Carroll Baker

A man receives a strange birthday gift: he`s chosen to participate in a live-action game that penetrates all aspects of his life. But when it goes out of control - can he escape?

A Liverpudlian mother flees to New York in search of her father and finds female pro-boxing as a way to make ends meet.

Detective John Kimble must find a drug lord`s wife who is hiding to protect her son. Knowing only the kid`s school`s name, Kimble must go undercover as a kindergarten teacher!

An alcoholic drifter spends Halloween in his hometown of Albany, New York after returning there for the first time in decades. Albany, New York, Halloween 1938. Francis Phelan and Helen Archer are bums, back in their birth city. He was a Major League pitcher; she was a singer on the radio. Death surrounds them: she's sick, a pal has cancer, he digs graves at the cemetery and visits the grave of his infant son whom he dropped; visions of his past haunt him, including ghosts of two men he killed. That night, out drinking, Helen tries to sing at a bar. The next day, Fran visits his wife and children and meets his grandson. He could stay, but decides it's not for him. Helen gets their things out of storage and finds a hotel. Amidst their mistakes and dereliction, the film explores their code of fairness and loyalty. —<jhailey@hotmail.com>

Part I Three wise men (the Magi) Caspar (Frank Silvera), Balthazar (Mark Lenard) and Melchior (Cyril Delevanti) follow a brightly shining star from Asia to Jerusalem in search of the newborn king it portents. They are summoned by King Herod (Claude Rains) the Great, whose advisers inform him of a Messiah mentioned in various prophecies. When Herod remembers that a prophecy names nearby Bethlehem as the child's birthplace, he sends the Magi there to confirm the child's existence, but secretly sends guards to follow them and to "keep him informed." In Bethlehem, the Magi find a married couple, Mary (Dorothy McGuire) and Joseph (Robert Loggia), who are laying their newborn son in a manger. Mary states that the child's name is Jesus (Max Von Sydow). As the local shepherds watch, the Magi present gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the infant. After observing the distant spies' departure, the Magi leave, then an angel's voice warns Joseph to "take the child" and "flee." The spies inform Herod of what has occurred, and he decides to kill the child by ordering the death of every new-born boy in Bethlehem. He dies after being informed that "not one is alive." However, Joseph and Mary have escaped into Egypt with Jesus. Later when a messenger inform the couple and others of Herod's death, they return to their hometown of Nazareth. A pro-Israel rebellion breaks out in Jerusalem against Herod's son, Herod Antipas (Jose Ferrer), but the conflict is quickly quashed by the Roman Legion who is invited to Jerusalem by Antipas. Herod's kingdom is divided, Judea is placed under a governor, and Herod becomes Tetrarch of Galilee and the Jordan River. Both he and the Romans are convinced that the Messiah that the troubled people cry for, is "someone who will never come." Many years later, a prophet named John the Baptist (Charlton Heston) begins to preach at the Jordan river, baptizing many who come to repent. Now an adult, Jesus appears to John who baptizes him. Jesus then goes into the nearby desert mountains, where he finds a cave in which resides a mysterious hermit, the personification of Satan. The Dark Hermit (Donald Pleasence) tempts Jesus three times, but each temptation is overcome by Jesus, who leaves and continues climbing as John's message echoes in his mind. He returns to the valley, where he tells the Baptist that he is returning to Galilee. Four men, Judas Iscariot (David McCallum) and the Galilean fishermen Andrew (Bert Brinckerhoff), Peter (Gary Raymond), and John (John Considine), ask to go with him. Jesus welcomes them, promising to make them "fishers of men." He tells them parables and other teachings, which attract the attention of a passing young man named James (Michael Anderson Jr.), who asks to join them the next morning, and Jesus welcomes him. The group nears Jerusalem, and Jesus says that "there will come a time to enter". They rest at Bethany in the home of Lazarus (Michael Tolan) and his sisters Martha (Ina Balin) and Mary (Janet Margolin). Lazarus asks Jesus if he can join him, but cannot bring himself to leave all he has. Jesus says that a man cannot follow both God and money and hence asks Lazarus to choose. Before he leaves, Jesus promises Lazarus that he will not forget him. The group soon arrives at Capernaum, where they meet James's