An American Tragedy 1931 N/R, 96 min. Genre: Drama
Director: Josef von Sternberg Cast: Phillips Holmes, Sylvia Sidney, Frances Dee, Irving Pichel, Claire McDowell, Frederick Burton, Wallace Middleton, Emmett Corrigan, Lucille La Verne, Charles Middleton
Based on Theodore Dreiser's novel, this is a drama about Roberta Alden's murder. Her story is told through flashbacks during the ensuing trial. The story was remade in 1951 as "A Place in the Sun." The remake is the better of the two versions.
|  | |
And Now Tomorrow 1944 N/R, 86 min. Genre: Drama
Director: Irving Pichel Cast: Loretta Young, Alan Ladd, Susan Hayward, Barry Sullivan, Beulah Bondi, Cecil Kellaway, Grant Mitchell, Helen Mack, Anthony Caruso, Jonathan Hale
Based on Rachel Field's novel, this is the story of two sisters (Loretta Young and Susan Hayward) who vie for the love of young Doctor Merek Vance (Alan Young).
|  | |
The Battle of Midway 1942 N/R, 17 min. Genre: Documentary
Director: John Ford Cast: Henry Fonda, Donald Crisp, Jane Darwell, Irving Pichel
Using film footage of the actual World War II battle, this documentary deserved its Academy Award for Best Documentary. John Ford edited footage taken by a crew of naval photographers and added narration by Hollywood actors.
|  | |
The Bride Wore Boots 1946 N/R, 85 min. Genre: Comedy
Director: Irving Pichel Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Robert Cummings, Diana Lynn, Patric Knowles, Peggy Wood, Robert Benchley, Willie Best, Natalie Wood
Horsewoman Sally (Barbara Stanwyck) has major problems trying to convince her husband, Jeff (Robert Cummings), to enter her world of love and respect for horses.
|  | |
British Agent 1934 N/R, 81 min. Genre: Drama
Director: Michael Curtiz Cast: Leslie Howard, Kay Francis, William Gargan, Philip Reed, Irving Pichel, Halliwell Hobbes, J. Carrol Naish, Cesar Romero
In the days before the Russian Revolution, a Scot, Stephen Locke (Leslie Howard), is smitten by Russian agent Elena (Kay Francis).
|  | |
The Cheat 1931 N/R, 70 min. Genre: Drama
Cast: Tallulah Bankhead, Harvey Stephens, Irving Pichel, Jay Fassett, William Ingersoll, Robert Strange, Hanaki Yoshiwara, Willard Dashiell, Edward Keane, Ann Andrews, Porter Hall, Arthur Hohl, Millard Mitchell, Henry Warwick, Jimmy Granato
The year is 1931 when Elsa Carlyle (Tallulah Bankhead) loses $10,000 gambling and tries to hide the loss from her husband Jeffrey (Harvey Stephens). She takes money from a charity and invests in the stock market. That plan also fails. Now, Elsa is forced to accept money from wealthy Hardy Livingston (Irving Pichel), but when Jeffrey finds out he gives Elsa the money to pay him back. Hardy is trying to possess Elsa and refuses the money, so Elsa shoots him. Jeffrey takes the blame and goes to court. Just as he is about to be convicted, Elsa shouts out the truth, and Jeffrey is saved.
|  | |
Cleopatra 1934 N/R, 103 min. Genre: Drama / Romance
Director: Cecil B. DeMille Cast: Claudette Colbert, Warren William, Henry Wilcoxon, Gertrude Michael, Joseph Schildkraut, Ian Keith, C. Aubrey Smith, Irving Pichel, Ian Maclaren, John Carradine, Arthur Hohl, Edwin Maxwell, Eleanor Phelps, Leonard Mudie, William Farnum
Good performances enhance this excellent film that won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography and was nominated for Best Picture. Claudette Colbert easily handles the title role of the seductive Cleopatra, the Queen of Egypt, who uses her wiles on the Roman emperor Julius Caesar (Warren William). Then, after Caesar is killed, she turns her attentions to Caesar's rival, Marc Antony (Henry Wilcoxon), and enters into a romance destined for tragedy.
|  | |
Colonel Effingham's Raid 1946 N/R, 70 min. Genre: Comedy aka: Man of the Hour
Director: Irving Pichel Cast: Charles Coburn, Joan Bennett, William Eythe, Allyn Joslyn, Elizabeth Patterson, Donald Meek, Frank Craven, Thurston Hall, Cora Witherspoon, Emory Parnell, Henry Armetta, Stephen Dunne
Col. Effingham (Charles Coburn) retires from the Army to settle down in his Georgia hometown where he writes editorials and uses his military skills to mobilize fellow citizens against crooked politicians.
