Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: While herding horses to Jean Loring's ranch and with plans to stay with his friend, Taffy Baker and her brother, Burt, Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers come across an orphaned fawn. Roy takes the animal to his friend, Captain "Cap" Foster and learns there is a group of professionally armed poachers in the area. When Cap is later murdered by the poachers, Roy begins to suspect Jean as being involved and thinks Burt knows something about it. However, when he attempts to investigate, he finds his own life in danger. Who's in it? The movie stars Roy Rogers , Trigger , Andy Devine , Jane Frazee, Stephanie Bachelor and Harold Landon. Review: I overslept this morning and was concerned I wouldn't have time to watch a movie. However, I managed to decide on Springtime in the Sierras with just enough time to spare. Overall, I have to say it was a Roy Rogers film that exceeded my expectations. The thing that surprised me most about this movie is it wasn...

Synopsis: When a truckload of furs is stolen from a warehouse and the security guard is killed, Dick Tracy is called in to investigate. With the help of an informant who loses his life as a result, Tracy is able to trace the crime to a gang led by a criminal who calls himself "the Claw" because of a prosthetic hook hand. However, instead of arresting the Claw, he lays out a sting to find out who the criminal is working for. Who's in it? The movie stars Ralph Byrd , Lyle Latell , Kay Christopher, Jack Lambert and Ian Keith . Review: So, as it turns out, I watched the Dick Tracy movies in the wrong order. Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome was the fourth and last movie in the series, not the third. As a result, I corrected the problem this morning by watching Dick Tracy's Dilemma . I am going to say it was a good choice for a film. To be honest, the plot of the film isn't anything overly complicated. There is at least an attempt to create a bit of a mystery surrounding t...

Synopsis: Pat Patton helps a fellow police officer by bringing in a drunk man who later appears to have died in the back of his car. The man, a criminal known as Gruesome, later revives in the morgue and escapes before later using the same gas that paralyzed him to rob a bank. Dick Tracy investigates and soon believes Gruesome's chemical is the work of a missing scientist. He is up against the clock though. A local news reporter is determined to print his story in a few hours, potentially jeopardizing Tracy's case. Who's in it? The movie stars Ralph Byrd, Boris Karloff , Anne Gwynne , Lyle Latell , Edward Ashley and June Clayworth. Review: I've had Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome on my watch list primarily because, as I've mentioned in the past, I'm a big Boris Karloff fan. So, now that I was caught up with the earlier Dick Tracy films, I made sure to watch it this morning. Sadly, I didn't like this one as much as the previous films, and not just because there...

Synopsis: Walter Mitty uses daydreaming as a way to escape a life of boredom and verbal abuse from his mother, fiancée and others. His dreams of excitement suddenly become too real when he shares a taxi with a woman he met on the train and discovers his life is in danger. Who's in it? The movie stars Danny Kaye , Boris Karloff , Virginia Mayo, Ann Rutherford and Thurston Hall. Review: I remember first watching The Secret Life of Water Mitty about a decade ago with my wife. While I remembered liking it enough to want to see the 2013 Ben Stiller remake (something I have yet to do), I realized that was about all I could recall about the film. So, since I had some time before going into the office this morning, I gave it another try.  Now I remember why I liked it. I have not seen a whole lot of Danny Kaye films, and this is a movie that makes me realize that is a mistake. The movie's script and his role as the title character give him an opportunity to show off his wide range...

Synopsis: Prominent defense attorney John Morland is found dead in a crashed car, but police quickly determine it wasn't an accident and, instead, Morland had been murdered beforehand. The investigation leads to multiple suspects - Morland's wife, Catherine, his legal partner, James O'Neill, a wanted fugitive by the name of Red Bailey and even the district attorney, Richard Conroy. Who's in it? The movie stars Jean Rogers , Richard Travis , John Eldredge , Douglas Fowley and Robert Shayne . Review: I didn't have an opportunity to pre-select a movie for this morning because of getting home late last night (my daughter had another community theater performance). As a result, I picked Backlash solely because it was alphabetically one of the first movies saved in my library. As it turns out, it was a good choice. This movie is a solid murder mystery. In addition to the mystery surrounding Morland's (Eldredge) decision to drive to San Francisco, there were a ton...

Synopsis: Connie is in love with the local lighthouse keeper, Sam, but even though he claims to love her back, he keeps making excuses whenever she brings up marriage. When he goes two weeks without visiting her, Connie takes a boat out to the lighthouse and discovers Sam has been lying to her, both about being the keeper (he's just an assistant) and the fact he is married. Determined to get back at him, Connie seduces and marries Sam's boss, Hank, and eventually falls in love with her new husband. Sam, however, isn't ready to let Connie go, leading to suspicion when Hank slips on the rocks and nearly dies. Who's in it? The movie stars June Lang , Don Castle , John Litel , Marion Martin and Charles Wagenheim. Review: I ended up choosing Lighthouse this morning because I saw it starred June Lang and I became a fan after seeing her in Redhead a few months ago. I didn't know much about the movie but from the description, thought it was going to be a comedy. Instea...

Synopsis: Rising Hollywood star Vic Morton's biggest fear is someone will discover he doesn't sing his own songs and instead lip syncs to lyrics sung by long-time friend, Breezie. That becomes his second biggest fear when he receives death threats in the mail, and someone begins following through by killing some of his business associates, making him a suspect. Meanwhile, Jimmy McDonald, a newspaper reporter who is engaged to Morton's marketing person, Toni Wentworth, and knows Morton's secret, conducts his own investigation. Who's in it? The movie stars Edward Norris , Sheila Ryan , Chill Wills , Kenneth Farrell and James Seay . Review: I had planned on watching another movie this morning but was reminded I had added Heartaches to my library several days ago and, feeling in the mood for a murder mystery, decided to give it a try. It ended up being a great choice. A lot of times, movies like this tend to be a bit predictable. There's usually only one clear ...