brother Matthew (Roddy McDowall), a tax collector whom Jesus soon asks to join them. After consideration, Matthew does so. In the local synagogue, Jesus once again teaches, then miraculously helps a crippled man to walk again. Upon seeing this, many people begin to follow Jesus on his journey and gather to listen to his teachings. Meanwhile, the Jerusalem priests and Pharisees led by Caiaphas (Martin Landau) are troubled by the continuing influence and preaching of John the Baptist, while the governor Pontius Pilate (Telly Savalas) wishes only to maintain peace. Since the Jordan is ruled by Herod, he permits the priests to inform him of what is occurring. When he hears that the Baptist is speaking of a Messiah, Herod sends soldiers to arrest him. Baptist refuses to bow down to Herod and admonishes him for marrying his brother's wife, whom he calls an adulteress. Simon the Zealot (Robert Blake) informs Jesus and his disciples of the Baptist's arrest, and then he is welcomed as one of them. The fame of Jesus begins to spread across the land and two more men, named Thaddeus (Jamie Farr) and Thomas (Tom Reese), join him. In Jerusalem, the priests become suspicious of Jesus and the curing of the cripple, and send a group to Capernaum to investigate, including the Pharisees Nicodemus (Joseph Schildkraut), Sorak (Victor Buono) and Joseph of Arimathea (Abraham Sofaer). Herod hears rumors about an army as a result of the multitudes that follow Jesus. He questions John the Baptist about him. Later Herod begins to consider killing the Baptist, with his wife Herodias's (Marian Seldes) encouragement. John the Baptists says that Jesus is gathering the souls of men and there is nothing that Herod can do about it. Jesus is soon asked to return to Capernaum by another man named James the Elder (David Sheiner). Crowds gather and celebrate his return, something that is noticed by the Pharisees who are present and the returned Dark Hermit. Jesus then defends a woman caught in the act of adultery, who identifies herself as Mary Magdalene (Joanna Dunham). Jesus says that the people can stone her as per law, but only the one without sin should cast the first stone. Everybody steps back. Among the crowd that gathers as he moves away is a sick woman who is cured when she touches his clothes. As word of these incidents spreads, the number of people who believe that Jesus is the Messiah increases even further. Herod begins to wonder about Jesus, and the Baptist confirms that Jesus has escaped from the massacre ordered by Herod's father. Herod then decides to finally kill the Baptist by beheading, which occurs after Salome, Herod's stepdaughter by his wife's first marriage, dances for him. When the Baptist is dead, Herod sends soldiers to arrest Jesus. Jesus teaches a sermon on a mountain to a great crowd. Pilate and the Pharises hear of many of Jesus's miracles such as turning water into wine, feeding five thousand people, and walking on water. Meanwhile, Jesus asks his disciples who they and others say that he is. They respond with different answers, and Peter says that he believes that Jesus is the Messiah, prompting Jesus to anoint him as "the rock on which [he] will build [his] church." At Nazareth, the people refuse to believe in Jesus and his miracles and demand to see for themselves by bringing a blind man named Aram (Ed Wynn) and demanding that Jesus make him see. When he does not, the people are disgusted that he dare call himself the Son of God, and briefly try to stone him. Later Jesus reunites with his mother, and greets Mary, Martha as well as their brother Lazarus who is sick. After Andrew and Nathaniel escort Lazarus to his home in Bethany, Jesus heals Aram's sight. As Herod's soldiers draw nearer, Jesus and the others flee. When informed that Lazarus is dying, Jesus does not go immediately to Bethany, but to the Jordan with the group where he prays. Andrew and Nathaniel return, informing them that Lazarus has died, and Jesus travels to Bethany where he brings Lazarus back to life, a miracle that astonishes the citizens of Jerusalem who witness it, but concerns the Pharisees. Part II Judas questions why Mary Magdalene is anointing Jesus with expensive oil, and Jesus states she is preparing him for his death. Jesus then dons a new garment, and rides on a donkey into Jerusalem. In the courtyard of the Temple, Jesus is angered by the merchants selling items for sacrifices, and drives them and money changers away. Even though it is Passover, the Pharisees' attempt to arrest Jesus are impeded by the large crowd. In the Temple courtyard, Jesus begins to teach, but leaves after Pilate dispatches