Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves 1944 N/R, 87 min. Genre: Adventure
Director: Arthur Lubin Cast: Jon Hall, Maria Montez, Turhan Bey, Andy Devine, Kurt Katch, Frank Puglia, Fortunio Bonanova, Moroni Olsen, Ramsay Ames, Chris-Pin Martin
All the splendor and color of Arabian Nights tales are present in this harmless, but fun, story of the son of the Kalif of Baghdad who is brought up by thieves after his father is killed by the evil Hugala Khan's soldiers. The son, Ali Baba, becomes the leader of the thieves as they fight for freedom.
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Black Friday 1940 N/R, 70 min. Genre: Horror / Thriller
Director: Arthur Lubin Cast: Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Stanley Ridges, Anne Nagel, Anne Gwynne, Virginia Brissac, Edmund MacDonald, Paul Fix, Joe King, Jack Mulhall
Doctor Ernest Sovac (Boris Karloff) transplants the brain of a criminal into his friend who, in turn, takes on a new personality.
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Buck Privates 1941 N/R, 82 min. Genre: Comedy
Director: Arthur Lubin Cast: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, The Andrews Sisters, Lee Bowman, Alan Curtis, Jane Frazee, Nat Pendleton, Samuel S. Hinds, Harry Strang, Shemp Howard
Slicker Smith (Bud Abbott) and Herbie Brown (Lou Costello) are con men who end up in the Army–by accident. The Andrews Sisters perform "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" and "I'll Be Seeing You in Apple Blossom Time."
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Delightfully Dangerous 1945 N/R, 92 min. Genre: Musical / Comedy / Drama
Director: Arthur Lubin Cast: Jane Powell, Ralph Bellamy, Constance Moore, Arthur Treacher, Louise Beavers, Ruth Tobey, Ruth Robinson, Andre Charlot, Shirley Hunter Williams, Bess Flowers, Earle Hodgins, Morton Gould & Orchestra
A singing career on Broadway is the dream of Sherry Williams (Jane Powell) who goes to NYC to visit her sister, Jo (Constance Moore), who she believes is already a Broadway star. But, when she arrives in the city, Sherry discovers that Jo is not a Broadway star but is, instead, burlesque star "Bubbles Barton." Undaunted, Sherry makes friends with producer Arthur Hale (Ralph Bellamy) to help get Jo a Broadway role–and the fun begins.
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Eagle Squadron 1942 N/R, 108 min. Genre: Action
Director: Arthur Lubin Cast: Robert Stack, Diana Barrymore, John Loder, Eddie Albert, Nigel Bruce, Leif Erickson, Jon Hall, Gladys Cooper, Alan Hale Jr., Rhys Williams
Great aerial shots highlight this film about Americans who volunteered to join the RAF and fight Nazis before America entered the war.
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Escapade in Japan 1957 N/R, 93 min. Genre: Family
Director: Arthur Lubin Cast: Teresa Wright, Cameron Mitchell, Jon Provost, Roger Nakagawa, Clint Eastwood, Philip Ober, Kuniko Miyake, Susumu Fujita, Tatsuo Saito
When an American boy (Jon Provost) survives an airplane crash, he is rescued by Japanese fishermen and later reunited with his anxious parents.
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The First Traveling Saleslady 1956 N/R, 92 min. Genre: Comedy
Director: Arthur Lubin Cast: Ginger Rogers, Barry Nelson, Carol Channing, David Brian, Clint Eastwood, James Arness, Robert F. Simon, Frank Wilcox, Dan White, Harry Cheshire
In this weak comedy, Rose Gillray (Ginger Rogers) finds love when she sets off to deal with rough cattlemen. Keep on the lookout for a very young Clint Eastwood.
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Francis 1949 N/R, 91 min. Genre: Comedy
Director: Arthur Lubin Cast: Donald O'Connor, Patricia Medina, Zasu Pitts, Tony Curtis, Ray Collins, Chill Wills, John McIntire, Eduard Franz, Howland Chamberlin, Frank Faylen
A West Point cadet (Donald O'Connor) discovers that the mule Francis (voice of Chill Wills) can talk, and Francis manages to get the cadet into all sorts of trouble. First in a series of seven "Francis" films.
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Francis Covers the Big Town 1953 N/R, 86 min. Genre: Comedy
Director: Arthur Lubin Cast: Donald O'Connor, Yvette Dugay, Gene Lockhart, Nancy Guild, Larry Gates, Lowell Gilmore, William Harrigan, Gale Gordon, Chill Wills
Peter Stirling (Donald O'Connor) and his talking mule, Francis (voice of Chill Wills), take a job at the newspaper and before long they are in the middle of a murder trial.
