Philip Tonge

The film takes place in the small town of Thornton, c. 1958. The film opens to funeral parlor owner Ed Quigley (Jonathan Kidd) reporting to the police that someone had broken into his parlor and stolen a child's coffin. Police chief Jim Tyloe (Jim Backus) is not particularly concerned, and refuses to search for fingerprints. Tyloe knows that Quigley is a gambling addict, and accuses the man of trying to pull off an insurance scam to pay off his gambling debts. Tyloe steps away, and starts threatening local physician Dr. Rodney Barrett (William Prince). The two men have been enemies since Tyloe dated Alice Weatherby, and Barrett seduced her and convinced her to marry him. Since then, there have several strange deaths in town, and the locals blame Barrett about them. Back in 1955, Alice died in childbirth, while Barrett was out drinking. Barrett's sister-in-law Nancy Wetherby (Christine White) died a few days before, and Barrett again failed to help her. The two women were the wealthiest heiresses in town, and the town has not forgiven Barrett about their deaths. Barrett heads to his office, where he learns that only a single patient still trusts him enough to visit. Dialogue reveals that Barrett's loyal nurse Polly Baron (Jacqueline Scott) has been trying to convince him that they should move out of town. She has an obvious crush on her boss, and is looking out for his best interests. But Barrett is making preparations to marry young widow Sylvia Stevenson (Susan Morrow), and has no intention to leave town. The doctor heads home with Polly, where he lives with his three-year-old daughter Marge Barrett, and loyal nanny Miss Kushins (Ellen Corby). He learns that Sylvia took care of Marge earlier in the day, and dropped her off. Kushins remembers seeing Marge playing with her teddy bear earlier, but the girl has since disappeared. Nobody can find Marge. Then Polly receives a mysterious phone call. The caller informs her that he has kidnapped Marge, and has buried her alive. Polly faints. Barrett decides not to report the kidnapping to the police, as he figures Tyloe would refuse to help him. He also asks Kushins to not report the kidnapping to his wealthy father-in-law Jode Wetherby (Philip Tonge), who is suffering from a heart condition. Barrett and Polly search for clues in the local graveyard, since the caller implied that Marge is in the company of the dead. The two are discovered by the graveyard's caretaker (Howard Hoffman) who threatens them with a firearm. Mr. Wetherby arrives and disarms the caretaker, but accidentally kills the man in the process. As the search for Marge's whereabouts continues, an extended flashback explains what happened to Nancy Wetherby. Nancy was born blind, and wanted to live a fast and exciting life. She loved fast cars, casual sexual encounters with men, and traveling abroad. She spend years in Europe. Following her return, she had affairs with both Jim Tyloe and her chauffeur Nick (Robert Colbert). She turned down a marriage proposal from Tyloe, and shortly later found out that she was pregnant. She did not want to become a mother or wife, and Barrett refused to help her with an abortion. She died suddenly days later, possibly due to a suicide. She did not receive the needed medical attention. Back to the present, Barrett, Wetherby, and Polly break into the funeral parlor and desperately search the coffins for clues. Barrett uses physical threats to interrogate Ed Quigley, who claims that he knows nothing about the kidnapping. The group is discovered by Tyloe, who forces them to help out with preparations for Nancy's funeral. She is to be buried at midnight. Barrett and Polly go for another search in the graveyard. They visit Alice Weatherby's grave, and have an argument about Barrett's responsibility in her death. A flashback to 1955 explains what happened to Alice (Dorothy Morris). Barrett kept his pregnant wife isolated at home, while he was drinking with his girlfriend Sylvia Stevenson in her residence. As Alice prepared to give birth, she needed her husband and personal physician to help her out. Polly desperately tried to locate him, but Sylvia denied her phone calls for help. Alice died in childbirth, giving birth to Marge. The next day, Tyloe informed Barrett about the birth and the death. Then he beat up the drunken doctor in revenge. The flashback ends. The funeral of Nancy takes place at midnight, with only close family and friends in attendance. While Barrett digs in the ground, he discoverers a child's coffin. He opens it and seemingly finds Marge's decayed corpse. Weatherby stares at the apparent corpse of his granddaughter, and dies of shock. Barrett loudly mourns, but then Barrett is shot by Quigley. Quigley explains that the "corpse" is a mannequin, and that he was pressured by Barrett to help him in his plot. The child's coffin was not stolen but used in a fake kidnapping plot. Tyloe then allows the seriously wounded Barrett to return to his office, where the doctor explains to Polly the details of his scheme. Barrett was after the Weatherby inheritance for years, and had a hand in the deaths of both Alice and Nancy in order to eliminate the heiresses. He set up the entire kidnapping plot to scare Jode Wetherby to death, and to receive the inheritance. The mysterious phone call was a prerecorded message, and came from within his office. Barrett succumbs to his wounds before explaining where his daughter Marge is. Polly has the idea to search within the doctor's office. She discovers Marge (Linda Guderman) sleeping safely in a secret room. Polly rescues the little girl, and the film ends.