soldiers to restore peace and close the gates, and many in the crowd are killed. While the disciples gather to prepare and partake in an evening meal, Judas leaves to meet with the Pharisees where he promises to hand Jesus over to them on the condition that no harm comes to him. When Judas returns to the meal, Jesus announces to all that one of them will betray him, and says that by morning, Peter will deny three times that he even knows Jesus. He gives a farewell discourse, then shares the bread and wine with the disciples. After that he tells Judas to "do quickly what you have to do," and Judas leaves again. Later, Jesus goes to Gethsemane to pray while Judas returns to the Pharisees and is paid thirty pieces of silver to lead soldiers to arrest Jesus. When they arrive in Gethsemane, Judas kisses Jesus to indicate that he is the man to be arrested. Knowing that Judas has betrayed him, Jesus orders Peter to "put back [his] sword," and goes quietly with the soldiers. He is put on trial before the Sanhedrin, and Aram appears as one of the questioned witnesses. Many of the members are present, but Nicodemus refuses to take part, and realizes that some (including Joseph of Arimathea) are absent. Meanwhile, the Dark Hermit asks Peter if he knows Jesus. Peter denies it twice and leaves. When Caiaphas asks Jesus if he is the Christ, Jesus's reply causes the members to condemn him. The Pharisees and Caiaphas bring Jesus to the tired Pilate, who after questioning Jesus, and briefly speaking with his wife, can find no guilt in Jesus. Since Galilee is under Herod's authority, Jesus is sent to Herod, though he and his soldiers merely ridicule him and send him back to Pilate. As Jesus is escorted back to Pilate, the Hermit continues to observe, and Peter once again denies Jesus, as a remorseful Judas looks on. In the morning, Pilate presents Jesus before the assembled crowd, and the Hermit cries out several times for Jesus to be crucified. Pilate offers compromises, suggesting that Jesus merely be scourged, and for the release of a prisoner of the crowd's choice. The crowd chooses the alleged murderer Barabbas (Richard Conte) instead. Pilate asks Jesus if he has anything to say, but Jesus merely states that his kingdom is "not of this world," something that the Hermit and others claim is a challenge to the authority of Rome and the Roman emperor. With no other choice, Pilate reluctantly orders Jesus to be crucified. Jesus then carries his cross through Jerusalem while the crowd looks on. When he collapses, a woman wipes his face, and he reassures the pious women. As Jesus falters, Simon of Cyrene (Sidney Poitier), a man from the crowd, helped Jesus to carry the cross. At Golgotha, Jesus is stripped and nailed to the cross, which is then raised between those of two other men. At the same time this is happening, Judas tosses his silver into the Temple, then throws himself into the fire of the nearby altar. From the cross, Jesus intercedes for his executioners, asking God to forgive them. He then asks John to care for his mother. One of the thieves, Gestas, asks Jesus to save him, while the other Dimas accepts his punishment and asks for Jesus to remember him, a promise that Jesus gives to him. Darkness begins to cover the sky, and from the cross, Jesus asks why God has forsaken him. He is offered a drink from a wine soaked sponge, and dies as the storm erupts. A centurion states that he was the "Son of God." Peter mourns as Jesus is being laid to rest in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. The Pharisees ask for Pilate to place guards around the tomb and seal it, to prevent a possible theft of the corpse that could potentially fulfill a prophecy of His resurrection. Pilate agrees, but on the morning of the third day the guards soon discover that the tomb is open and empty. Meanwhile, though Thomas's faith has weakened, Mary Magdalene, along with Peter and others, recall the prophecy and run to see the empty tomb, where an Angel tells Mary that he is risen. Word of the miraculous event quickly spreads throughout Jerusalem, bewildering the Pharisees. Caiaphas claims that "the whole thing will be forgotten in a week," though an elder scribe doubts it. Later, while he was with his disciples, Mary Magdalene, Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea, and others, Jesus ascends to heaven, leaving them with his final commands as clouds engulf him. He then states that he will always be with them, "even unto the end of the world," and his image fades into the clouds, and to a painting of him on the church wall as Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus" plays.

