American Madness 1932  N/R, 75 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Frank Capra
Cast: Walter Huston, Pat O'Brien, Kay Johnson, Constance Cummings, Gavin Gordon, Arthur Hoyt, Robert Emmett O'Connor, Sterling Holloway, Walter Walker, Robert Ellis
During the 1890s depression, bank president Thomas Dickson (Walter Huston) is at odds with his board members who want to merge with Union Bank. One day the bank is robbed, and chief teller Matt Brown (Pat O'Brien) is accused of the theft. Brown has an alibi, but his loyalty to Dickson stands in his way of using it.
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The Criminal Code 1931  N/R, 95 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Howard Hawks
Cast: Walter Huston, Phillips Holmes, Constance Cummings, Mary Doran, Boris Karloff, DeWitt Jennings, John Sheehan, Otto Hoffman, Arthur Hoyt, Paul Porcasi
An innocent man (Phillips Holmes) is jailed, and the warden (Walter Huston) is faced with problems when his own daughter falls in love with his prisoner. This film was remade as "Convicted" in 1950, while film footage is used in 1968's "Targets."
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Devil and the Deep 1932 N/R, 72 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Marion Gering
Cast: Tallulah Bankhead, Gary Cooper, Charles Laughton, Cary Grant, Paul Porcasi, Juliette Compton, Henry Kolker, Lucien Littlefield, Arthur Hoyt, Gordon Westcott
Everyone pays when a submarine skipper, Commander Sturm (Charles Laughton), suspects that two of his lieutenants (Gary Cooper and Cary Grant) are having affairs with his wife Pauline (Tallulah Bankhead).
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The Devil's Party 1938  N/R, 65 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Ray McCarey
Cast: Victor McLaglen, William Gargan, Paul Kelly, Beatrice Roberts, Frank Jenks, John Gallaudet, Samuel S. Hinds, Joe Downing, Arthur Hoyt, Edward Gargan, Bill Elliott, Scotty Beckett
Four NYC boys made a pact that they would always meet once a year to renew their friendship, Their plans were changed when one of them accidentally set fire to a warehouse and another one took the blame and was sent to reform school. Now Marty (Victor McLaglen)–who had taken the blame–is a professional gambler and owns a nightclub. They are reunited when two of them (William Gargan and John Gallaudet), now policemen, investigate a murder at Marty's club. After one is killed during the investigation, the fourth friend (Paul Kelly), now a priest, sees that justice is served.
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Dynamite Ranch 1932  N/R, 59 min.
Genre: Western
Director: Forrest Sheldon
Cast: Ken Maynard, Ruth Hall, Jack Perrin, Arthur Hoyt, Alan Roscoe, Albert J. Smith, John(2) Beck, George C. Pearce, Martha Mattox, Lafe McKee, Edmund Cobb, Charles LeMoyne
Blaze (Ken Maynard), falsely accused of a train robbery, escapes and–with the help of a rancher's daughter (Ruth Hall) and the rancher's assistant–comes up with the real culprit. Plenty of good action, despite the ultra-low budget and old sets.
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East Side of Heaven 1939 N/R, 85 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: David Butler
Cast: Bing Crosby, Joan Blondell, Mischa Auer, Irene Hervey, C. Aubrey Smith, Jerome Cowan, Robert Kent, J. Farrell MacDonald, Arthur Hoyt, Brandon Hurst
Taxi driver Denny (Bing Crosby) discovers a baby abandoned on the back seat of his cab, and he determines to care for the infant with the help of fiancee Mary (Joan Blondell) and his best friend, Nicky (Mischa Auer). Crosby croons, of course.
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The Great McGinty 1940 N/R, 81 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Preston Sturges
Cast: Brian Donlevy, Akim Tamiroff, Muriel Angelus, William Demarest, Louis Jean Heydt, Allyn Joslyn, Thurston Hall, Harry Rosenthal, Arthur Hoyt, Libby Taylor, Frank Moran, Jimmy Conlin, Dewey Robinson, Esther Howard
Preston Sturges won the Academy Award for Best Writing (original screenplay) for his work on this political satire. The story is about Dan McGinty (William Demarest) who rises to governor of his state and then lets his power slip away because he tries to be honest.
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His Private Secretary 1933  N/R, 68 min.
Genre: Comedy / Drama / Romance
Director: Phil Whitman
Cast: Evalyn Knapp, John Wayne, Alec B. Francis, Reginald Barlow, Natalie Kingston, Arthur Hoyt, Al St. John, Hugh Kidder, Mickey Rentschler, Patrick Cunning
Playboy Dick Wallace (John Wayne) can't seem to leave women alone and settle down in the family business. His father (Reginald Barlow) sends Dick to Somerville to collect overdue payments from the Reverend Hall (Alec B. Francis). Along the way to Somerville, Dick picks up Marion (Evalyn Knapp) and gives her a ride. Dick puts moves on Marion, and she slaps him. It turns out that Marion is the Reverend's granddaughter, and, for the first time in his life, Dick is really in love. They do marry, but before Dick can introduce Marion to his father, she is hired by his father as his private secretary, and her identity is kept secret. His father is impressed with Marion, who Dick works diligently for, and soon tells Dick that he wishes that Dick had married Marion.
