Belle of the Yukon 1944 N/R, 83 min. Genre: Musical
Director: William A. Seiter Cast: Randolph Scott, Gypsy Rose Lee, Dinah Shore, Charles Winninger, Bob Burns, Florence Bates, Guinn "Big Boy" Williams, William(2) Marshall, Robert Armstrong, Victor Kilian
Randolph Scott stars as a dancehall owner who attracts not one but two women (Gypsy Rose Lee and Dinah Shore) in this forgettable film.
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Cluny Brown 1946 N/R, 98 min. Genre: Comedy / Romance
Director: Ernst Lubitsch Cast: Charles Boyer, Jennifer Jones, Peter Lawford, Helen Walker, Reginald Gardiner, Reginald Owen, C. Aubrey Smith, Richard Haydn, Sara Allgood, Florence Bates, Margaret Bannerman, Ernest Cossart, Una O'Connor
Set in England during the late 1930s, this is the story of Cluny Brown (Jennifer Jones) who fills in for her plumber uncle and takes a job at a country estate where she meets and is attracted to a very charming Czech refugee, Adam Belenski (Charles Boyer). She is also attracted to a shopkeeper, Mr. Jonathan W. Wilson (Richard Haydn), who tries to break up Cluny's relationship with Adam. Believing that he has lost Cluny to Mr. Wilson, Adam leaves the estate–but not before leaving a special message in a gift for Cluny. Is it too late, or will Cluny catch up with Adam?
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The Girl from Jones Beach 1949 N/R, 77 min. Genre: Comedy
Director: Peter Godfrey Cast: Ronald Reagan, Virginia Mayo, Eddie Bracken, Dona Drake, Henry Travers, Lois Wilson, Florence Bates, Helen Westcott, Paul Harvey
Artist Bob Randolph (Ronald Reagan) sets out to find a perfectly proportioned model; he finds her in schoolteacher Ruth Wilson (Virginia Mayo), but the school board reaction is unfavorable.
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Here Lies Love 1951 N/R, 91 min. Genre: Drama aka: The Second Woman Twelve Miles Out
Director: James V. Kern Cast: Robert Young, Betsy Drake, John Sutton, Florence Bates, Morris Carnovsky, Henry O'Neill, Jean Rogers, Raymond Largay, Jason Robards Sr., Steven Geray
Jeff (Robert Young) has not been the same since his fiancee died in a car accident with him driving. Are all those "accidents" that now plague him a result of his mental state? His new girlfriend, Ellen (Betsy Drake), doesn't think so and investigates.
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I Remember Mama 1948 N/R, 134 min. Genre: Family / Drama
Director: George Stevens Cast: Irene Dunne, Barbara Bel Geddes, Oskar Homolka, Philip Dorn, Cedric Hardwicke, Edgar Bergen, Rudy Vallee, Barbara O'Neil, Florence Bates, Ellen Corby, Peggy McIntyre, June Hedin, Steve Brown, Hope Landin, Edith Evanson
This film centers on memories of Katrin (Barbara Bel Geddes) as she grew up in her Norwegian immigrant family's home. Irene Dunne received an Academy Award nomination for her portrayal of "Mama," the solid core who holds the family together as they adapt to life in San Francisco. Oskar Homolka, Barbara Bel Geddes, and Ellen Corby also received nominations.
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Kismet 1944 N/R, 100 min. Genre: Adventure / Fantasy aka: Oriental Dream
Director: William Dieterle Cast: Ronald Colman, Marlene Dietrich, Edward Arnold, Florence Bates, James Craig, Joy Page, Harry Davenport, Hugh Herbert, Hobart Cavanaugh, Robert Warwick, Morris Ankrum, Harry Cording, Yvonne De Carlo, Victor Kilian, Pedro de Cordoba
In this Arabian Nights tale, the Baghdad "King of Beggars" Hafiz (Ronald Colman) disguises himself as a prince and romances the queen of the castle, Jamilla (Marlene Dietrich). Meanwhile, his daughter Marsinah (Joy Page) is interested in a gardener who is really the Caliph (James Craig). By story's end, fate steps in–Hafiz finds true love with Jamilla, and Caliph and Marsinah live happily ever after. Remade in 1955 as a musical.
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A Letter to Three Wives 1949 N/R, 103 min. Genre: Drama
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz Cast: Jeanne Crain, Linda Darnell, Ann Sothern, Kirk Douglas, Paul Douglas, Barbara Lawrence, Jeffrey Lynn, Connie Gilchrist, Florence Bates, Hobart Cavanaugh
Three women receive a letter from their close friend telling them she has run off with one of their husbands. Through flashbacks, the wives review their individual marriages. Joseph L. Mankiewicz won the Academy Award for Best Director, and a nomination was received for Best Picture.
