In her feature film debut, Lori Nelson worked with another fairly new contract player at Universal-International, Betty Adams, who was newly christened as "Julia Adams."
In 1952, Adams, Arthur Kennedy, and Rock Hudson, who had all appeared in 1951’s BRIGHT VICTORY, joined star James Stewart for Anthony Mann's western BEND OF THE RIVER. In the film, when a town boss (Howard Petrie) confiscates homesteaders' supplies after gold is discovered nearby, a tough cowboy, "Glyn McLyntock" (Stewart), risks his life to try and retrieve them. Julia Adams is "Laura Baile," a settler whom McLyntock saves from an attack by Shoshone Indians. Lori Nelson plays Laura's younger sister “Marjie.”
James Stewart, Jay C. Flippen, Julia Adams, Frances Bavier, and Lori Nelson in BEND OF THE RIVER
Hans J. Salter's score for the film was released on a Salter compilation LP by Tony Thomas in 1978, but it has not been re-issued on CD. BEND OF THE RIVER was the #15 film at the domestic box office, with an $8.3 million gross.
A summer afternoon in the small town of Cape Flattery finds MA AND PA KETTLE AT THE FAIR. “Ma” (Marjorie Main) hopes to win the bread- and jam-making contests to best her rival, neighbor “Birdie Hicks” (Esther Dale), and to win enough money to send their daughter “Rosie” (Lori Nelson) to college. “Pa” (Percy Kilbride) plans on entering their horse Emma in the harness race.
Marjorie Main, Lori Nelson, and Percy Kilbride in MA AND PA KETTLE AT THE FAIR
Charles Barton directed the 1952 comedy, the fifth of eight “Ma and Pa Kettle” films. The film had a stock music score. The series film was a big hit, ranking as the #30 film of the year at the box office and grossing $6.9 million.
Moving over to another Universal series of the time, Lori Nelson costarred with Donald O’Connor in FRANCIS GOES TO WEST POINT. This was the third of seven films featuring Francis the Talking Mule. In the film, “Francis” (voice of Chill Wills) gets his owner “Pete Stirling” (O’Connor) in and out of trouble while Pete is attending the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Lori Nelson plays “Barbara Atwood, the long-time secret girl friend of a tough general's son, “Wilbur Van Allen” (William Reynolds).
Lori Nelson, Donald O’Connor, and Palmer Lee in FRANCIS GOES TO WEST POINT
Arthur Lubin directed the 1952 comedy, which had uncredited music by Milton Rosen, Frank Skinner, and Herman Stein. It was another profitable outing for the series, with a gross of $5.6 million.
ALL I DESIRE is set in 1910. Just as her career hits its lowest point, aging actress “Naomi Murdoch” (Barbara Stanwyck) receives a letter from her daughter “Lily” (Lori Nelson). Ten years earlier, Naomi had created a scandal by leaving her teacher husband “Henry” (Richard Carlson) and their children, “Joyce” (Marcia Henderson), Lily and “Ted” (Billy Gray), because she felt stifled by their small-town community and Henry's strict social mores. Even though it means continuing to lie to the family that she is a famous Shakespearian actress, Naomi decides to return to Riverside, Wyoming, and uses her entire savings to undergo a makeover. At one point in the film, Naomi attends a school play in which her daughter Lily is performing. Also in the play’s cast is Stuart Whitman, as “Dick.”
Lori Nelson and Barbara Stanwyck in ALL I DESIRE
Douglas Sirk directed this 1953 melodrama. In his autobiography, Sirk described his battles with Universal to make the film in color, in order to give the domestic scenes a "warmth and glow." Because it was not a musical, however, the studio refused. The play scene was shot on location at Canoga Park High School, CA, co-star Lori Nelson's real-life alma mater. Henry Mancini and Herman Stein collaborated on the uncredited score. The film had moderate box office of $3.7 million.
DESTRY was a remake of an earlier film, 1939's DESTRY RIDES AGAIN, starring James Stewart and Marlene Dietrich and directed by George Marshall. The plots are the same. A dishonest mayor (Edgar Buchanan) and the powerful criminal “Decker” (Lyle Bettger) dominate a small western town. But when the town's sheriff (Trevor Bardette) dies under mysterious circumstances, and the town drunkard “Rags” (Thomas Mitchell) is put in his place, Rags calls in “Tom Destry” (Audie Murphy), son of a famed gunman, to put an end to the corruption. Upon Tom’s arrival, however, Rags is dismayed to note that Tom is small and refined, and further horrified when Decker forces Tom to admit that he carries no gun.
