have one unique talent: The ability to hypnotize boxer Read More

Pilot No. 5

Actors: Franchot Tone, Marsha Hunt, Gene Kelly, Van Johnson, Alan Baxter

Synopsis: Pilot No. 5 is an oddly liberal-minded film to come from conservative old MGM. Franchot Tone plays an army pilot stationed in Java who volunteers for a suicide mission. He is chosen from five possible Allied candidates, hence the title. We learn via flashback just why Tone holds his life at so low Read More

Swing Shift Maisie

Actors: Jim Davis, Ann Sothern, James Craig, Jean Rogers, Connie Gilchrist, John Qualen

Synopsis: In her seventh outing as irrepressible vaudeville entertainer Maisie Revere, Ann Sothern aided the war effort by working the swing shift in an airplane factory. Taking in a seemingly suicidal co-worker, Iris (Jean Rogers), Maisie can only watch as the girl steals her beau, handsome pilot James Read More