Around the turn of the 20th century, during a harsh northern California winter, members of a ranching family are squabbling among themselves while the two oldest sons go hunting for a panther that is killing their livestock. A family saga: In a stunning mountain valley ranch setting near Aspen, complex and dangerous family dynamics play out against the backdrop of the first big snowstorm of winter and an enormous panther with seemingly mythical qualities which is killing cattle. An arrogant, pitiless son (Robert Mitchum) and a rigid pharisaic mother side against a moral eldest son and and a defeated alcoholic father while the youngest son tries to lay low, hoping against hope to persuade his family to allow him to marry a girl he has brought to visit. The girl however draws venomous condemnation and the two elder brothers set out in the midst of a violent snowstorm on a dangerous mission to kill the deadly panther. —Jasha While Curt Bridges tracks down the panther that killed his brother Arthur, his family argues and bickers over whether younger brother Harold should marry a much-despised neighbor girl. —Jim Beaver <jumblejim@prodigy.net>

In Shillingworth-on-Thames, England, book shop clerk Ruth has high hopes for her upcoming marriage to John Wiley, the owner of a Ceylon tea plantation, despite having known him for only two weeks. Upon arriving at Elephant Walk, John's plantation, Ruth is thrilled to discover that John's "bungalow" is an exotic mansion filled with servants, including John's devoted head servant, Appuhamy. Troubling her, however, is the fact that John's father Tom deliberately built the mansion across the path long taken by elephants on their way to the river and constructed a wall to keep them at bay. John's violent hatred of one particular bull elephant surprises Ruth, and she is also startled to learn that Tom is buried in a lavish marble grave behind the house, while John's mother is buried in England, because, according to Appuhamy, she hated Ceylon. Soon after his return, John's friends, fellow English planters and his American overseer, Dick Carver, drop by the house to meet Ruth. The men welcome Ruth, the only white woman in the area, then proceed to get drunk while toasting the greatness of John's father. Dick, who is leaving for Paris the next day, assures Ruth that Tom was more vain than heroic and counsels her not to take his legacy too seriously. Later, Ruth is awakened in the middle of the night by the sound of John and his friends playing polo on bicycles across the mansion's spacious floors. When Ruth tells John she was frightened by the noise, he coldly dismisses her fears as childish. Ruth runs crying back to her bedroom, and suddenly shamed, John follows and apologizes. The next day, Ruth notices Appuhamy praying at the foot of Tom's grave and tours the enormous kitchen with him. Appuhamy shows Ruth the items that were special favorites of "the old master," which are still being purchased, and balks when she offers to plan the menu so as to reduce the amount of waste generated by the plantation. Appuhamy also refuses to give Ruth the key to Tom's old study, piquing Ruth's curiosity. That night, Dick stops by to say farewell and, before going, encourages Ruth to contact him if she needs help. Later, John fractures his leg while drunkenly playing bicycle polo and is confined to his bed. During his convalescence, Ruth tries to sneak into Tom's study but hides when Appuhamy appears. After overhearing Appuhamy declare to a portrait of Tom that Ruth "does not belong" at Elephant Walk, Ruth learns from John's doctor that John's belligerent attitudes are impeding his recovery. Ruth writes to Dick for help, and he quickly returns and resumes his work as overseer. John's mood does not improve, however, as the expected monsoons have not started and the elephants have become agitated over the lack of water. When John yells at her for changing his lunch menu without permission, Ruth rushes to Dick, and while out riding with him, confesses that John is still ruled by his dead father. Dick kisses Ruth, who, despite her attraction, pulls away, protesting that she still loves John. Back at the plantation, John apologizes to Ruth and tries to appease her by announcing a special upcoming celebration. The celebration turns out to be an elaborate birthday party for Tom, and Ruth finally explodes with frustration, ordering John's drunken friends out of the house. The next morning, John condemns Ruth for driving his friends away and, when she insists that he hates Tom as much as she does, slaps her. Stunned, Ruth runs to Dick's quarters and begs him to take her to Paris. At the same time, however, one of John's servants collapses with cholera and the plantation is placed under quarantine. Trapped at Elephant Walk, Ruth and Dick toil long hours to help John curb the epidemic and soothe the terrified workers. When John, who is aware of Ruth's plans to leave him, insists on burying the dead himself, Ruth is impressed by his selfless dedication. Later, after the quarantine is lifted, Ruth tells Dick that she cannot leave John before the rains come, despite Dick's protests that John has not changed. As a final precaution, the workers' huts are set ablaze, and the elephants, agitated by the fire, start to stampede. With no workers available to beat them back, the elephants crash through the plantation wall and storm the house. Appuhamy, who has finally recognized Ruth's true worth, rushes to alert her and is killed by an angry elephant. While crashing through the house, the elephants cause a fire to erupt, and John barely arrives in time to rescue Ruth. Just then, the rain starts, and as Elephant Walk burns to the ground, John and Ruth embrace and pledge to start a new life together.

Priam Farrel is a celebrated artist but a social recluse. When his valet dies of a sudden illness, the timid artist inadvertently assumes the identity of his former servant, but finds himself faced with constant dilemmas as a result. Priam Farrel is a celebrated artist but a social recluse. When his valet dies of a sudden illness, a mix-up leads to the body being identified as Farrel's. The timid artist then assumes the identity of his former servant, but finds himself faced with constant dilemmas as a result. —Snow Leopard