 42nd Street 1933  N/R, 89 min.
Genre: Musical / Drama / Romance
Director: Lloyd Bacon
Cast: Warner Baxter, Bebe Daniels, George Brent, Una Merkel, Ruby Keeler, Guy Kibbee, Dick Powell, Ginger Rogers, George E. Stone, Allen Jenkins, Ned Sparks, Edward J. Nugent, Robert McWade, Louise Beavers, George Irving
Busby Berkeley's musical numbers highlight this entertaining film about what goes on behind the scenes of the Broadway musical show, "Pretty Lady." The show's director Julian Marsh (Warner Baxter) is in poor health but wants to enjoy one more hit before he retires. When the show's temperamental star, Dorothy Brock (Bebe Daniels) breaks her ankle on the night of the show's opening, chorus girl Peggy Sawyer (Ruby Keeler) fills in and takes over the lead. Featured numbers include" "You're getting to Be a Habit with Me," "Shuffle off to Buffalo," and "42nd Street." The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture.
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The Bad and the Beautiful 1952  N/R, 118 min.
Genre: Drama / Romance
Director: Vincente Minnelli
Cast: Lana Turner, Kirk Douglas, Gloria Grahame, Dick Powell, Barry Sullivan, Walter Pidgeon, Elaine Stewart, Gilbert Roland, Leo G. Carroll, Vanessa Brown, Paul Stewart, Sammy White, Ivan Triesault, Francis X. Bushman, William Tannen
This story is told from the perspectives of actress Gloria Lorrison (Lana Turner), writer James Lee Bartlow (Dick Powell), and director Fred Amiel (Barry Sullivan) who go to a movie studio to listen to a pitch from producer Jonathan Shields (Kirk Douglas) whose studio is troubled financially. Shields wants them to work on a new project, but all three have had bad experiences in the past with Shields that will make them think twice about signing with him. The film won five Academy Awards, including Best Supporting Actress (Gloria Grahame for her role as Rosemary Bartlow), and Kirk Douglas received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.
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Blessed Event 1932 N/R, 84 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Roy Del Ruth
Cast: Lee Tracy, Mary Brian, Allen Jenkins, Ruth Donnelly, Isabel Jewell, George Meeker, Frank McHugh, Tom Dugan, Ned Sparks, Dick Powell
Newspaper columnist Alvin Roberts (Lee Tracy) specializes in reporting on "blessed events" which are started before marriage. When he announces the pregnancy of Dorothy (Isabel Jewell), it changes the lives of both Alvin and Dorothy. Behind the humor is a powerful story.
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Christmas in July 1940 N/R, 66 min.
Genre: Comedy / Romance
Director: Preston Sturges
Cast: Dick Powell, Ellen Drew, Raymond Walburn, Alexander Carr, William Demarest, Ernest Truex, Franklin Pangborn, Harry Hayden, Rod Cameron, Harry Rosenthal, Adrian Morris, Georgia Caine, Julius Tannen, Torben Meyer, Ferike Boros
Believing he has won $10,000 in a slogan contest, a young clerk, Jimmy MacDonald (Dick Powell), tears off on a spending spree and proposes to his girlfriend, Betty Casey (Ellen Drew). When he finds out that the prize is not really his, Jimmy is faced with the consequences of his rash actions.
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College Coach 1933  N/R, 75 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: William A. Wellman
Cast: Dick Powell, Ann Dvorak, Pat O'Brien, Arthur Byron, Lyle Talbot, Hugh Herbert, Guinn "Big Boy" Williams, Donald Meek, John Wayne, Ward Bond
Corruption in college sports is part of the theme of this film in which Phil Sargent (Dick Powell) is a young chemistry major AND football player who wins the big game for Coach Gore (Pat O'Brien). Watch for USC player John Wayne in a bit part.
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The Conqueror 1956   N/R, 111 min.
Genre: Action
Director: Dick Powell
Cast: John Wayne, Susan Hayward, Pedro Armendariz, Agnes Moorehead, John Hoyt, William Conrad, Lee Van Cleef, Thomas Gomez, Billy Curtis
This unintentional comedy stars John Wayne as Gengis Khan and Susan Hayward as Bortai his concubine. It is supposed to be a tension-filled action story of Mongols versus the Tartars, but it ends up being little more than silly dialogue. 2 User Reviews
| User Reviews |
| | Deadly | Anonymous 02/04/2008 | | This is the film famous for the fact that all of the stars of the film would die of cancer, believed to have been caused (at least in part) by nearby nuclear bomb testing by the government. This is a film that should never have been made and certainly not "on location." |
| | The Critics were right | 1fatts 04/05/2007 | Nobody liked this movie.
