Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: American newspaperman John Lawrence travels to a remote village in Scotland where Professor Elliott and his assistant, Dr. Mears, are using a telescope to study the newly discovered Planet X. When the professor's daughter, Enid, discovers an alien from the planet has landed in the moors, the men attempt to communicate with the creature. However, it instead uses a ray to take of control Prof. Elliott, Mears, Enid and several villagers and forces them to help it prepare for an invasion. Who's in it? The movie stars Robert Clarke , Margaret Field, Raymond Bond, William Schallert and David Ormont. Review: I've had The Man from Planet X in my movie library for some time now but, every time I planned on watching it, I always ended up picking a different movie instead. I finally changed that this morning. Overall, I thought it was an entertaining film despite falling short in some areas. As far as the premise is concerned, I thought it was a good one. This was mostly...

Synopsis: Two newly graduated private investigators, Bud Alexander and Lou Francis, are hired by boxer Tommy Nelson to clear his name after he is framed for murder by the mob. Tommy has taken an invisibility potion to help hide him from the authorities, putting Bud and Lou up against the clock as the potion slowly turns their client insane. Who's in it? The movie stars Bud Abbott , Lou Costello , Arthur Franz , Nancy Guild and Adele Jergens . Review: It's been a while since I've watched an Abbott & Costello movie and, when I came across Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man , I just had to give it a re-watch. While I still think Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein is their best pairing against a movie monster(s), this one remains a close second. As much as I love the comedy duo, their routine was arguably getting a bit repetitive and stale by the 1950s. There are, however, still some films that manage to seem fresh and this is one of those movies. The thing th...

Synopsis: Barbara Beaurevel is an attractive woman and, thanks to an inheritance, also very wealthy. However, her grandmother's scandalous past is something she must keep secret to avoid being an outcast in 1890s New Orleans. As a result of this, and blackmail from her cousin, Paul, Barbara chooses not to travel with her lover, Dr. Mark Lukas, and when he returns to New Orleans, is devastated to learn Mark is now married to Corinne. Determined to get Mark back, Barbara offers Paul $50,000 to seduce Corinne and break up the married couple. Her plan has an unexpected twist however, Corinne's sudden and suspicious death. Who's in it? The movie stars Ava Gardner , Robert Mitchum , Melvyn Douglas , Janis Carter and Lucile Watson. Review: I came across My Forbidden Past on one of my movie channels last night and while I wasn't completely sure about the plot as it was described, I am a big enough of an Ava Gardner fan to give it a try. I was pleased to discover it was a g...

Synopsis: While fishing in the Midwest, journalist Matt Corbin gets caught in a rainstorm, slips on the rocks and hurts his head. After getting lost, he seeks medical attention in a nearly deserted town and finds the residents both secretive and hostile. When he learns the town once was a fishing destination, but a virus killed all the fish, Corbin senses a story and decides to investigate. Soon after, he discovers the residents are making it impossible for him to contact the outside world or leave. Who's in it? The movie stars Elliott Reid , Raymond Burr , Carla Balenda , Edgar Barrier and Otto Waldis. Review: I came across The Whip Hand a couple weeks ago and thought it sounded interesting enough to add to my library. I decided to finally watch it yesterday and this morning and it ended up being a good choice. The film does let the cat out of the bag a little bit in the opening scenes by suggesting it has something to do with the Cold War and the Soviet Union. However, there...

Synopsis: Successful author Janet Frobisher has been separated from her criminal husband for years and lives alone in an English estate while having an affair with her secretary's fiancé. When her husband returns unexpectedly, Janet poisons him and intends to dispose of his body in the lake. However, she has another surprise visitor, George Bates, her husband's accomplice in a recent bank robbery who, upon learning her husband is dead, begins pretending to be the late Mr. Frobisher against Janet's will. Who's in it? The movie stars Bette Davis , Gary Merrill , Emlyn Williams , Anthony Steel and Barbara Murray. Review: I added Another Man's Poison to my movie library several weeks ago but every time I planned to watch it; I ended up picking another film instead. I finally got around to seeing it this morning and it turned out to be a great choice. I think the thing I enjoyed best about this psychological film was how neither of the main characters was all that l...

Synopsis: Henry Fleming (aka "the Youth) grows tired of drilling with his Union Army regiment during the American Civil War but when they are finally sent into battle, he ends up being one of the men who flee rather than fight. Embarrassed and ashamed, Fleming rejoins his unit only to discover they didn't know he deserted and assumed he had been killed. Determined to face his fears and earn a "red badge of courage" by being wounded in battle, Fleming begins taking unnecessary risks that earn him praise. Who's in it? The movie stars Audie Murphy , Bill Mauldin , Douglas Dick , Royal Dano and Tim Durant . Review: I saved The Red Badge of Courage to my movie library a few days ago because I haven't read the book since high school and figured the film might provide a reasonable refresher about the story. As it turns out, it did both and ended up being an enjoyable watch. I'm not going to go as far as to recommend this movie as a replacement for reading ...

Synopsis: "Smoky" Callaway hasn't been a cowboy star in a decade but a recent decision to air some of his old movies on television has made him a celebrity again and the network wants him to make new films. There's just one problem, nobody knows where Smoky is. Desperate to cash in, advertisers Mike Frye and Deborah Patterson attempt to pass off cowboy "Stretch" Barnes as Smoky. The plan seems to go well until the real Smoky returns. Who's in it? The movie stars Fred MacMurray , Dorothy McGuire , Howard Keel , Jesse White and Natalie Schafer .  Review: My wife is feeling under the weather tonight and went to bed early. Since I had some time to myself, I decided to finally watch Callaway Went Thataway , which has been in my movie library for a few weeks. Overall, it ended up being a good film. The overall plot seemed like something that would be predictable but as it turned out, it was full of surprises. For one, Barnes (Keel) was an intriguing charact...

Synopsis: Confined to his bed with heart problems, George Jones begins to suspect his wife, Ellen, is having an affair with his friend and her former boyfriend, Dr. Ranney Graham, and they plan to kill him. He writes a note indicating this and, when he dies unexpectedly, she grows concerned about the damage the letter can do. Who's in it? The movie stars Loretta Young , Barry Sullivan , Bruce Cowling , Margalo Gillmore and Brad Morrow. Review: I came across this movie a couple days ago and, thinking it sounded interesting, added it to my movie library. I had an opportunity to watch it this morning and it turned out to be a good choice. When I first read the description, I suspected this movie would be like other films and George's (Sullivan) suspicions would be spot-on. However, it only took a few minutes to see that wasn't going to be the case and Ellen (Young) was as devoted to him as any wife could be, even though he honestly didn't do a whole lot to make it seem l...

Synopsis:  A United States Air Force crew and a team of scientists discover a crashed UFO near the North Pole. They accidentally destroy the ship while trying to extract it from the ice but recover the frozen body of an alien passenger. When the creature is accidentally thawed out at their research station, the blood-sucking alien begins to threaten their lives and the team must find a way to kill it. Who's in it?  The movie stars  Kenneth Tobey ,  Margaret Sheridan ,  Robert Cornthwaite ,  Robert Nichols ,  Dewey Martin  and  James Arness  as the creature. Review:  I've lost count of the number of times I've seen the  1982 remake  of this movie and, when I came across this version the other day, realized I had never actually seen it in its entirety. Partly out of curiosity, I decided to finally watch it and, while I still think the remake is the better version, have to say I enjoyed it. I think the thing I liked best abou...