Laurence Harvey

The world's richest man and his adopted hobo son set out to test the limits of human vanity and greed through a series of "money games". Sir Guy Grand adopts homeless bum Youngman to be heir to his obscene wealth, and immediately begins bringing him into the intricacies of the family business, which is to prey upon people's greed by use of the vast holdings of the Grand empire. They leave no stone unturned as sporting events, restaurants, art galleries, and traditional pheasant hunts turn into lurid displays of bad manners and profiteering. Things climax at the social event of the season, the inaugural voyage of the new pleasure cruiser, "The Magic Christian". —Ed Sutton <esutton@mindspring.com>

A Eurasian photographer uses his women in an attempt to get American nationality. Laurence Harvey plays an Eurasian photographer who is trapped in Japan but wants to emigrate to the United States. His visa is continually delayed, which causes him to use his charm with women to pull some strings and apply some pressure on the embassy. His romantic magnetism works on a thrill-seeking American and an aristocratic Japanese woman. —Anonymous

In 1952 during the Korean War, the Soviets capture an American platoon and take them to Manchuria in Communist China. After the war, the soldiers return to the United States, and Staff Sergeant Raymond Shaw (Laurence Harvey) is credited with saving their lives in combat. Upon the recommendation of the platoon's commander, Captain Bennett Marco (Frank Sinatra), Shaw is awarded the Medal of Honor for his supposed actions. In addition, when asked to describe him, Marco and the other soldiers automatically respond, "Raymond Shaw is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I've ever known in my life." Deep down, however, they know something is wrong. As Marco puts it: "It isn't as if Raymond is hard to like. He's impossible to like!" Marco who has since been promoted to Major suffers from a recurring nightmare in which a hypnotized Shaw strangles one of his fellow soldiers, and shoots another, killing both before the assembled military brass of communist nations, during a practical demonstration of a brainwashing technique. (Raymond and his platoon have been hypnotized into believing that the Korean military brass are a bunch of harmless old American ladies from a garden club.) Marco wants to investigate, but receives no support from Army Intelligence as he has no proof. However, Marco learns that another soldier from the platoon, Allen Melvin (James Edwards), has had the same nightmare. When Melvin and Marco separately identify some of the men in the dream as leading figures in communist governments, Army Intelligence decides that this is too much of a coincidence and agrees to help Marco investigate. Shaw's mother, Mrs. Eleanor Iselin (Angela Lansbury), is the driving force behind her husband, Shaw's step-father, Senator John Yerkes Iselin (James Gregory), a bombastic demagogue in the style of Joseph McCarthy, who is dismissed by most people as a fool. Shaw hates them both, especially his domineering mother. Senator Iselin's political stature is established when (per his wife's orders) he interrupts a televised press conference given by the Secretary of Defense, accusing him of knowing that some 207 Defense Department employees are "card carrying" Communists. This provokes the expected chaos and shock among journalists and an enraged reaction from the Secretary. Unknown to everyone including Raymond, the Iselins (or possibly only Mrs. Iselin) are actually Stalinist agents with a plan intended to take them all the way to the White House. His mother is actually the American "operative" for whom Raymond is to effect the operation's final step. Raymond was conditioned in Manchuria to be an unwitting assassin whose actions are triggered by a Queen of Diamonds playing card. When he sees it, he will obey the next suggestion or order given to him by anyone. When given instructions to kill selected targets, he must also kill any witnesses and never remember his actions, making him the perfect assassin as he can never feel fear or guilt. It is revealed that Shaw's heroism was a false memory implanted in the platoon by the Communists in Manchuria, and that they were covertly returned to the American lines only after their conditioning was completed. The actions for which Shaw was awarded his Medal of Honor never took place. Raymond briefly finds happiness when he rekindles a youthful romance with Jocelyn Jordan (Leslie Parrish), the daughter of Senator Thomas Jordan (John McGiver), one of his stepfather's political rivals. Raymond had previously courted Jocelyn in order to get at his parents in a Romeo and Juliet-style romance, but they then genuinely fell in love, both she and her father being the nearest thing Raymond has ever had to having friends. Mrs. Iselin