Synopsis: A traveling peddler,  Mergatroyd Barthlomew "Yankee" Davis, arrives at the border town of Mystic, Arizona with his partner, Professor Newton, and boards with a border patrol officer and his daughter, Mary. When Mary's father dies, and the death is ruled an accident, suspecting murder, Yankee and Professor Newton investigate and stumble upon a smuggling ring. Who's in it? The movie stars Douglas Fowley , Joan Woodbury , Ransom M. Sherman , Clem Bevans and Frank Reicher . Review: I came across Yankee Fakir on Starz last night after scrolling through dozens of other movies. It sounded interesting so I added it to my list and wound up watching it this morning. While it wasn't quite what I was expecting, it was still pretty good. The overall plot is an interesting one, with a powerful smuggling ring controlling the local authorities and being run by an unknown mastermind. This made it easy to cover up the initial murder and to make it difficult for Yanke...

Synopsis: At his classmate, Meg Morgan's suggestion, Nath Turner gets a job as a farm hand for her adoptive parents, Pete and Ellen. Even though they have developed a reputation as recluses, they take him in with welcome arms. However, when Nath suggests taking a shortcut through a nearby woods, Pete's reaction makes Pete suspicious and, with Meg, he begins searching for the supposedly haunted "red house" Pete refers to. This leads to an increasingly paranoid and possibly jealous Pete going to extremes to discourage it because of a horrible secret the farmer has been keeping. Who's in it? The movie stars Edward G. Robinson , Lon McAllister , Judith Anderson , Allene Roberts and Rory Calhoun . Review: It's a somewhat quiet Sunday and since there's only so much I can do outside until the snow melts, I decided to watch a movie. This one has been on my list for a while, so I decided to give it a try. Overall, I enjoyed it. The movie lets the cat out of the...

Synopsis: The night before her husband returns home from a business trip, Chris Hunter stabs a man to death in her house. She claims he was a stranger trying to steal her jewelry. However, evidence points to that story being a lie and as further details emerge, her motive for stabbing the man is brought into doubt. Who's in it? The movie stars Ann Sheridan , Lew Ayres , Zachary Scott , Eve Arden and Jerome Cowan . Review: I've had this movie saved in my library for a few weeks and finally got around to watching it this morning, when I couldn't find anything else to watch. At first, I didn't know if I would enjoy it, but it turned out to be an interesting and entertaining. I especially liked how the nature of the relationship Chris (Sheridan) had with the victim was kept a secret throughout the majority of the movie. It was clear she lied about not knowing him and I suspected her revised story, about him stalking her after she agreed to let him create a sculpture of ...

Synopsis : A photographer that specializes in baby portraits poses as a detective to impress a beautiful woman and, a few days later, winds up in jail for murder. As he faces execution, he tells a group of reporters how he got there. Who's in it? The movie stars Bob Hope , Dorothy Lamour , Peter Lorre , Ann Doran and Lon Chaney, Jr . Review: I don't watch many Bob Hope movies but, on occasion, come across one that looks somewhat unique. That was the case with this film, which I happened to find this morning and, after watching it, I have to say it was a good choice. From a comedy standpoint, this film was pretty much what I would expect from a Bob Hope film. There is some slapstick, but the best parts are the result of Hope's quick wit. My favorite scenes had to be that weird golf game at the sanitarium and the way he escaped his pursuers by convincing numerous women in an apartment building he was their lover. I also have to say I loved Lon Chaney Jr.'s character in ...

Synopsis: A Macy's department store Santa impresses shoppers and inspires a nation-wide spirit of goodwill. There's just one problem, he insists he really is Santa Claus and ultimately faces being committed to a mental institution as a result. His only hope is a young lawyer who is determined to prove Kris Kringle really is Santa. Who's in it? The movie stars Edmund Gwenn , Maureen O'Hara , John Payne , Natalie Wood and Gene Lockhart . Review: I wasn't planning on watching this movie last night. But, it happened to be on one of our movie channels and, since I hadn't seen it (at least in its entirety) in a long while, I decided to take the time to watch it. After doing so, I'm glad I did. This is one of those movies that has been on TV so many times, people tend to grow a little tired of it after a while. But, 70 years after its first showing, I think it remains one of the best Christmas movies ever made. I think the thing I like most about thi...

Synopsis : A newly-elected district attorney, Robert Thorne, is kidnapped by a crime boss and replaced with a criminal-friendly impostor. When Thorne escapes, he decides to pretend to be his look-a-like in an effort to find evidence against the crime boss and the local police lieutenant that takes orders from him. Who's in it? The movie stars Don Castle , Peggy Knudsen , Joe Sawyer , Patricia Knight and Edward Keane . Review: I had some extra time this morning before heading into the office and decided to kill it by watching a classic film. This one looked halfway interesting so I decided to give it a try and, as it turns out, it was a decent choice. When I picked this film, I was hoping it would have more of a mystery than it turned out to have. That being said, there was a lot to like about this film. One of the big ones for me was the way the movie avoided being as predictable as I thought it would be. Thorne (Castle) pretending to be his impersonator worked out pr...