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 It Happened One Night 1934  N/R, 105 min.
Genre: Comedy / Romance
Director: Frank Capra
Cast: Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert, Alan Hale, Roscoe Karns, Henry Wadsworth, Claire McDowell, Walter Connolly, Arthur Hoyt, Ward Bond, Milton Kibbee, Jameson Thomas, Blanche Friderici, Charles C. Wilson, Irving Bacon, Bess Flowers
This movie took a clean sweep of the Academy Awards with Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, and Writer. It relates the romance of a news reporter (Clark Gable) who is out for a story about a spoiled rich girl (Claudette Colbert) who is on the run from her father and fiance. Of course, they fall in love. Clark Gable, "Remember me? I'm the fellow you slept on last night."
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The Lost World 1925  N/R, 101 min.
Genre: Adventure
Director: Harry O. Hoyt
Cast: Wallace Beery, Bessie Love, Lewis Stone, Lloyd Hughes, Alma Bennett, Arthur Hoyt, Bull Montana, Charles Wellesley, Margaret McWade, Frank Finch Smiles, Jules Cowles, George Bunny
Based on a novel by A. Conan Doyle, this is the first of several versions of the book. Professor Challenger (Wallace Beery) insists that dinosaurs still live in the headwaters of the Amazon. An expedition is funded, and, indeed, the good professor is correct. Good special effects for the time, and this silent film holds up well today.
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Magnificent Obsession 1935  N/R, 110 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: John M. Stahl
Cast: Irene Dunne, Robert Taylor, Charles Butterworth, Betty Furness, Sara Haden, Ralph Morgan, Henry Armetta, Arthur Hoyt, Arthur Treacher, Lucien Littlefield, Gilbert Emery, Beryl Mercer, Theodore von Eltz, Sidney Bracey, Cora Sue Collins
After being involved in an accident that causes the death of Helen Hudson's (Irene Dunne) husband, alcoholic playboy Bobby Merrick (Robert Taylor) apologizes only to watch Helen turn away and walk into traffic. She is hit by a car and blinded. Now Bobby reforms, becomes an eye surgeon, finds Helen, restores her eyesight, and finds true love with her.
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The Notorious Sophie Lang 1934 N/R, 64 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Ralph Murphy
Cast: Gertrude Michael, Paul Cavanagh, Alison Skipworth, Arthur Byron, Leon Errol, Norman Ainsley, Arthur Hoyt, Ben Taggart, Ferdinand Gottschalk, Edward McWade
Sophie (Gertrude Michael) is a jewel thief who has been successful in England and now returns home to New York City. The police use the services of a European thief (Paul Cavanagh) to follow her, hoping she will lead them to bigger game. The nonstop chase is on in this so-so film, which was followed by two sequels.
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The Palm Beach Story 1942  N/R, 88 min.
Genre: Comedy / Romance
Director: Preston Sturges
Cast: Claudette Colbert, Joel McCrea, Mary Astor, Rudy Vallee, William Demarest, Sig Arno, Jack Norton, Robert Warwick, Torben Meyer, Franklin Pangborn, Roscoe Ates, Dewey Robinson, Arthur Hoyt, Al Bridge, Fred "Snowflake" Toones
Gerry (Claudette Colbert) leaves her engineer husband, Tom (Joel McCrea), in New York and heads for Florida where she meets snobby John D. Hackensacker III (Rudy Vallee). Tom pursues, and comedy ensues.
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Phantom Thunderbolt 1933 N/R, 62 min.
Genre: Western
Director: Alan James
Cast: Ken Maynard, Frances Lee, Frank Rice, William Gould, Bob Kortman, William Robyns, Frank Beal, Wilfred Lucas, Harry Holman, Horace B. Carpenter, Arthur Hoyt
Coyote Gulch is in competition with another town to get the railroad franchise, and the other town hires a gang to harass the citizens of Coyote Gulch. But Coyote Gulch hires Ken (Ken Maynard)–posing as gunfighter Thunderbolt Kid–to help fight off the gang.
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Poor Little Rich Girl 1936 N/R, 77 min.
Genre: Family / Adventure / Musical / Romance
Director: Irving Cummings
Cast: Shirley Temple, Alice Faye, Gloria Stuart, Jack Haley, Michael Whalen, Jane Darwell, Claude Gillingwater, Henry Armetta, Sara Haden, Arthur Hoyt, Paul Stanton, Charles Coleman, John Wray, Tyler Brooke, Mathilde Comont
Barbara Barry (Shirley Temple) is a motherless girl who runs away from her wealthy father (Michael Whalen) and joins Jerry and Jimmy Dolan (Alice Faye and Jack Haley) in their vaudeville act. Barbara loves life on the stage, and her widowed father realizes he is losing his daughter and tries to win back her affections. This is one of Shirley Temple's best films.