broke up the relationship for obvious political reasons, but now facilitates the couple's reunion as part of her scheme to garner the support of Senator Jordan for her husband's own sudden vice presidential bid. Jocelyn, wearing a Queen of Diamonds costume outfit, inadvertently hypnotizes Raymond at a costume party thrown by the Iselins at their Long Island home and the couple elopes. Although tolerant of the match, Senator Jordan makes it clear to Mrs. Iselin that he will move for her husband's impeachment if he makes any attempt to seek the vice-presidential nomination. Raymond's conditioning is then triggered by his mother and he is sent to assassinate Jordan. Jocelyn happens upon the scene and is also shot dead as a witness to the event. Raymond has no knowledge of his actions and is genuinely grief-stricken when he learns of the murders. In the course of Marco's investigation, he discovers the role of the Queen of Diamonds card in putting Raymond into the hypnotic state for his assignments. Marco meets Raymond and, using a deck composed entirely of Queen of Diamonds, gets the full story and orders Raymond to break the linkages between himself and the card forever and to disobey any further subsequent orders from his controllers. Unaware of this, Mrs. Iselin primes her son to assassinate their party's presidential candidate at the nomination convention so that Senator Iselin, as the vice-presidential candidate, will become the presidential candidate by default and give an inflammatory anti-Communist speech (actually written by the Communists themselves). This will cause mass hysteria that will get Iselin, the real "Manchurian candidate", elected and justify such emergency powers that, in Mrs. Iselin's words, "will make martial law seem like anarchy". She condescendingly tells her son that, although he may never fully understand, she did not know it would be her son whom the Communists selected as the assassin, apparently because they believed it would solidify their own hold over her. Furious, she vows that once in power she will "grind them into the dirt". She proceeds to give the ostensibly "hypnotized" Raymond a decidedly non-maternal kiss. Marco's attempt to free Raymond appears to have failed. Raymond enters the convention hall disguised as a Catholic priest and takes up a position to carry out the assassination as he was instructed, using a rifle with a scope. Marco and his supervisor, Colonel Milt (Douglas Henderson), arrive at the convention to stop him. As the Presidential nominee (Robert Riordan) makes his speech, Raymond instead shoots his stepfather and mother dead. He then commits suicide in front of Marco while wearing his undeserved Medal of Honor.

A plain, repressed spinster falls for a dashing young medical student who prefers the wilder life, until it's too late. Since childhood, spinster Alma Winemiller has loved handsome young Dr. John Buchanan, Jr.. But John has fallen hard for Rosa Zacharias, the town's sultry vamp, and descends into a seamy nightlife while ignoring Alma's dreams of romance and possible marriage. —alfiehitchie It's the early 1910s in the small town of Glorious Hill, Mississippi. Alma Winemiller, of an age when most women would be married, has an affected manner, which she attributes to assuming the role usually undertaken by a minister's wife after her mother long ago suffered a mental breakdown. Also being a minister's daughter has led to Alma having a repressed view of sex and sexuality. She has long harbored a secret love toward the Winemullers' next door neighbor, Dr. John Buchanan, Jr., he following in his father's footsteps. That occupation is the only thing connecting the two generations of Buchanan men, the younger known as the town's bad boy in his wild behavior, largely taking place when he is away, he usually only coming home in the summer. This summer, he pursues equally wild Rosa Zacharias, new to town as the daughter of the new owner of the Moon Lake Casino located on the outskirts of town. Regardless, John is aware of Alma's attraction to him, he, in return, intrigued in noticing in her something seething somewhere below the surface. The question then becomes if Alma and John will ever be able to come together both emotionally and sexually. —Huggo