Sometimes everybody can be wrong.
Not this time though. |
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The Cowboy from Brooklyn 1938  N/R, 80 min.
Genre: Musical
Director: Lloyd Bacon
Cast: Dick Powell, Pat O'Brien, Priscilla Lane, Dick Foran, Ann Sheridan, Ronald Reagan, Emma Dunn, Elisabeth Risdon, James Stephenson, Hobart Cavanaugh
As a ploy to obtain a radio job, a young singer (Dick Powell) pretends he is really a cowboy.
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Cry Danger 1951 N/R, 79 min.
Genre: Mystery
Director: Robert Parrish
Cast: Dick Powell, Rhonda Fleming, Richard Erdman, William Conrad, Regis Toomey, Jean Porter, Jay Adler, Joan Banks, Renny McEvoy, Lou Lubin
Rocky (Dick Powell) gets out of prison after serving five years for a robbery he didn't commit. Now it's time to get those responsible. Pretty good first film for Director Parrish.
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Dames 1934 N/R, 92 min.
Genre: Musical / Comedy
Director: Ray Enright
Cast: Joan Blondell, Dick Powell, Ruby Keeler, Zasu Pitts, Hugh Herbert, Guy Kibbee, Arthur Vinton, Sammy Fain, Phil Regan, Arthur Aylesworth, Johnny Arthur, Leila Bennett, Berton Churchill
Multi-millionaire Ezra Ounce (Hugh Herbert) leads his friends and family in a campagne for "the preservation of America's Morals." Meanwhile, his distant cousin, Jimmy (Dick Powell), is producing a show in what Ezra believes to be "the demon world of the theater" starring Ezra's niece Barbara (Ruby Keeler). Ezra's solution: hire thugs to wreck the show, and mayhem ensues.
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The Enemy Below 1957 N/R, 98 min.
Genre: Adventure
Director: Dick Powell
Cast: Robert Mitchum, Curt Jurgens, Russell Collins, Theodore Bikel, Doug McClure, David Hedison, Kurt Kreuger, Frank Albertson, Biff Elliot, Alan Dexter
The captains of warring naval ships match wits in this World War II submarine chase story. Captain Murrell (Robert Mitchum) commands the U.S.S. Haines, a destroyer, while Curt Jurgens commands the German U-boat Von Stolberg. After the final battle, both ships sink, and the skippers experience the irony of sharing the same lifeboat.
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Footlight Parade 1933 N/R, 104 min.
Genre: Musical
Director: Lloyd Bacon
Cast: James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell, Guy Kibbee, Hugh Herbert, Frank McHugh, Claire Dodd, Renee Whitney, Ruth Donnelly
This is one of those grand scale musicals that, in this instance, contains some of Busby Berkeley's best work. Chester Kent (James Cagney) is a brash, hustling stage director who faces economic and romantic problems.
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Going Places 1938 N/R, 84 min.
Genre: Musical
Director: Ray Enright
Cast: Dick Powell, Anita Louise, Allen Jenkins, Ronald Reagan, Louis Armstrong, Maxine Sullivan
In this musical comedy, based on the Broadway play "Hottentot" about a sporting-goods salesman, Dick Powell plays the salesman, Peter Mason, who tries to win a steeplechase.
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 Gold Diggers of 1933 1933 N/R, 96 min.
Genre: Musical
Director: Mervyn LeRoy
Cast: Joan Blondell, Ruby Keeler, Aline MacMahon, Dick Powell, Guy Kibbee, Warren William, Ned Sparks, Ginger Rogers, Sterling Holloway, Ferdinand Gottschalk, Billy Barty, Hobart Cavanaugh, Busby Berkeley, Charles(1) Lane, Tammany Young
This musical proved so popular that two sequels were made: one in 1935 and another in 1937. Unemployed showgirls Carol (Joan Blondell), Polly (Ruby Keeler), and Trixie (Aline MacMahon) want to perform in a musical, and IF Polly will play the lead, singer-composer Brad Roberts (Dick Powell) will foot the bill. Brad and Polly are in love, but Brad's wealthy family disapproves and will stop at nothing to break them up–but they fail, and the show goes on. Ginger Rogers sings "We're in the Money" while wearing only silver dollars in one of the great Busby Berkeley production numbers.
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Gold Diggers of 1935 1935 N/R, 95 min.