A screen adaption of the blistering best-seller which examines the story of platinum blonde bombshell Jean Harlow (Carroll Baker) who rose to fame in the reckless Hollywood of the 1930s. In this story, Jean Harlow (Carroll Baker) starts in the movies as set dressing, the pretty girl who is used for the glamor shots. Refusing to descend to the casting couch for work, she finds that she is soon blacklisted from the industry. But an agent named Arthur Landau (Red Buttons) sees something in Jean and begins representing her. For a long time, the jobs are scarce and consist mostly of receiving the pie in the face in low budget comedies. But Arthur's belief in Jean never wavers and when she finally graduates to featured roles, the critics say that she cannot act, but she is unforgettable. Polishing the image as the girl next door, but with some fire, she begins her climb to the top and becomes the girl every woman wants to look like and every man wants to have. But her own life is a disaster - unlike her screen life. —Tony Fontana <tony.fontana@spacebbs.com>

A millionaire with a mysterious fiancee hires a detective to discover the truth about her past. Sylvia West is a young poetess engaged to Frederic Summers, an eccentric millionaire. Summers, a man who always fears he is being loved for his money, decides to make a small check on his prospective bride. The results of this check completely shock him. Not one fact matches 'his' Sylvia. Intregued and bewildered, Summers hires detective Alan Maklin and has him make a thorough investigation on 'Who Is Sylvia.' —filmfactsman

Without a new play and money, a 55-year-old Broadway producer retires, but only then does his 22-year-old secretary tell him that she loves him. He decides to make that a scene in a new play and get her to write it, then play the role. After 30 years of producing Broadway plays, Russ Ward is ready to quit. On being given notice, his 22-year-old secretary, Ellie Brown, tells him that she loves him. Russ proceeds to romance Ellie in a May/December affair and turn this into a hit play. —Bob Lipton <lipton@dorsai.org>

A New England sea captain in the 1880s arrives at his fiancée's sprawling Texas ranch, where he becomes embroiled in a feud between two families over a valuable patch of land. Retired, wealthy sea Captain James McKay arrives in the vast expanse of the West to marry fiancée Pat Terrill. McKay is a man whose values and approach to life are a mystery to the ranchers and ranch foreman Steve Leech takes an immediate dislike to him. Pat is spoiled, selfish and controlled by her wealthy father, Major Henry Terrill. The Major is involved in a ruthless land war, over watering rights for cattle, with a rough hewn clan led by Rufus Hannassey. The land in question is owned by Julie Maragon and both Terrill and Hannassey want it. —E.W. DesMarais <jlongst@aol.com> Retiring to the American West to marry his fiancée, Patricia Terrill, Captain James McKay enters a land-and-water feud between his future father-in-law, Major Terrill, and the rough and lawless Hannassey family, led by Rufus. McKay prefers peace between himself and the Hannasseys, who repeatedly attempt to provoke violence. But his steadfast demeanor only angers his fiancée and Major Terrill, who won't settle for truces. —Jwelch5742 Sailor James McKay (Gregory Peck), after accumulating wealth and experience sailing the world's seas, meets the beautiful and temperamental Pat Terrill (Carroll Baker) and decides to move to the vast expanse of the West to marry her. Arriving at the ranch of his future father-in-law, Major Henry Terrill (Charles Bickford), he begins to confront the arrogant and inhospitable frontier, just like the ranch foreman Steve Leech (Charlton Heston), who, also in love with his employer's daughter, takes an immediate dislike to his new fiancé. The major himself is also strong-willed and domineering, controlling his daughter's life and demanding the same from his neighbors, with whom he wages a ruthless war over watering rights for their cattle on the estate inherited by the peaceful and tolerant Julie Maragon (Jennifer Jones), who, with great difficulty, tries to broker peace between the major and the family led by the crude and controversial Rufus Hannassey (Burl Ives). —Alessandro