In February 1836, Texas is part of Mexico, and most of the English and Spanish speaking settlers of that region are discontent with the tyrannical rule of Gen. Santa Anna. General Sam Houston (Richard Boone) arrives in a small town with several men where he hastens to assemble a Texan army. At the same time, Santa Anna is heading north with several thousand soldiers to defeat the rebellion. To gain more time, Houston orders Col. William Barret Travis (Laurence Harvey) to take command of the Alamo, a fort in a crumbling mission near the village of San Antonio de Bexar, through which Santa Anna's men must pass. Houston hopes that Travis and his 27 "regular" army men will stall the enemy for as long as possible with the assistance of rancher Col. James Bowie (Richard Widmark) and his 100 Texas volunteers. The hard-drinking and independent Bowie, who has extensive landholdings to protect, and the aristocratic and arrogant Travis are a poorly matched team and antagonism between the two officers quickly grows. Although Juan Seguin (Joseph Calleia), a respected community leader, reports that Santa Anna is closer than they realize, Travis refutes the information and repeatedly lies to the men about the danger of their situation. Believing that most men have no capacity to act for reasons of honor, Travis tells his confidant, Capt. Almeron Dickinson (Ken Curtis), that the men would desert their posts if they knew the truth. Meanwhile, Colonel David Crockett (John Wayne), a former U.S. Senator, and his rowdy, but loyal 32-strong Tennessee backwoods sharpshooters, arrive in Bexar and head straight for the cantina. Travis seeks out "Davy", and is surprised to learn that the reputed "illiterate country bumpkin" is an eloquent, deep thinker and is sensitive to the Texans' plight. Aware that Santa Anna's regime forbids Texans economic rights, Davy has also guessed the unpublicized plans to create a Republic of Texas. Unknown to his men, who think they are out for adventure, Davy has brought them to Bexar to investigate the situation and possibly convince them to join the fight. Crockett soon falls in love with Flaca (Linda Cristal), a young Mexican woman whose family was killed by Santa Anna and who is being pressured to marry Emil Sande (Wesley Lau), a local merchant who has curried favor with the Mexican general. Although she refuses Davy Crockett's gallant offer of help, she tells him about the cache of ammunition Emil has hidden for Santa Anna in the basement of the village church. During the night Crockett, Bowie and their men find the supplies. When Emil discovers Davy and the others and tries to kill them, Davy throws Bowie's knife at Emil, killing him. Crockett and Flaca enjoy a brief romance, but he soon sends her north to safety, realizing they may never see each other again. Travis keeps up the morale in the fort by reporting that Captain Jim Fannin is on his way to the Alamo with more soldiers. Believing that staying cornered inside the fort is suicide, Bowie unsuccessfully tries to convince both Travis and, later, Davy that the best way to defend the Alamo is by a "cut, slash and run" approach out in the open. Davy Crockett convinces his men to fight for the Alamo by reading them a letter, purportedly written by Santa Anna, ordering the Tennesseeans to leave. Offended, the men stubbornly refuse to take orders from the Mexican general and vow to stay, after which Davy admits that he wrote the letter himself, but it is what Santa Anna would want. A detachment of Mexican soldiers arrive at San Antonio and a courier from Santa Anna arrives outside the Alamo fort, and from there, proclaims a message ordering the "occupiers" of the fort to relinquish all ammunition and leave. Before the courier can finish the message, Travis uses his glowing cigar to light the cannon. Startled by the cannon fire, the Mexican halts his reading and retreats in a dignified manner. Dryly, Bowie comments to Davy that Travis "knows the short way to start a war." Over the next few days, Mexican soldiers are taking positions in front of the fort. Travis predicts that fighting will not begin until Santa Anna himself, the Mexican heavy artillery and food wagons arrive, which will take several days. Believing the situation is hopeless, Bowie decides to leave with his men. However, when Captain James Butler Bonham (Patrick Wayne) arrives from another camp, reporting that Fannin is coming with one thousand men, Bowie decides to stay, unaware that Bonham has been ordered by Travis to lie about the number of men accompanying Fannin. In private, Bonham reports to Travis that only less then 500 men are expected. A quarrel between Bowie and Travis escalates into plans for a duel after Bowie takes his men out on patrol without Travis' permission, but Crockett convinces them to postpone their confrontation until after the war. Confronted by Crockett, Travis admits that his orders are simply to buy time for Houston. Believing that the mission is worthwhile and knowing that Bowie plans to leave with his men in the morning, Davy gets him drunk, causing him to sleep late. The next day, Seguin sneaks into the fort with a few dozen more men, bolstering morale and boosting the Alamo garrison from 150 to 185 men. One night, when a message is delivered directly to Bowie, bypassing Travis, the commander accuses Bowie of more insubordination. However, Travis apologizes after he learns that the message reports the death of Bowie's wife. When the doctor