Genre: Musical
Director: Busby Berkeley
Cast: Dick Powell, Adolphe Menjou, Gloria Stuart, Alice Brady, Glenda Farrell, Frank McHugh, Wini Shaw, Grant Mitchell, Hugh Herbert, Joseph Cawthorn, Dorothy Dare, Ruth Eddings, Don Brodie, E.E. Clive, Dennis O'Keefe
Following the popularity of "Gold Diggers of 1933," this film was made, and it was not a disappointment. The story takes place during the summer at the seaside resort Hotel Wentworth where the workers depend on tips and often fleece the guests. Desk clerk Dick Curtis (Dick Powell) is working to pay medical school bills and is engaged to hostess Arlene (Dorothy Dare). Among the guests are multi-millionaire Mathilda Prentiss (Alice Brady) and her daughter Ann (Gloria Stuart). Mathilda hires Dick to chaperone Ann, and, of course, they fall in love–much to the dismay of Mathilda. Meanwhile, Mathilda is in charge of running the annual charity theater show, and she hires Russian director Nicolett (Adolphe Menjou). The show does go on, and one of its musical numbers, "Lullaby of Broadway," won the Academy Award for Best Song. Another Busby Berkeley musical extravaganza.
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Gold Diggers of 1937 1936 N/R, 101 min.
Genre: Musical / Comedy / Romance
Director: Lloyd Bacon
Cast: Dick Powell, Joan Blondell, Victor Moore, Glenda Farrell, Lee Dixon, Osgood Perkins, Charles D. Brown, Joseph Crehan, William B. Davidson, Olin Howland, Rosalind Marquis, Irene Ware, Charles Halton, Paul Irving, Harry C. Bradley
This is the third–and final–"Gold Diggers" film, and Busby Berkeley, though not in the director's chair for this one, still handled the choreography. This time around, unemployed chorus girls Genevieve Larkin (Glenda Farrell) and Norma Perry (Joan Blondell) are in on a plot to buy insurance from Rosmer Peak (Dick Powell) to insure J.J. Horbart (Victor Moore) in order to make money when he dies. Meanwhile, Horbart's partners lost his money in the stock market, and he has no money to finance his next Broadway show. Now, Genevieve falls in love with Horbart who suffers a breakdown when he learns that he is broke. The only way to restore Horbart's health is to put on the show without financial backing. And the show goes on.
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Hard to Get 1938 N/R, 78 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Ray Enright
Cast: Dick Powell, Olivia de Havilland, Charles Winninger, Allen Jenkins, Bonita Granville, Melville Cooper, John Ridgely, Penny Singleton, Isabel Jeans, Thurston Hall
Bill (Dick Powell) is an architect who depends on a new job of pumping gas when the Great Depression hits. One day a millionaire (Olivia de Havilland) stops for gas and falls in love with Bill.
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Hollywood Hotel 1937 N/R, 109 min.
Genre: Musical / Comedy / Romance
Director: Busby Berkeley
Cast: Dick Powell, Rosemary Lane, Lola Lane, Ted Healy, Alan Mowbray, Frances Langford, Hugh Herbert, Glenda Farrell, Edgar Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Johnny Davis, Mabel Todd, Allyn Joslyn, Grant Mitchell, Louella Parsons
This Busby Berkeley musical has, of course, great musical numbers. While the plot is weak, the renditions of "Hooray for Hollywood" and "Sing Sing Sing" are classics. Many, many guest stars.
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The Hunters 1958 N/R, 108 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Dick Powell
Cast: Robert Mitchum, Richard Egan, Robert Wagner, May Britt, Lee Philips, John Gabriel, Stacy Harris, Victor Sen Yung, John Doucette, Ralph Manza, Jay Jostyn, Vinnie De Carlo, Robert Reed, Nina Shipman, Larry Thor
A Korean War jet pilot falls in love with the wife of a cohort who crashed behind enemy lines. Now, his mission is to rescue the downed pilot.
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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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It Happened Tomorrow 1944 N/R, 84 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Rene Clair
Cast: Dick Powell, Linda Darnell, Jack Oakie, Edgar Kennedy, John Philliber, Edward Brophy, George Cleveland, Sig Ruman, Paul Guilfoyle, Eddie Acuff, George Chandler, Marion Martin
Set in the 1890s, young newspaper reporter Larry (Dick Powell) seeks ways to rise above his competition in the newsgathering world. He meets a mysterious man who grants him the power to foresee the next day's news. All goes well until Larry's own death is predicted. Will he be able to avoid the prediction from happening? And what about his true love Sylvia (Linda Darnell), the daughter of a fake psychic? A fun comedy/fantasy.