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Love Crazy 1941 N/R, 97 min. Genre: Comedy
Director: Jack Conway Cast: William Powell, Myrna Loy, Gail Patrick, Jack Carson, Florence Bates, Sidney Blackmer, Sig Ruman, Vladimir Sokoloff, Kathleen Lockhart, Donald MacBride
While preparing for their fourth-anniversary celebration, Steve and Susan Ireland (William Powell and Myrna Loy) are stopped short by a stumbling block in the form of Steve's old girlfriend (Gail Patrick). But, comedy reigns, and all ends well.
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Lullaby of Broadway 1951 N/R, 91 min. Genre: Musical
Director: David Butler Cast: Doris Day, Gene Nelson, S.Z. Sakall, Billy De Wolfe, Gladys George, Florence Bates, Anne Triola, Hanley Stafford, Donald Kerr, Bess Flowers
Melinda Howard (Doris Day) is a musical star in London who visits her mother, Jessica Howard (Gladys George), in the United States where she realizes that life has not been very good for Jessica lately.
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The Mask of Dimitrios 1944 N/R, 95 min. Genre: Mystery
Director: Jean Negulesco Cast: Sydney Greenstreet, Zachary Scott, Faye Emerson, Peter Lorre, George Tobias, Victor Francen, Steven Geray, Florence Bates, Eduardo Ciannelli, Monte Blue
Based on Eric Ambler's novel, this is the story about a mystery writer, Cornelius Latimer Leyden (Peter Lorre), who attempts to reconstruct the life of Dimitrios Makropoulos (Zachary Scott) whose body washed up along an Istanbul shore.
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The Moon and Sixpence 1943 N/R, 89 min. Genre: Drama
Director: Albert Lewin Cast: George Sanders, Herbert Marshall, Florence Bates, Doris Dudley, Elena Verdugo, Steven Geray, Eric Blore, Albert Bassermann, Molly Lamont, Heather Thatcher
Based on W. Somerset Maugham's novel, this story is loosely based on the life of artist Paul Gauguin. Unable to find his way in European society, he travels to Tahiti where he discovers peace.
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Mr. Lucky 1943 N/R, 100 min. Genre: Comedy
Director: H.C. Potter Cast: Cary Grant, Laraine Day, Charles Bickford, Gladys Cooper, Alan Carney, Henry Stephenson, Paul Stewart, Kay Johnson, J.M. Kerrigan, Florence Bates
A gambler (Cary Grant) plans to con a society woman (Laraine Day) out of the proceeds from her fund raising, but he reforms his ways after he falls in love with her.
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My Dear Secretary 1948 N/R, 94 min. Genre: Comedy
Director: Charles Martin Cast: Laraine Day, Kirk Douglas, Keenan Wynn, Helen Walker, Rudy Vallee, Florence Bates, Alan Mowbray, Grady Sutton, Irene Ryan, Gale Robbins
Playboy novelist Owen Waterbury (Kirk Douglas) marries his secretary, Stephanie Gaylord (Laraine Day). She becomes a bestselling author, and the fun begins.
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On the Town 1949 N/R, 98 min. Genre: Musical / Adventure / Comedy / Romance
Director: Gene Kelly Cast: Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Betty Garrett, Ann Miller, Jules Munshin, Hans Conried, Vera-Ellen, Florence Bates, Alice Pearce, George Meader, Don Brodie, Bea Benaderet, Tom Dugan, Milton Kibbee, Dick Wessel
Three sailors–Gabey (Gene Kelly), Chip (Frank Sinatra), and Ozzie (Jules Munshin)–get 24-hour passes to enjoy liberty in New York City. While on leave, each finds romance. Gabey falls in love with dancer Ivy Smith (Vera-Ellen), Chip finds romance with cabbie Brunhilde (Betty Garrett), and Ozzie (Jules Munshin) becomes enchanted with paleontology student Claire (Ann Miller). And a great 24 hours are enjoyed by all in one of the best musicals ever made. The film won an Academy Award for Best Scoring of a Musical Picture.
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Paris Model 1953 N/R, 81 min. Genre: Drama
Director: Alfred E. Green Cast: Eva Gabor, Tom Conway, Paulette Goddard, Leif Erickson, Marilyn Maxwell, Cecil Kellaway, Florence Bates, Barbara Lawrence, Laurette Luez, Aram Katcher
Four stories, all involving a Paris "original" gown provide good casts to show how four women use the gown for their own unique purposes.
