Steven Helmer Publications

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: A defense attorney, Craig Carlson feels an overwhelming sense of guilt after getting a murder acquittal for the woman he loves, Myra Leeds, only to discover she both committed the crime and is in love with another man. Determined to get both revenge and redemption, he attempts to fix things by putting her in a position where she'll need to murder him. Who's in it? The movie stars Raymond Burr , Angela Lansbury , Dick Foran , John Dehner and Denver Pyle. Review : When I came across Please Murder Me ! on Amazon Prime Video, my interest in watching it had more to do with the actors starring in it than the plot itself. As someone who loves murder mysteries, I was intrigued by a film that starred both the actor who played Perry Mason (Burr) and the star of Murder, She Wrote (Lansbury). Overall, it ended up being a good choice. I thought Myra's (Lansbury) murder trial was as entertaining as anything in this movie. It reminded me a lot of a Perry Mason episode, an...

Synopsis: After she receives a breakup letter from her GI boyfriend on her birthday, a distraught Norah Larkin has a drunken night out on the town with womanizing artist Harry Prebble at the Blue Gardenia restaurant only to have Prebble attempt to rape her. Norah wakes up the next morning hungover and with very little memory of the previous night but learns Prebble has been murdered with evidence pointing to her as his killer. Who's in it? The movie stars Anne Baxter , Richard Conte , Ann Sothern , Raymond Burr and Jeff Donnell. Review : We're reaching the time of year when my arthritic knees act up a bit and the only way I can sleep is by putting some heat on them before bed. Since this resulted in my wife going to bed before me tonight, I ended up finally watching The Blue Gardenia on Amazon Prime. Overall, I have to say it was a good choice. The mystery is a decent one, with Norah (Baxter) seemingly being the last person with Harry Prebble (Burr) before his death and wit...

Synopsis:  Insurance adjustor John Forbes feels his life is in a rut and talks about running away to South America with his wife, Sue, and son, Tommy. When his investigator, MacDonald, discovers imprisoned embezzler Bill Smiley spent the stolen money on presents for his girlfriend, Mona Stevens, Forbes visits Mona to collect and ends up having an affair with her. She calls it off when she learns he is married but a jealous MacDonald, who knows about the affair and wants Mona for himself, attempts to leverage Mona's desire to protect Forbes' family life to his advantage. Who's in it? The movie stars Dick Powell , Raymond Burr , Lizabeth Scott , Jane Wyatt , Ann Doran and Byron Barr . Review: My wife had martial arts until 8 last night and since a steady rain meant I didn't need to water the garden or do any yardwork; I used my free time to watch a movie. This was one I had saved a few days ago and it turned out to be a good choice. At first, I wasn't really sure w...