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 A Midsummer Night's Dream 1935 N/R, 132 min.
Genre: Comedy / Fantasy / Romance
Director: William Dieterle, Max Reinhardt
Cast: James Cagney, Joe E. Brown, Hugh Herbert, Victor Jory, Frank McHugh, Olivia de Havilland, Dick Powell, Mickey Rooney, Arthur Treacher, Ian Hunter, Verree Teasdale, Hobart Cavanaugh, Ross Alexander, Jean Muir, Grant Mitchell
In a well-known screen adaptation of this fantasy, Warner Brothers' big-name stars showed up for very good performances. Enhanced by Hal Mohr's Oscar-winning cinematography, this fairy tale follows the misadventures of a group of mythical mischief-makers. James Cagney as Bottom and the music of Mendelssohn are especially good. This was the film debut of Olivia de Havilland in her role as Hermia. Mohr's Oscar was the only write-in ever. An Oscar was also awarded for Best Film Editing, and a nomination was received for Best Picture.
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Murder, My Sweet 1944 N/R, 95 min.
Genre: Mystery
aka: Farewell My Lovely
Director: Edward Dmytryk
Cast: Dick Powell, Anne Shirley, Mike Mazurki, Claire Trevor, Otto Kruger, Miles Mander, Douglas Walton, Donald Douglas, Ralf Harolde, Esther Howard
This remake of 1942's "The Falcon Takes Over" is the film adaptation of Raymond Chandler's book, "Farewell My Lovely," in which Philip Marlowe (Dick Powell) is on the trail of a missing woman. Remade in 1975 as "Farewell, My Lovely."
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Naughty But Nice 1939 N/R, 90 min.
Genre: Musical
Director: Ray Enright
Cast: Ann Sheridan, Dick Powell, Gale Page, Helen Broderick, Ronald Reagan, Allen Jenkins, Zasu Pitts, Max "Slapsie Maxie" Rosenbloom, Jerry Colonna, Luis Alberni
Professor Hardwick (Dick Powell) composes songs with his partner Zelda Manton (Ann Sheridan), but singer Linda McKay (Gale Page) has other plans for his song-writing methods.
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On the Avenue 1937 N/R, 90 min.
Genre: Comedy / Musical / Romance
Director: Roy Del Ruth
Cast: Dick Powell, Madeleine Carroll, Alice Faye, Al Ritz, Harry Ritz, Jimmy Ritz, George Barbier, Alan Mowbray, Cora Witherspoon, Walter Catlett, Douglas Fowley, Joan Davis, Stepin Fetchit, Sig Ruman, Billy Gilbert
Gary Blake (Dick Powell) produces a Broadway show that satirizes the wealthy Caraway family. Mona Merrick (Alice Faye) plays the role of "The Richest Girl in the World," and when Mimi Caraway (Madeleine Carroll) sees the show, she goes backstage and convinces Gary to ease up on the satire of her. But the plan doesn't work, and the Caraway family buys out the show, and giant changes ensue. Among the Irving Berlin songs is "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm."
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Right Cross 1950 N/R, 89 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: John Sturges
Cast: June Allyson, Dick Powell, Ricardo Montalban, Lionel Barrymore, Tom Powers, Kenneth Tobey, Teresa Celli, Barry Kelley, Mimi Aguglia, Marilyn Monroe
A Mexican prizefighter (Ricardo Montalban) and a sports writer (Dick Powell) vie for the attentions of the fighter's female manager (June Allyson).
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Star Spangled Rhythm 1942 N/R, 99 min.
Genre: Musical
Director: George Marshall
Cast: Victor Moore, Betty Hutton, Eddie Bracken, Paulette Goddard, Bing Crosby, Ray Milland, Susan Hayward, Dick Powell, Bob Hope, Anne Revere
A Paramount Studios doorman (Victor Moore) tells his sailor son that he is a producer, and now he must provide proof. The solution is a variety show with top stars from Paramount. "That Old Black Magic" was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song. Many guest stars.
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Station West 1948 N/R, 92 min.
Genre: Western
Director: Sidney Lanfield
Cast: Dick Powell, Jane Greer, Agnes Moorehead, Tom Powers, Burl Ives, Gordon Oliver, Steve Brodie, Guinn "Big Boy" Williams, Raymond Burr, Regis Toomey
Haven (Dick Powell) is an undercover military intelligence officer out to uncover who murdered two soldiers guarding a gold shipment. The hunt leads him to Charlie's (Jane Greer) saloon/gambling hall where he finds that she is involved in the crime scene. A good flick.