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Francis Goes to the Races 1951 N/R, 88 min. Genre: Comedy
Director: Arthur Lubin Cast: Donald O'Connor, Piper Laurie, Cecil Kellaway, Jesse White, Barry Kelley, Hayden Rorke, Vaughn Taylor, Larry Keating, Don Beddoe, Chill Wills
Peter Stirling (Donald O'Connor) and his talking mule, Francis (voice of Chill Wills), get involved in the horse-breeding game in this Francis entry. While Peter falls for the boss' niece (Piper Laurie) and Francis coaches a sorry excuse for a racehorse to win the big race, they have time to take care of some gangsters.
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Francis Goes to West Point 1952 N/R, 81 min. Genre: Comedy
Director: Arthur Lubin Cast: Donald O'Connor, Lori Nelson, Alice Kelley, Gregg Palmer, Les Tremayne, Otto Hulett, David Janssen, Paul Burke, Leonard Nimoy, Chill Wills
In this Francis episode, Peter Stirling (Donald O'Connor) and his talking mule, Francis (voice of Chill Wills), head to West Point where Francis has his hands full keeping Peter out of trouble. Look for Leonard Nimoy as a football player.
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Francis in the Navy 1955 N/R, 80 min. Genre: Comedy
Director: Arthur Lubin Cast: Donald O'Connor, Martha Hyer, Clint Eastwood, Jim Backus, Richard Erdman, David Janssen, Leigh Snowden, Martin Milner, Paul Burke, Chill Wills
This is the fifth sequel to the original "Francis" movie. In this one, Francis (the talking mule) takes on the Navy single-hoofed. This is a fun family movie.
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Francis Joins the WACs 1954 N/R, 95 min. Genre: Comedy
Director: Arthur Lubin Cast: Donald O'Connor, Julie Adams, Chill Wills, Mamie Van Doren, Lynn Bari, Zasu Pitts, Joan Shawlee, Allison Hayes, Mara Corday, Olan Soule
A military mistake causes Peter Stirling (Donald O'Connor) to be sent to an all-female WAC base where he is reunited with old pal Francis the talking mule (voice of Chill Wills). Predictable, but fun. Wills also plays the role of the General.
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Hold That Ghost 1941 N/R, 85 min. Genre: Comedy
Director: Arthur Lubin Cast: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Richard Carlson, Joan Davis, Evelyn Ankers, The Andrews Sisters, Marc Lawrence, Mischa Auer, Milton Parsons, Paul Fix
Ferdinand Jones (Lou Costello) and Chuck Murray (Bud Abbott) inherit a haunted house once owned by a Mafia kingpin. When they claim their inheritance, Chuck and Ferdinand are greeted with surprises, including a revolving room. Classic Abbott and Costello–perhaps their best.
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Impact 1949 N/R, 110 min. Genre: Drama
Director: Arthur Lubin Cast: Brian Donlevy, Ella Raines, Charles Coburn, Helen Walker, Anna May Wong, Clarence Kolb, Will Wright, Mae Marsh, Robert Warwick, Philip Ahn
Walter's (Brian Donlevy) wife (Helen Walker) is cheating on him, and she and her lover plan his demise. But, Walter survives the plot, and the lover is killed (in Walter's car and burned beyond recognition). Walter recuperates, and his memory returns–but he is presumed dead, and his wife has been charged with his murder.
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In the Navy 1941 N/R, 85 min. Genre: Comedy aka: Abbott and Costello in the Navy
Director: Arthur Lubin Cast: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Dick Powell, Claire Dodd, The Andrews Sisters, Dick Foran, Shemp Howard, William B. Davidson, Thurston Hall, Robert Emmett Keane
A radio entertainer, Tommy Halstead (Dick Powell), joins the Navy to get away from inquiring reporters. Aboard his battleship, he runs into Pomeroy Watson (Lou Costello) and Smokey Adams (Bud Abbott) who help him stay hidden from a prying newswoman, Dorothy Roberts (Claire Dodd).
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The Incredible Mr. Limpet 1964 N/R, 102 min. Genre: Family / Animation / Comedy / Fantasy
Director: Arthur Lubin Cast: Don Knotts, Carole Cook, Jack Weston, Andrew Duggan, Larry Keating, Oscar Beregi Jr., Charles Meredith, Elizabeth MacRae, Paul Frees, Phil Arnold
Harry Limpet (Don Knotts) is a nervous little bookkeeper who is infatuated with fish. He volunteers for the Navy at the start of World War II but is turned down. Then the miracle happens: he slips off a pier, becomes a fish, and helps the war effort by hunting down German U-boats. Good animation in this enjoyable film.
