Connection
Astor Pictures
- Infos
- Best films
If you like this company, let us know!
Foundation date 1 january 1930
Astor Pictures was a motion picture distribution service in operation from 1930 to 1963, founded by Robert M. Savini (29 August 1886 - 29 April 1956). Astor, located at 130 West 46th Street in New York City, initially acquired the rights to other motion pictures for profitable re-release. A Billboard magazine article of 8 Jun 1946 stated Astor had 26 offices in the United States.
In 1947, the motion picture periodical Boxoffice reported that the number of reissued films for that year were four times that of the previous year. Many smaller cinemas wished to show double features to attract audiences with a reissued film being the cheapest type of release.
Filmography of Astor Pictures (24 films)
Production
Add to a movie list
Fugitive in Trieste (1952)
, 1h30Genres Drama
Themes Transport films, Aviation films, Political films
Actors Doris Duranti, Jacques Sernas, Massimo Girotti, Carlo D'Angelo, Giovanni Grasso, Charles Fernley Fawcett
An Italian Air Force officer is arrested by Allied forces who believe he has deliberately bombed a hospital ship during World War II. His girlfriend manages to produce evidence that shows him to be essentially innocent of the charge.
Distribution
The Trial (1962)
, 2hDirected by Orson Welles
Origin German
Genres Drama, Crime
Themes Political films, Dystopian films
Actors Anthony Perkins, Orson Welles, Jeanne Moreau, Romy Schneider, Akim Tamiroff, Elsa Martinelli
Josef K. (Anthony Perkins) is sleeping in his bedroom, in an apartment he shares with other lodgers. He is awakened when a man in a suit opens his bedroom door. Josef assumes the glib man is a policeman, but the intruder does not identify himself and ignores Josef's demand to produce police ID. Several detectives enter and tell Josef he is under open arrest. In another room Josef K. sees three co-workers from his place of employment; they are there to provide evidence regarding some unstated crime. The police refuse to inform Josef K. of his misdeeds, or if he is even being charged with a crime, and they do not take him into custody.
Whistle Down the Wind (1961)
, 1h39Directed by Bryan Forbes
Origin United-kingdom
Genres Drama, Crime
Actors Hayley Mills, Bernard Lee, Alan Bates, Norman Bird, Diane Clare, John Arnatt
The plot follows the lives of three Lancashire farm children who discover a fugitive hiding in their barn. The bearded man, referred to as "Blakey" by the police, is mistaken for Jesus Christ by the children, who are influenced by stories they have heard at Sunday school. The fugitive makes no attempt to correct their mistake, especially when he discovers the eldest child, Kathy, is determined to protect him from discovery by the local police. We learn from a poster that he is wanted for murder.
Frankenstein's Daughter (1958)
Directed by Richard E. Cunha
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Horror
Themes Films about computing, Films based on science fiction novels, Frankenstein films, Cyberpunk films
Actors John Ashley, Harold Lloyd Jr., John Zaremba, Harry Wilson, George Barrows
The grandson of Victor Frankenstein, Oliver (Donald Murphy), is hiding away as a laboratory assistant for the gentle Prof. Morton (Felix Locher). While Dr. Morton pursues a pet project, Dr. Frankenstein secretly works his own experiments on his benefactor's niece, Trudy Morton (Sandra Knight). Although these experiments temporarily disfigure Trudy's face and cause her to wander aimlessly at night, they are only a build-up to Oliver's greater goal of recreating life. With the aid of one of his father's former assistants, Oliver constructs a female monster from the body parts of various murdered people and begins to deal a horrible fate upon any who dare stand in the way of his desires.
Missile to the Moon (1958)
, 1h18Directed by Richard E. Cunha
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Horror
Themes Space adventure films, Sur la Lune, Space opera, Sur la Lune, Films about extraterrestrial life
Actors Richard Travis, Cathy Downs, K. T. Stevens, Tommy Cook, Renate Hoy, Gary Clarke
Two escaped convicts, Gary (Tommy Cook) and Lon (Gary Clarke), are discovered hiding aboard a rocket by scientist Dirk Green (Michael Whalen), who then forces them to pilot the spaceship to the Moon. Dirk, who is secretly a Moon man, wants to return home.
She Demons (1958)
Directed by Richard E. Cunha
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Horror
Themes Political films
Actors Irish McCalla, Tod Griffin, Victor Sen Yung, Gene Roth
During a tropical storm a pleasure boat is shipwrecked on an uncharted island and presumed sunk with all hands. The radio possessed by the four survivors can only receive but not transmit and they discover the island will soon be used by naval aircraft as a bombing target.
Giant from the Unknown (1958)
, 1h17Directed by Richard E. Cunha
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Science fiction, Horror
Actors Ed Kemmer, Bob Steele, Morris Ankrum, Jolene Brand, Ewing Miles Brown
Two lovers, Wayne Brooks and Janet Cleveland, with the help of scientist Dr. Frederick Cleveland reveal and prove the theory of suspended animation when they find a frozen lizard in a mountain rock. But Dr. Cleveland has another passion: writing a book about Spanish Conquistadors who came to the region. The book targets the history of a legendary giant Conquistador named Vargas whose remains Cleveland and the two lovers search for in an archeological dig containing ancient armor and weapons. Later that night, a lightning strike revives the body of the 500-year-old Vargas, who stalks the three searchers and eventually kills a young woman. Sheriff Parker, the town Sheriff accuses and arrests Wayne for the murder of the young woman because a medallion from the search was found in the girl's hand. But later, it is revealed that Vargas is roaming around the forest causing another brutal death. The local town men, with the help of the three searchers and the sheriff go out to find and kill the giant, which causes more damage and deaths. Wayne finally kills the giant by causing him to fall off a bridge and into a waterfall.