Archie Lee Meighan (Karl Malden), a middle aged cotton gin owner, lives with his teen bride, Baby Doll (Carroll Baker) and her eccentric Aunt Rose Comfort (Mildred Dunnock) in a dilapidated plantation house in Tiger's Tail County, Mississippi. Archie Lee and Baby Doll have yet to consummate their marriage; they have separate bed rooms, with Baby Doll sleeping in an oversized crib in hers. Archie Lee desperately wants to but Baby Doll keeps him at arm's length. But on her 20th birthday -- one day away -- Baby Doll has promised to give her virginity to Archie Lee. She and Archie Lee fight a lot, and she threatens to leave him and live in a hotel in town if he doesn't provide for her. The situation boils over when the furniture company repossesses their furniture. Archie Lee's business is in terrible straits. All of the cotton fields are now working with the Syndicate Gin run by a Sicilian, Silva Vaccaro (Eli Wallach). Vaccaro has put many local business owners out of work with his large operation. One night, during a party in honor of the Syndicate Gin, Archie Lee burns the gin house to the ground. When the local authorities refuse to pursue an investigation because Vaccaro is an outsider, Vaccaro vows to take matters into his own hands. He realizes that Archie Lee was the only person not at the party and determines to prove his guilt. The next day Vaccaro takes his cotton to Archie Lee to have it ginned. While Archie Lee tries to get his antiquated machinery working, Vaccaro flirts with Baby Doll. She lets slip that, contrary to what he had told Vaccaro a few minutes earlier, Archie Lee was not at home at the time of the fire. Becoming suspicious of Vaccaro's intentions, Baby Doll goes to Archie Lee for protection. But he is upset because his gin has broken down. Vaccaro demands that Archie Lee go wherever he has to to find a replacement part. Archie Lee agrees and immediately leaves. Vaccaro sends an associate to get the replacement out of Vaccaro's own storehouse then continues to pursue Baby Doll. Baby Doll believes the plantation house is haunted. Vaccaro playfully uses this to "scare" Baby Doll and eventually get her to lower her guard. They play hide and seek, and Baby Doll hides in the attic. The floorboards are dangerously loose. Vaccaro, now forceful and angry, tells Baby Doll that she can't come out of the attic until she agrees to sign his handwritten "affidavit" that Archie Lee burned down the gin house. Baby Doll signs it. Vaccaro lets her out and prepares to leave. But Baby Doll persuades him to stay and take a nap with her in the crib, one of the few pieces of furniture left in the house. Archie Lee returns with the part and is angered and embarrassed to discover that Vaccaro has begun to take over his business. These emotions are only amplified when he discovers Baby Doll lounging around the house with Vaccaro, he still curled up in that oversized crib, she clad only in her slip. Baby Doll suggests that Vaccaro is interested in becoming partners with Archie Lee and suggests they discuss it over dinner. When Archie Lee sneaks away to make a phone call to friends in hopes they will come over to he house and help him deal with Vaccaro, Baby Doll kisses Vaccaro. Over dinner, she and Vaccaro taunt Archie Lee about his poor luck and flirt openly. When Archie Lee tries to take his anger out on Aunt Rose by threatening to evict her from the house, Vaccaro offers to hire her as his cook. Humiliated, Archie Lee loads his shotgun to kill Vaccaro. While Baby Doll calls the police, Vaccaro hides in a tree. Drunk, Archie Lee wanders the house and front yard looking for Vaccaro but can't find him. When the police arrive, they disarm Archie Lee; when Vaccaro shows them the affidavit signed by Baby Doll, they arrest Archie Lee as well. Baby Doll hopes Vaccaro will stay with her but he is more interested in ensuring his cotton is processed and goes home. Resigned, Baby Doll leads Aunt Rose back into the plantation house, telling her they will have to see what tomorrow brings.