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Portrait of Jennie 1948 N/R, 86 min. Genre: Drama
Director: William Dieterle Cast: Jennifer Jones, Joseph Cotten, Ethel Barrymore, Lillian Gish, David Wayne, Cecil Kellaway, Albert Sharpe, Florence Bates, Henry Hull, Clem Bevans
Eban Adams (Joseph Cotten) is an artist whose subject (Jennifer Jones) grows older as he paints her portrait. Is she real, or does she represent someone from the world beyond?
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Rebecca 1940 N/R, 130 min. Genre: Drama / Thriller / Mystery / Romance
Director: Alfred Hitchcock Cast: Joan Fontaine, Laurence Olivier, George Sanders, Judith Anderson, Nigel Bruce, Gladys Cooper, Florence Bates, Reginald Denny, C. Aubrey Smith, Leo G. Carroll, Melville Cooper, Lumsden Hare, Leonard Carey, Edward Fielding, Forrester Harvey
In this film, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture, Joan Fontaine plays a naive woman married to a brooding widower (Laurence Olivier). After moving into his country estate, she finds that she must live in the shadow of Rebecca, his first wife. Based on Daphne du Maurier's Gothic novel. The film also won an Academy Award for Best Cinematography and was nominated for nine other awards, including Best Actor (Olivier), Actress (Fontaine), Supporting Actress (Judith Anderson) and Director.
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Road Show 1941 N/R, 87 min. Genre: Comedy
Director: Hal Roach Cast: Adolphe Menjou, Carole Landis, John Hubbard, Charles Butterworth, Patsy Kelly, George E. Stone, Margaret Roach, Polly Ann Young, Edward Norris, Marjorie Woodworth, Florence Bates, Willie Best
Col. Carleton Carroway (Adolphe Menjou) and Drogo Gaines (John Hubbard) escape from a mental asylum and join Penguin Moore's (Carole Landis) carnival. Zaniness abounds.
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San Antonio 1945 N/R, 110 min. Genre: Western / Romance
Director: David Butler Cast: Errol Flynn, Alexis Smith, S.Z. Sakall, Victor Francen, Florence Bates, John Litel, Paul Kelly, Monte Blue, Doodles Weaver, Paul Kelly, Robert Shayne, John Alvin, Robert Barrat, Pedro de Cordoba, Tom Tyler
Cattleman Clay Hardin (Errol Flynn) arrives in San Antonio, Texas, to capture Roy Stuart (Paul Kelly) who he believes leads a cattle rustling gang. Upon arrival, Clay is attracted to dance-hall singer Jeanne Starr (Alexis Smith) who works in the saloon owned by Roy. Clay believes that Jeanne is in with the crooked rustlers, but he falls in love with her. Tensions rise after Clay's friend Charlie Bell (John Litel) is murdered and culminate in a shoot-out at the Alamo.
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The San Francisco Story 1952 N/R, 80 min. Genre: Western
Director: Robert Parrish Cast: Joel McCrea, Yvonne De Carlo, Sidney Blackmer, Richard Erdman, Florence Bates, Onslow Stevens, John Raven, O.Z. Whitehead, Ralph Dumke, Lane Chandler, Robert Foulk, Trevor Bardette, John Doucette, Peter Virgo, Frank Hagney
San Francisco, during California's Gold Rush, is the setting for this story about a wealthy miner, Rick Nelson (Joel McCrea), and newspaper editor Jim Martin (Onslow Stevens) who try to oust crooked politician Andrew Cain (Sidney Blackmer) from control of the city. In the process, Nelson flirts with Martin's girlfriend Adelaide (Yvonne De Carlo) who falls in love with him, which seems to make him more determined to establish law and order.
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Saratoga Trunk 1945 N/R, 135 min. Genre: Drama
Director: Sam Wood Cast: Gary Cooper, Ingrid Bergman, Flora Robson, John Warburton, Florence Bates, Lane Chandler, Monte Blue, Thurston Hall, Minor Watson, Glenn Strange
This is the film adaptation of Edna Ferber's novel about Clio Dulaine (Ingrid Bergman), a Creole, who returns to New Orleans to avenge the maltreatment of her mother. She falls in love with Clint Maroon (Gary Cooper), and, after numerous problems, they finally are united. Robson received an Oscar nomination for Supporting Actress.
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The Secret Life of Walter Mitty 1947 N/R, 110 min. Genre: Comedy
Director: Norman Z. McLeod Cast: Danny Kaye, Boris Karloff, Virginia Mayo, Fay Bainter, Ann Rutherford, Reginald Denny, Thurston Hall, Konstantin Shayne, Florence Bates, Gordon Jones
This is good entertainment with Danny Kaye at his best as Walter Mitty, the shy book editor, whose fantasies bring excitement into his otherwise dreary existence.