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Keep 'Em Flying 1941 N/R, 86 min. Genre: Comedy
Director: Arthur Lubin Cast: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Martha Raye, Carol Bruce, Dick Foran, William Gargan, Truman Bradley, Doris Lloyd, William B. Davidson, James Seay
Adjusting to Air Corps training is not always easy, but it is even more difficult for Jinx Roberts (Dick Foran) who is saddled with Blackie Benson (Bud Abbott) and Heathcliff (Lou Costello) as his helpers. Martha Raye shines in her roles of twin sisters Gloria and Barbara Phelps.
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New Orleans 1947 N/R, 89 min. Genre: Musical
Director: Arthur Lubin Cast: Dorothy Patrick, Irene Rich, John Alexander, Arturo de Cordova, Billie Holliday, Richard Hageman, Marjorie Lord, Shelley Winters, Louis Armstrong
Music reigns supreme in this story of a fictional account of the birth and the following 40 years of jazz. Louis Armstrong and others provide the music, including a Billie Holliday/Armstrong duet.
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A Night in Paradise 1946 N/R, 84 min. Genre: Drama
Director: Arthur Lubin Cast: Merle Oberon, Turhan Bey, Thomas Gomez, Gale Sondergaard, Ray Collins, George Dolenz, John Litel, Douglass Dumbrille, Marvin Miller, Moroni Olsen
When Aesop (Turhan Bey) goes to the court of King Croesus (Thomas Gomez) to plead for his country's rights, he is bedazzled by the beautiful Princess Delarai (Merle Oberon).
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The Phantom of the Opera 1943 N/R, 92 min. Genre: Drama / Horror / Thriller / Romance / Musical
Director: Arthur Lubin Cast: Nelson Eddy, Susanna Foster, Claude Rains, Edgar Barrier, Leo Carrillo, Hume Cronyn, J. Edward Bromberg, Fritz Feld, Frank Puglia, Steven Geray, Jane Farrar, Barbara Everest, Fritz Leiber, Gladys Blake, Nicki Andre
This remake of the 1925 movie is the first talkie version of this story. Claude Rains does a good job as the masked Phantom who comes up from the sewers under the Paris Opera House to coach singer Christine (Susanna Foster). He terrorizes the singers and even drugs and strangles the lead singer (Jane Farrar) to ensure that Christine will be given the lead. When Christine fails to appear on the stage, the Phantom causes a giant chandelier to crash on the audience. Now, the Phantom kidnaps Christine who does manage to remove his mask. More terror ensues during the dark chase beneath the opera house to rescue Christine.
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Prison Break 1938 N/R, 72 min. Genre: Mystery / Drama
Director: Arthur Lubin Cast: Barton MacLane, Glenda Farrell, Paul Hurst, Constance Moore, Ward Bond, Edward Pawley, Edmund MacDonald, Guy Usher, Victor Kilian, George Cleveland, Frank Darien, Glenn Strange
Tuna fisherman Joaquin (Barton MacLane) is wrongfully convicted of murder and sent to prison. He is up for early parole after being a model prisoner, but when he finds out that his movements will be limited, and he will not be allowed to marry his fiancee, he breaks out of prison and searches for the real killer.
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Rhubarb 1951 N/R, 94 min. Genre: Family / Comedy
Director: Arthur Lubin Cast: Ray Milland, Jan Sterling, Gene Lockhart, Elsie Holmes, William Frawley, Leonard Nimoy, Taylor Holmes, Donald MacBride, Strother Martin, Willard Waterman, Henry Slate, James Griffith, Jim Hayward, Tristram Coffin, James Flavin
Rhubarb is a cat that is willed to a baseball team–as the owner! Eric Yeager (Ray Milland) is appointed guardian of Rhubarb, and it becomes immediately apparent that Rhubarb brings good luck to the team, and the fun begins. Based on H. Allen Smith's best-selling novel.
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Ride 'Em Cowboy 1942 N/R, 84 min. Genre: Comedy
Director: Arthur Lubin Cast: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Dick Foran, Anne Gwynne, Ella Fitzgerald, Samuel S. Hinds, Judd McMichael, Ted McMichael, Joe McMichael, Douglass Dumbrille
Duke (Bud Abbott) and Willoughby (Lou Costello) leave New York to become cowboys on a dude ranch out west. The story is funny, and Ella Fitzgerald is not to be missed as she sings "A Tisket, A Tasket."