In the early 1920s, Jordan "Bick" Benedict (Rock Hudson), the head of the rich Benedict ranching family in Texas, goes to Maryland to buy a stud horse, War Winds. There he meets and courts the 18-year-old socialite Leslie Lynnton (Elizabeth Taylor), who becomes his wife after a whirlwind romance. They return to Texas to start their life together on the family ranch, Reata, which is owned and run by Luz (Mercedes McCambridge), Bick's older and grumpy sister. Leslie doesn't get along with Luz for Luz scorns Leslie's wealthy background while Leslie thinks that Luz is rude. Jett Rink (James Dean) is a local ranch hand who works for Luz and hopes to find his fortune by leaving Texas; he also has a secret love for Leslie despite the fact that she is married to his boss. One day during a cattle roundup, Luz expresses her hostility for Leslie by cruelly digging in her spurs while riding Leslie's beloved horse, War Winds. Luz dies after War Winds bucks her off, and as part of her will, Jett is given a small plot of land within the 595,000-acre Benedict ranch. Bick tries to buy back the land, but Jett refuses. Jett keeps the fenced off waterhole as his home and names the property Little Reata. A few years later, Leslie eventually gives birth to twins, Jordan "Jordy" Benedict III and Judy Benedict, and a younger daughter named Luz II (Carroll Baker). One day, Jett discovers oil in a footprint left by Leslie and develops an oil drilling well on his property. Bick is annoyed with Jett's prospecting and tries to deny him access to his land. Finally, Jett hits his first gusher, he drives into the Benedict yard (covered in crude oil) proclaiming in front of the entire family that he will be richer than the Benedicts. After Jett makes a rude sexual remark to Leslie, Bick and Jett have a fist fight. Shortly after, in the 1930s, Jett starts an oil drilling company, named 'JetTexas' that makes him enormously wealthy. But Bick resists the lure of drilling for oil on his much larger part of the cattle ranch, preferring to remain a rancher to maintain the legacy of his family's original business. During the 1940s, tensions in the Benedict household revolve around how the parents want to bring up their grown-up children. Bick stubbornly insists that Jordy must succeed him and run the ranch, just like his father and grandfather before him, but Jordy wants to be a doctor. Leslie wants Judy to attend finishing school in Switzerland, but Judy loves the ranch and wants to stay in Texas for her education (and to her high school boyfriend). After World War II breaks out, Jett visits the Benedicts and tries to convince Bick to allow oil production on his land to help the war effort. Bick finally realizes there is no one to take over the ranch after him and concedes. During this visit, Luz II, now a teen-aged girl, starts flirting with Jett. Once oil production starts, the wealthy Benedict family becomes even wealthier, depicted by the addition of a swimming pool next to the house. Jordy gets married to a young Mexican American woman and they have a son. Judy gets married to her long-term high school boyfriend and they too have a son. The Benedict/Rink rivalry continues however, and it comes to a head when the Benedicts find out that Luz II and the much older Jett Rink have been dating. At a huge gala Jett organizes in his own honor, an irate Jordy tries to fight him, after realizing he and his Mexican American wife, Juana (Elsa Cárdenas), were invited just so Jett's employees could turn Juana away. Jett has his goons hold Jordy and punches him out in front of the crowd. Fed up, Bick then takes Jett to a kitchen room, about to fight him, but realizes that Jett is now just a drunken shell of a man, who has only his money. He tells him, "You're not even worth hitting. You're all through," and leaves, but not before symbolically and quite noisily caving in Rink's wine cellar shelves domino style. The party ends when Jett, completely drunk, slumps down in front of everyone before his big speech. Luz II sees him afterwards, once everyone has left the ballroom, and discovers that he is a lonely, pathetic wreck who can only repeat how much he still loves Leslie. The Benedicts, all except Jordy, drive down an empty road to a diner. An altercation develops between the racist diner owner Sarge (Mickey Simpson), a Mexican family that just walked in who have no dollars but pesos, and Bick who intervenes on behalf of the Mexican family. A fist fight ensues when Bick stands up for the immigrant family against the racist Sarge, leaving Bick the loser who collapses over a table of pies. Sarge throws them out of the diner saying that it is his free right to refuse service to people he does not like, including paying customers. In the final scene back at the ranch, Bick watches his two grandchildren playing in a crib with Leslie and reflects on his life and family. Leslie tells Bick that, after watching him lose the fight in the diner, she finally respects him and considers the Benedict family a success.