Walter Baldwin played “Henry Skinner,” who is cheated out of his ranch in one of Decker’s crooked poker games. Lee Aaker played his young son “Eli Skinner.” Tom’s first task is to rescue Henry, Eli, and Henry’s pretty niece, “Martha Phillips” (Lori Nelson), from Decker, who has arrived to claim the ranch.
Lori Nelson and Audie Murphy in DESTRY
George Marshal, who had directed the 1939 version of the film, directed this remake as well. The film was team-scored by Henry Mancini, Frank Skinner, and Herman Stein. The picture had decent grosses of $4.3 million.
Lori Nelson reprised her role as “Rosie Kettle” in MA AND PA KETTLE AT WAIKIKI, in which the family goes off to Hawaii in answer to cousin Rodney's call for help running his pineapple farm while he recovers from an illness. Pa soon causes a major explosion and gets himself kidnapped.
Lori Nelson and Marjorie Main in MA AND PA KETTLE AT WAIKIKI
Although MA AND PA KETTLE AT WAIKIKI was produced in 1952, it was not released until 1955, by which time several other "Ma and Pa Kettle" films had been released, and the film's producer, Leonard Goldstein, had died. Goldstein suffered a brain hemorrhage on 23 July 1954. The film marked the last of Universal's "Ma and Pa Kettle" series in which Percy Kilbride starred as "Pa Kettle," and his last film before his death in 1964. The studio went on to produce two more films in the series, THE KETTLES IN THE OZARKS in 1956, in which the character of Pa did not appear; and THE KETTLES ON OLD MACDONALD’ FARM in 1957, in which Parker Fennelly played Pa.
Lee Sholem directed MA AND PA KETTLE AT WAIKIKI, which had an uncredited score by Henry Mancini. The film grossed $4.5 million at the box office.
In UNDERWATER!, while scouring the Caribbean sea floor for treasure, “Johnny Grant” (Richard Egan) discovers the remains of a small ship and reports his findings to his Cuban business partner, “Dominic Casada” (Gilbert Roland), who is manning their boat. In Cuba, Johnny and Dominic reunite with Johnny's wife “Theresa” (Jane Russell) and show her the artifacts, which date back to the early seventeenth century. Theresa, who has lived through many failed get-rich-quick schemes with Johnny and Dominic, angrily protests their plan to sell their boat, which they use in the tourist trade, in order to raise money for a sunken treasure expedition.
Johnny acquiesces to Theresa's demands, and Dominic apparently accepts defeat and leaves. Dominic drops by the yacht of an American millionaire but finds only “Gloria Warner” (Lori Nelson), the millionaire's distraught secretary. After Gloria explains that her debt-ridden boss abandoned the boat, whose title is under her name, and left her stranded, Dominic convinces her to become his partner.
Lori Nelson and Gilbert Roland in UNDERWATER!
On 10 January 1955, in what Daily Variety called one of the best "gimmick picture promotion stunts in many years," RKO flew 156 reviewers to Silver Springs, FL, for a special underwater screening of the film. To accomplish the feat, a screen and some benches were submerged in twenty-feet of water at the bottom of a small lake, and a glass bottom boat was converted into a projection booth. The studio supplied reviewers with Aqua-Lung equipment borrowed from the military, as well as flippers, water-proof watches and swimsuits. Reviewers who preferred to stay dry watched the film through the portholes of six electrically powered submarines stationed strategically around the screen.
RKO borrowed Lori Nelson from Universal-International for this film. John Sturges directed the 1955 adventure. The film grossed an above-average $6.3 million. Roy Webb’s score has not had a release.
The final hit song to emerge from an RKO feature was "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White" (music by French composer Louiguy), performed in the film by Dámaso Pérez Prado's renowned Latin band, while Jane Russell danced. Billed as Perez Prado and His Orchestra on the RCA Victor single, Prado spent ten consecutive weeks (April 30 to July 2, 1955) at #1 on the "Billboard" charts.