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South Sea Woman 1953 N/R, 98 min. Genre: Comedy / Drama
Director: Arthur Lubin Cast: Burt Lancaster, Virginia Mayo, Chuck Connors, Arthur Shields, Paul Burke, Barry Kelley, Hayden Rorke, Leon Askin, Raymond Greenleaf, Cliff Clark
World War II has just begun, and Marine Sergeant O'Hearn (Burt Lancaster) is in San Diego embroiled in his court-martial trial for desertion. Coming to his defense is nightclub photographer Ginger Martin (Virginia Mayo) who testifies that O'Hearn is trying to protect his fellow Marine, Davy White (Chuck Connors), who O'Hearn had forced on a perilous trip from Shanghai to Pearl Harbor, resulting in O'Hearn arriving in Pearl Harbor after the Japanese had attacked and giving the impression that he had deserted.
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The Spider Woman Strikes Back 1946 N/R, 60 min. Genre: Horror / Thriller
Director: Arthur Lubin Cast: Brenda Joyce, Gale Sondergaard, Kirby Grant, Rondo Hatton, Milburn Stone, Hobart Cavanaugh, Norman Leavitt, Guy Wilkerson, Hans Herbert, Horace Murphy
With little in common with the excellent 1944 "The Spider Woman," this is the story of a naive young girl (Brenda Joyce) who comes to realize that her employer is the notorious criminal, "Spider Woman" (Gale Sondergaard).
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A Successful Failure 1934 N/R, 62 min. Genre: Comedy
Director: Arthur Lubin Cast: William Collier Sr., Lucile Gleason, Russell Hopton, William Janney, Gloria Shea, George P. Breakston, Clarence Wilson, Jameson Thomas, Richard Tucker, Francis McDonald
Newspaperman Ellery Cushing (William Collier Sr.) is constantly pressured by his very inconsiderate family until he finally caves in and loses his job. But, success lies just around the corner when he finds success with a new career in radio, and his family learns valuable lessons in the process.
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Thief of Baghdad 1961 N/R, 90 min. Genre: Foreign / Adventure / Fantasy
Director: Arthur Lubin, Bruno Vailati Cast: Steve Reeves, Giorgia Moll, Arturo Dominici, Edy Vessel, Georges Chamarat, Daniele Vargas, Giancarlo Zarfati, Anita Todesco, Antonio Battistella, Eduardo Bergamo
A young man (Steve Reeves) must find an enchanted blue rose before he can marry the beautiful princess.
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Yellowstone 1936 N/R, 63 min. Genre: Drama
Director: Arthur Lubin Cast: Henry Hunter, Judith Barrett, Ralph Morgan, Alan Hale, Andy Devine, Monroe Owsley, Michael Loring, Paul Fix, Rollo Harvey, Raymond Hatton, House Peters Jr., Mary Gordon, Claud Allister, Diana Gibson
Yellowstone National Park ranger Dick Sherwood (Henry Hunter) falls in love with Ruth Foster (Judith Barrett) while she is visiting from Chicago. Judith's father James (Ralph Morgan) was involved in a robbery many years earlier, and the $90,000 of stolen money is hidden in a cave at Yellowstone. The gang of robbers–including James–is released from prison and comes searching for the money. James is murdered–his body spurts out of a geyser! Ranger Dick is suspected as the murderer and begins his own investigation, but it is his pal, Pay Day (Andy Devine), who gets to the bottom of what is really happening.
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| 1. Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (1944)
2. Black Friday (1940)
3. Buck Privates (1941)
4. California Straight Ahead (1937)
5. Delightfully Dangerous (1945)
6. Eagle Squadron (1942)
7. Escapade in Japan (1957)
8. The First Traveling Saleslady (1956)
9. Francis (1949)
10. Francis Covers the Big Town (1953)
11. Francis Goes to the Races (1951)
12. Francis Goes to West Point (1952)
13. Francis in the Navy (1955)
14. Francis Joins the WACs (1954)
15. Hold That Ghost (1941)
16. I Cover the War (1937)
17. Impact (1949)
18. In the Navy (1941) aka: Abbott and Costello in the Navy
19. The Incredible Mr. Limpet (1964)
20. Keep 'Em Flying (1941)
21. Lady Godiva (1955)
22. New Orleans (1947)
23. A Night in Paradise (1946)
24. The Phantom of the Opera (1943)
25. Prison Break (1938)
26. Rhubarb (1951)
27. Ride 'Em Cowboy (1942)
28. South Sea Woman (1953)
29. The Spider Woman Strikes Back (1946)
30. A Successful Failure (1934)
31. Thief of Baghdad (1961)
32. Yellowstone (1936)
In The News
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