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 The Raven 1935 N/R, 60 min.
Genre: Horror / Thriller
Director: Louis Friedlander
Cast: Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Irene Ware, Lester Matthews, Samuel S. Hinds, Arthur Hoyt, Inez Courtney, Ian Wolfe, Spencer Charters, Walter Miller
Doctor Vollin (Bela Lugosi) has more than dinner in mind for his guests. His torture chamber is going to be the evening's entertainment–with his "guests" as unwilling participants.
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The Red-Haired Alibi 1932 N/R, 72 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Christy Cabanne
Cast: Merna Kennedy, Grant Withers, Theodore von Eltz, Huntley Gordon, Paul Porcasi, Purnell Pratt, Arthur Hoyt, John Vosburgh, Fred Kelsey, Shirley Temple
Red-headed Lynn (Merna Kennedy) is the constant escort for gangster Trent Travers (Theodore von Eltz). This gives him an alibi when his men do the dirty work, and Lynn is so naive that she doesn't even know he's a crook. All ends well in this feature film debut for Shirley Temple.
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Seven Days' Leave 1930 N/R, 53 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Richard Wallace
Cast: Gary Cooper, Beryl Mercer, Daisy Belmore, Nora Cecil, Tempe Pigott, Arthur Hoyt, Basil Radford, Arthur Metcalfe, Larry Steers, Mary Gordon
Kenneth Dowey (Gary Cooper) is taken in by Sarah Dowey (Beryl Mercer) and becomes her family during a short seven days leave from his army unit.
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A Shriek in the Night 1933 N/R, 66 min.
Genre: Mystery
Director: Albert Ray
Cast: Ginger Rogers, Lyle Talbot, Purnell Pratt, Harvey Clark, Arthur Hoyt, Lillian Harmer, Maurice Black, Louise Beavers, Clarence Wilson, Cyril Ring, Tiny Sanford
Ginger Rogers and Lyle Talbot are reunited (after starring together in "The Thirteenth Guest"). This time they play rival reporters who team up to solve a series of murders in which the killer leaves a card behind that contains a drawing of a coiled snake.
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The Sin of Harold Diddlebock 1947 N/R, 89 min.
Genre: Comedy
aka: Mad Wednesday
Director: Preston Sturges
Cast: Harold Lloyd, Frances Ramsden, Jimmy Conlin, Raymond Walburn, Rudy Vallee, Edgar Kennedy, Arline Judge, Franklin Pangborn, Lionel Stander, Margaret Hamilton, Al Bridge, Jack Norton, Robert Dudley, Arthur Hoyt, Julius Tannen
Harold Diddlebock (Harold Lloyd) had been a successful football player, then spent 23 years as a bookkeeper, and now has been fired. He goes to a bar, orders a potent drink, and goes on a wild spree. He wakes up 48 hours later with no idea of what has happened in the interim. Later, he learns that he has bought a circus and brings a circus lion, Jackie the Lion, with him when he visits bankers offering them the chance to buy the circus.
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They Meet Again 1941 N/R, 68 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Erle C. Kenton
Cast: Jean Hersholt, Dorothy Lovett, Robert Baldwin, Maude Eburne, Neil Hamilton, Anne Bennett, Leon Tyler, Barton Yarborough, Arthur Hoyt, Milton Kibbee, John Dilson, Frank Melton
Dr. Christian (Jean Hersholt) tries to clear the name of bank teller Bob Webster (Barton Yarborough) who has been jailed for embezzling bank funds.
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The Wrong Road 1937 N/R, 62 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: James Cruze
Cast: Richard Cromwell, Helen Mack, Lionel Atwill, Horace McMahon, Russ Powell, Billy Bevan, Marjorie Main, Rex Evans, Joseph Crehan, Arthur Hoyt, Syd Saylor, Selmer Jackson, Chester Clute
Jimmy (Richard Cromwell) and Ruth (Helen Mack) are young and need money. Their solution: rob a bank, serve time, and spend the stolen money later. The plan works–until they are released from jail and have problems finding the hidden money. But, find it they do and, at the same time, come to their senses and turn the cache in to the authorities.
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| 1. American Madness (1932)
2. The Criminal Code (1931)
3. Devil and the Deep (1932)
4. The Devil's Party (1938)
5. Dynamite Ranch (1932)
6. East Side of Heaven (1939)
7. The Great McGinty (1940)
8. His Private Secretary (1933)
9. It Happened One Night (1934)
10. The Lost World (1925)
11. Magnificent Obsession (1935)
12. The Notorious Sophie Lang (1934)
13. The Palm Beach Story (1942)
14. Phantom Thunderbolt (1933)
15. Poor Little Rich Girl (1936)
16. The Raven (1935)
17. The Red-Haired Alibi (1932)
18. Seven Days' Leave (1930)
19. A Shriek in the Night (1933)
20. The Sin of Harold Diddlebock (1947)
aka: Mad Wednesday
21. They Meet Again (1941)
22. The Wrong Road (1937)
In The News
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