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Street Scene 1931 N/R, 80 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: King Vidor
Cast: Sylvia Sidney, William Collier Jr., David Landau, Estelle Taylor, Beulah Bondi, Matt McHugh, Russell Hopton, John Qualen, Dick Powell, George Humbert
This insightful film studies immigrant inhabitants of a New York City tenement who endure tragedies and strive to escape from their bleak environment.
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Susan Slept Here 1954 N/R, 97 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Frank Tashlin
Cast: Dick Powell, Debbie Reynolds, Anne Francis, Ellen Corby, Glenda Farrell, Alvy Moore, Mara Lane, Herb Vigran, Les Tremayne, Rita Johnson
A screenwriter (Dick Powell) takes in a juvenile (Debbie Reynolds) as part of his research for his next project on juvenile delinquency. Plans go awry when he begins to fall in love with his young houseguest.
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Thanks a Million 1935 N/R, 85 min.
Genre: Musical / Comedy / Romance
Director: Roy Del Ruth
Cast: Dick Powell, Ann Dvorak, Fred Allen, Patsy Kelly, Raymond Walburn, David Rubinoff, Benny Baker, Andrew Tombes, Alan Dinehart, Paul Harvey, Edwin Maxwell, Margaret Irving, Charles Richman, Lynn Bari, Harry Stubbs
Eric Land (Dick Powell) is the leading man in a traveling musical show whose manager Ned Lyman (Fred Allen) talks him into taking the place of an alcoholic candidate and running for the office of Governor of Pennsylvania. The campaigning proves disastrous for Eric's relationship with his girlfriend Sally (Ann Dvorak), and Eric wants out of politics. However, the people now love Eric, and he wins the election–and Sally as well.
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Varsity Show 1937 N/R, 120 min.
Genre: Musical / Comedy
Director: William Keighley
Cast: Dick Powell, Fred Waring and his Orchestra, Ted Healy, Priscilla Lane, Rosemary Lane, Walter Catlett, Johnnie Davis, Ford Washington Lee, John William Sublett, Sterling Holloway, Mabel Todd, Scotty Bates, George MacFarland, Poley McClintock
After Broadway producer Chuck Daly (Dick Powell) volunteers to produce a show at his alma mater, Winfield College, a dean, Professor Sylvester Biddle (Walter Catlett) opposes the idea of bring Broadway "trash" into the school. Daly bows out of the stage production, and, instead, arranges for Busby Berkeley to stage a hit show on Broadway starring the students. Songs include "Love is on the Air Tonight," Moonlight on the Campus," and "Old King Cole." This film marks the film debut of Fred Waring and the Lane sisters.
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You Can't Run Away from It 1956 N/R, 95 min.
Genre: Comedy / Musical / Romance
Director: Dick Powell
Cast: June Allyson, Jack Lemmon, Charles Bickford, Paul Gilbert, Jim Backus, Stubby Kaye, Henny Youngman, Allyn Joslyn, Jack Albertson, Walter Baldwin, Byron Foulger, Louise Beavers, Richard H. Cutting, Raymond Greenleaf
This remake of "It Happened One Night" has been set to music as it re-tells the story of heiress Ellie Andrews (June Allyson) who runs away from her impending marriage and discovers real love in the person of newspaper reporter Peter Warne (Jack Lemmon).
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| 1. 42nd Street (1933)
2. The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)
3. Blessed Event (1932)
4. Christmas in July (1940)
5. College Coach (1933)
6. The Conqueror (1956)
7. The Cowboy from Brooklyn (1938)
8. Cry Danger (1951)
9. Dames (1934)
10. The Enemy Below (1957)
11. Footlight Parade (1933)
12. Going Places (1938)
13. Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933)
14. Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935)
15. Gold Diggers of 1937 (1936)
16. Hard to Get (1938)
17. Hollywood Hotel (1937)
18. The Hunters (1958)
19. In the Navy (1941)
aka: Abbott and Costello in the Navy
20. It Happened Tomorrow (1944)
21. A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)
22. Murder, My Sweet (1944)
aka: Farewell My Lovely
23. Naughty But Nice (1939)
24. On the Avenue (1937)
25. Riding High (1943)
26. Right Cross (1950)
27. Rogue's Regiment (1948)
28. Star Spangled Rhythm (1942)
29. Station West (1948)
30. Street Scene (1931)
31. Susan Slept Here (1954)
32. Thanks a Million (1935)
33. Varsity Show (1937)
34. You Can't Run Away from It (1956)
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