reports low rations and an outbreak of dysentery caused by tainted water, Travis orders a night-time raid of the Mexicans, from whom they rustle several steer. They also steal a good horse for a young teenage soldier, Smitty (Frankie Avalon), one of Crockett's men, to ride to Houston's encampment to report their situation. On Day 10 of the siege, Santa Anna arrives with the main body of his army (numbering at least 2,000 men), he sends his messenger forward to allow the evacuation of the women and children. Most of the women and children leave, but Mrs. Dickinson (Aissa Wayne) insists that she and her young child will stay. After the rest of the noncombatants are safely away, the shooting commences. The Mexicans launch a full frontal assault on the south side of the Alamo. During the battle, the first Alamo casualty is Davy's friend Parson (Hank Worden), who is wounded by artillery fire. Before he dies, he inspires Davy Crockett to pray that his men are successful, and if not, will be remembered as good men. In the face of devastating fire, Santa Anna orders a retreat. At the end of the battle, the Alamo men have shot many of the Mexicans leaving hundreds of casualties in front of the fortress, but they suffer 50 casualties, twenty-eight of whom are dead. Bowie is wounded in his right leg by shellfire, but he still can fight. After the battle, men also receive news from Captain Bonham that Fannin's company was ambushed and routed, and consequently no further help will be coming. When Crockett expresses a desire to leave, Travis speaks truthfully to the men, telling them that they will not be able to hold the fort for long, but they have given Houston 10 extra days to prepare for Santa Anna. Giving his blessing, Travis opens the gate and claims there is no dishonor in leaving. Crockett and Bowie begin to lead their men out, but then Bowie gets off his horse and stands next to Travis. The others follow suit and soon all decide to persevere. The next day, Smitty delivers his written message to Houston at his camp and immediately rides away, anxious to return to his comrades, refuses both food and sleep. Upon reading the message, Houston, who is helpless to assist Travis, hopes that their sacrifice will be remembered. At the Alamo, the sleepless men talk about their belief in the hereafter. Bowie frees his aged slave Jethro (Jester Hairson) and urges him to sneak out and make his way north, but Jethro chooses to stay. On the morning of Day 13 of the siege, the entire Mexican army surrounds the Alamo for a determined final assault. Santa Anna and his staff officers take position atop a small hill to observe the battle as the entire 2,000-strong Mexican army attacks from all sides. The Texans fire back and inflict many more casualties on the attacking Mexican soldiers. During the final battle, Bowie is shot in his right leg again and taken to the infirmary, while Crockett and his men hold the south side of the fortress. Just then, Mexican artillery begins to take its toll among the defenders and cannon fire breaches the north wall, allowing hundreds of Mexican soldiers to enter the fortress. Travis takes on several Mexican troops until he his shot and killed. As Mexican soldiers and engineers breach the west wall with ladders, they manage to push the Texans back despite suffering horrendous casualties. The Mexicans also use captured Texan cannons to breach each position of the Texans one by one, sparing none of them. Seeing the breach in the north wall and despite the futility of the defense, Crockett orders a barricade thrown up in front of the Alamo church itself as he and the few surviving defenders are forced back. The Mexicans quickly overwhelm the Texans with their sheer numbers and breach all barricades. The Alamo defenders fight to the last man, with the Mexicans taking no prisoners. Davy Crockett is fatally stabbed with a Mexican lance by the dismounted soldier, whom he manages to kill. Before dying, Crockett sets fire to the ammunition to prevent the Mexicans from taking it. Near the end of the battle, Mexican soldiers entering the infirmary are shot by Bowie as he fires guns with both hands. Jethro throws himself over his former master to protect him, but both are slaughtered. Only Mrs. Dickinson, her child and a young black boy survive. In the final scene, the Mexicans have won the battle. Mrs. Dickinson, her young daughter and the slave boy are given a burro and allowed to leave without harm by Santa Anna. Smitty arrives, but from a distance he sees that he is too late to help. As Mrs. Dickinson walks away, Santa Anna orders his buglers to single a rise to call as all the Mexican soldiers stand at attention to salute the fallen Alamo defenders and allow Mrs. Dickinson to walk away. She soon joins Smitty in the distance and they walk away from the battle to tell the tale of the Alamo. The End