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Slightly Dangerous 1943 N/R, 94 min. Genre: Comedy
Director: Wesley Ruggles Cast: Lana Turner, Robert Young, Walter Brennan, Dame May Whitty, Alan Mowbray, Eugene Pallette, Florence Bates, Ray Collins, Ward Bond, Paul Stanton, Millard Mitchell, Pamela Blake
Peggy Evans (Lana Turner) leaves her small town and heads for New York City where she pretends to be a missing heiress and gets herself in a lot of trouble for her efforts.
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The Son of Monte Cristo 1941 N/R, 102 min. Genre: Adventure
Director: Rowland V. Lee Cast: Louis Hayward, Joan Bennett, George Sanders, Florence Bates, Lionel Royce, Montagu Love, Ian Wolfe, Clayton Moore, Ralph Byrd, Georges Renavent, Michael Visaroff, Rand Brooks
In 1865, when Grand Duchess Zona (Joan Bennett) seeks aid from France to regain her family's rule of Lichtenburg, the Count of Monte Cristo (Louis Hayward) helps in toppling the regime of General Gurko Lanen (George Sanders).
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Texas, Brooklyn and Heaven 1948 N/R, 76 min. Genre: Comedy aka: The Girl from Texas
Director: William Castle Cast: Guy Madison, Diana Lynn, James Dunn, Lionel Stander, Florence Bates, Michael Chekhov, Margaret Hamilton, Moyna MacGill, Irene Ryan, Colin(2) Campbell, Clem Bevans, William Frawley, Roscoe Karns, Erskine Sanford
Texas cowboy Eddie Taylor (Guy Madison) and city-girl Perry Dunklin (Diana Lynn) arrive in New York for fun, adventure, and fortune. But when Eddie falls in love with Perry, she does not return his affections. And while they do buy a Brooklyn riding academy, Eddie spends much of his time keeping Perry out of trouble.
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Tonight and Every Night 1945 N/R, 92 min. Genre: Musical
Director: Victor Saville Cast: Rita Hayworth, Janet Blair, Lee Bowman, Marc Platt, Leslie Brooks, Florence Bates, Ernest Cossart, Philip Merivale, Patrick O'Moore, Shelley Winters
This wartime film is about London showgirls who valiantly provided entertainment during the days of the bombing of London by Nazis. Check out Shelley Winters in the chorus.
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Whistle Stop 1946 N/R, 85 min. Genre: Drama
Director: Leonide Moguy Cast: George Raft, Ava Gardner, Victor McLaglen, Tom Conway, Jorja Curtright, Jane Nigh, Florence Bates, Charles Drake, Charles Judels, Carmel Myers, Jimmy Conlin, Jimmy Ames, Mack Gray, Charles Wagenheim, Robert Homans
Small-town girl Mary (Ava Gardner) returns home from Chicago and re-ignites her past romance with ne'er-do-well Kenny (George Raft)–until she becomes involved with a corrupt saloon owner, Lew (Tom Conway). Will Kenny clean-up his act and win Mary back?
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Winter Meeting 1948 N/R, 104 min. Genre: Drama
Director: Bretaigne Windust Cast: Bette Davis, Janis Paige, Jim Davis, John Hoyt, Florence Bates, Walter Baldwin, Lois Austin, Harry Lewis
A writer, Susan Grieve (Bette Davis), falls in love with a war hero, but they both come to their new relationship with unresolved problems.
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| 1. Belle of the Yukon (1944)
2. Cluny Brown (1946)
3. Desire Me (1947)
4. Diary of a Chambermaid (1946)
5. The Girl from Jones Beach (1949)
6. Here Lies Love (1951) aka: The Second Woman aka: Twelve Miles Out
7. I Remember Mama (1948)
8. Kismet (1944) aka: Oriental Dream
9. A Letter to Three Wives (1949)
10. Love Crazy (1941)
11. Lullaby of Broadway (1951)
12. The Mask of Dimitrios (1944)
13. The Moon and Sixpence (1943)
14. Mr. Lucky (1943)
15. My Dear Secretary (1948)
16. On the Town (1949)
17. Paris Model (1953)
18. Portrait of Jennie (1948)
19. Rebecca (1940)
20. Road Show (1941)
21. San Antonio (1945)
22. The San Francisco Story (1952)
23. Saratoga Trunk (1945)
24. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947)
25. Slightly Dangerous (1943)
26. The Son of Monte Cristo (1941)
27. Texas, Brooklyn and Heaven (1948) aka: The Girl from Texas
28. Tonight and Every Night (1945)
29. Whistle Stop (1946)
30. Winter Meeting (1948)
In The News
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