Time Without Pity (1957)
, 1h25Directed by Joseph Losey
Origin United-kingdom
Genres Drama, Thriller, Crime
Themes Prison films, Films about capital punishment, Films based on plays
Actors Michael Redgrave, Ann Todd, Leo McKern, Peter Cushing, Alec McCowen, Lois Maxwell
David Graham, a recovering alcoholic, returns to England with only 24 hours to save his son, Alec, from hanging for the murder of Alec's girlfriend, Jenny Cole. A neglectful, absentee father who has missed the entire trial while he was in rehab in Canada, Graham discovers his son, awaiting execution, at first refuses to even see him and when he does, to evince any hope for his case, let alone affection for his father.
Gun Girls (1957)
, 1h7Genres Crime
Actors Timothy Farrell, Eve Brent, Barbara Weeks
A daughter of a well to do family seeks excitement and a sense of self esteem by participating in violent crime. The two purchase pistols from Joe to use in a robbery that
Blood Orange (1953)
, 1h16Directed by Terence Fisher
Origin United-kingdom
Genres Drama, Crime
Actors Tom Conway, Mila Parély, Naomi Chance, Eric Pohlmann, Richard Wattis, Eileen Way
Un détective privé continue son enquête sur un vol de bijoux après qu'un mannequin a été assassiné alors qu'elle détenait des informations pour lui.
Cat-Women of the Moon (1953)
, 1h4Directed by Arthur Hilton
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction
Themes Space adventure films, Sur la Lune, Space opera
Actors Sonny Tufts, Victor Jory, Marie Windsor, Douglas Fowley, William Phipps, Carol Brewster
An expedition to the moon encounters a race of "Cat-Women", the last eight survivors of a 2-million-year-old civilization, deep within a cave where they have managed to maintain the remnants of a breathable atmosphere that once covered the Moon. The remaining air will soon be gone, and they must escape if they are to survive. They plan to steal the expedition's spaceship and migrate to Earth.
Four Sided Triangle (1953)
, 1h21Directed by Terence Fisher
Origin United-kingdom
Genres Science fiction, Fantasy, Romance
Themes Films based on science fiction novels
Actors Barbara Payton, Glyn Dearman, James Hayter, John Van Eyssen, Percy Marmont, Seán Barrett
Dr. Harvey, a rural physician, breaks the fourth wall to relate an unusual occurrence that happened in his village. The bulk of the story is told in flashback.
Captain Scarface (1953)
, 1h12Directed by Paul Guilfoyle (acteur, 1902-1961)
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Action, Romance
Themes Spy films, Political films
Actors Barton MacLane, Virginia Grey, Leif Erickson, Carey Loftin, Isabel Randolph, Paul Brinegar
In the waters off South America, the Soviets torpedo the tramp steamer and banana boat SS Banos and murder the survivors with the cooperation of the ship's radioman, Clegg who escapes with his life and a promise of $5000. The Soviets have mocked up their own ship as the SS Banos that contains an atomic device with the goal of sailing the Banos to the locks of the Panama Canal where they will detonate their ship on an atomic suicide mission.
Robot Monster (1953)
, 1h2Directed by Phil Tucker
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Horror, Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction
Themes Films about animals, Films about music and musicians, Post-apocalyptic films, La préhistoire, Films about religion, Films set in the future, Animaux préhistoriques, Musical films, Political films, Dystopian films, Films about extraterrestrial life, Robot films, Disaster films
Actors George Nader, George Barrows, Claudia Barrett, Selena Royle, John Mylong, John Brown
Evil Moon robot Ro-Man Extension XJ-2 (George Barrows), referred to as just Ro-Man, has seemingly destroyed all human life on Earth with a Calcinator death ray, all except for eight humans that remain alive. The survivors are an older scientist (John Mylong), his wife, two daughters, his young son Johnny (Gregory Moffett), his assistant, and two space pilots that shortly take off in a spaceship for an orbiting space platform. All eight have now developed an immunity to Ro Man's death ray, having received an experimental antibiotic serum developed by the scientist.
Roadhouse Girl (1953)
, 1h10Directed by Wolf Rilla
Origin United-kingdom
Genres Drama, Crime
Actors Sandra Dorne, Leslie Dwyer, Maxwell Reed, Ferdy Mayne, Hugh Pryse, Kenneth Connor
Randy mechanic Tom Price (Reed) lusts after seductive Marilyn (Dorne), the young wife of ill-tempered garage owner George Saunders (Dwyer). Assuming that Marilyn is fooling around with his employee, Saunders begins punching him out. Defending himself, Tom accidentally kills his boss. Marilyn helps him to cover up the crime, and together the two strike out to find a new life.