In the sequel to THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON, after surviving an attack in the Black Lagoon, the Creature has been captured and brought to Ocean Harbor Oceanarium in Florida for study. Professor “Clete Ferguson” (John Agar) and his student “Helen Dobson” (Lori Nelson) have been tasked with studying the strange scientific anomaly. When the gill-man manages to escape into the Florida swamps, the stage is set for the REVENGE OF THE CREATURE, as it sets its eyes on its new obsession: Helen!
John Agar and Lori Nelson in REVENGE OF THE CREATURE
Jack Arnold directed the 1955 film, which had an uncredited score by William Lava and Herman Stein. REVENGE OF THE CREATURE was filmed in 3-D and exhibited in both flat and 3-D versions. It was the last feature film of the 1950s to be shot in 3-D. The film had moderate box office returns of $3.1 million. REVENGE OF THE CREATURE was the final film that Lori Nelson made under her Universal contract.
Although it was reported that SINCERELY YOURS marked Liberace’s acting debut, he had previously appeared in two other films, the 1950 Universal production SOUTH SEA SINNER as a maestro and RKO’s 1951 production FOOTLIGHT VARIETIES as himself. SINCERELY YOURS was a recreation of Liberace’s concert performances and a remake of Warner Bros.’ 1932 film THE MAN WHO PLAYED GOD. Liberace played "Tony Warrin," a popular pianist who has it all: money, great clothes, a penthouse overlooking Central Park, a rich blond fiancée (Dorothy Malone), a loyal brunette secretary secretly in love with him (Joanne Dru), and a date at Carnegie Hall. Then tragedy strikes. Lori Nelson plays “Sarah Cosgrove,” a young woman who has married into a wealthy family, but is ashamed of her lowly roots and has delayed introducing her husband and in-laws to her mother (Lurene Tuttle).
The 1955 film was directed by Gordon Douglas. Despite the film’s generally favorable reviews and the popularity of Liberace’s television show, which ran from 1952 through 1955, SINCERELY YOURS was a dud at the box office, grossing just $400,000 As an explanation, a December 1955 Hollywood Reporter article speculated that Liberace’s television fans were used to seeing him for free, and a Los Angeles Mirror article suggested that his fans, mostly middle-aged and older women, were not part of the younger, movie-going crowd. Columbia Records released an LP of Liberace's piano pieces from the film. It has not been reissued on CD.
In I DIED A THOUSAND TIMES, while serving a life sentence in Illinois, “Roy Earle” (Jack Palance) is pardoned through the machinations of gangster boss “Big Mac” (Lon Chaney, Jr.), who then orders him to come out west. While driving near Mt. Whitney, Roy skillfully avoids colliding with an antiquated Ford, when its driver loses control. At the next gas station, the driver, “Pa Goodhue” (Ralph Moody), a displaced farmer enroute to Los Angeles, thanks Roy for averting the accident and introduces his wife (Olive Carey) and nineteen-year-old granddaughter “Velma” (Lori Nelson).
I DIED A THOUSAND TIMES was a remake of Warner Bros.' 1941 production, HIGH SIERRA, directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Humphrey Bogart as "Roy Earle." Stuart Heisler directed the new film, which had an unreleased score by David Buttolph. The film did poorly at the 1955 box office, with a $1.1 million gross.
DAY THE WORLD ENDED opens after a cataclysmic nuclear blast annihilates almost all life on earth. Five American survivors find their way to a shelter built in the bottom of a canyon: “Tony” (Mike ‘Touch’ Connors), a mobster; “Ruby” (Adele Jergens), his striptease dancer girlfriend; “Rick” (Richard Denning), a geologist who rescues a severely burned man named “Radek” (Paul Dubov); “Pete” (Raymond Hatton), an elderly prospector, and his donkey Diablo. “Jim Maddison” (Paul Birch), who built the shelter for himself and his daughter “Louise” (Lori Nelson), has provisions for only three people, and is reluctant to help the other survivors.
Mike Connors and Lori Nelson in DAY THE WORLD ENDED
Producer-director Roger Corman shot the film in ten days for a total production cost of $96,000. The 1955 sci-fi/horror thriller grossed $1.1 million. Ronald Stein’s score has not had a release.