|  | |
Dick Tracy's G-Men 1939 N/R, 263 min. Genre: Action / Drama / Thriller
Director: John English, William Witney Cast: Ralph Byrd, Irving Pichel, Ted Pearson, Walter Miller, George Douglas, Robert Carson, Julian Madison, Jennifer Jones, Tristram Coffin, George Cleveland, Kenneth Harlan, Ted Mapes, William Stahl, Robert Wayne, Ken Terrell
In the third of four Dick Tracy serials, Tracy (Ralph Byrd) is an FBI agent and is on the trail of Zarnoff, the head of an international spy ring. The trouble is, it's the second chase of the evil Zarnoff, who had previously been caught by Tracy and executed. However, after being revived by drugs, he is back in business and gives Dick and his men all they can handle. (15 episodes)
|  | |
Dracula's Daughter 1936 N/R, 69 min. Genre: Horror / Thriller
Director: Lambert Hillyer Cast: Otto Kruger, Marguerite Churchill, Gloria Holden, Irving Pichel, Hedda Hopper, E.E. Clive, Edward Van Sloan, Gilbert Emery, Halliwell Hobbes, Billy Bevan, Nan Grey, Claud Allister, Edgar Norton
Count Dracula's daughter, Countess Marya Zaleska (Gloria Holden), has inherited her father's thirst for blood, but she seeks psychiatric help from Jeffrey Garth (Otto Kruger) to curtail her murderous excursions.
|  | |
Exile Express 1939 N/R, 70 min. Genre: Drama / Thriller
Director: Otis Garrett Cast: Anna Sten, Alan Marshal, Jerome Cowan, Jed Prouty, Walter Catlett, Stanley Fields, Leonid Kinskey, Irving Pichel, Harry Davenport, Addison Richards, Feodor Chaliapin Jr., Spencer Charters
During the attempt to get their hands on the secret formula for a deadly poison, the assailants kill an American scientist. When she is framed for the murder, the scientist's lab assistant, Nadine (Anna Sten), finds her quest for American citizenship, as well as her future, in jeopardy. But help is on the way from reporter Steve Reynolds (Alan Marshal) who comes to Nadine's aid and solves the crime.
|  | |
The Great Commandment 1939 N/R, 78 min. Genre: Drama / Adventure
Director: Irving Pichel Cast: John Beal, Maurice Moscovitch, Albert Dekker, Marjorie Cooley, Warren McCollum, Lloyd Corrigan, Ian Wolfe, Olaf Hytten, Anthony Marlowe, Lester Sharpe, Marc Loebell, Harold Minjir, George Rosener
Judean scholar Joel (John Beal) revolts against the Romans, but with the arrival of Jesus of Nazareth, Joel puts down his sword in favor of a higher calling.
|  | |
The Great Rupert 1950 N/R, 86 min. Genre: Comedy aka: A Christmas Wish
Director: Irving Pichel Cast: Jimmy Durante, Terry Moore, Tom Drake, Frank Orth, Queenie Smith, Chick Chandler, Don Beddoe, Sara Haden, Jimmy Conlin, Hugh Sanders
A pet squirrel uncovers lost money, which–at first–appears to solve all the problems for a troupe of struggling acrobats.
|  | |
Hearts in Bondage 1936 N/R, 72 min. Genre: Drama
Director: Lew Ayres Cast: James Dunn, Mae Clarke, David Manners, Charlotte Henry, Henry B. Walthall, Fritz Leiber, George Irving, Irving Pichel, J.M. Kerrigan, Frank McGlynn Sr., Ben Alexander, Oscar Apfel, Clay Clement, Edward Gargan
During the Civil War, a Union naval officer, Lieutenant Kenneth Reynolds (James Dunn), is stripped of his commission after he sinks, instead of obeying orders by Confederate forces to set fire to his ship, the Merrimac. Later, the Confederates raise the Merrimac and restore it. Meanwhile, Reynolds is reinstated and serves on the Monitor during which time he is involved in the historic battle of the Monitor and the Merrimac.
|  | |
Jezebel 1938 N/R, 103 min. Genre: Drama / Romance
Director: William Wyler Cast: Bette Davis, Henry Fonda, Fay Bainter, George Brent, Margaret Lindsay, Donald Crisp, Spring Byington, Richard Cromwell, Henry O'Neill, John Litel, Gordon Oliver, Janet Shaw, Irving Pichel, Theresa Harris, Margaret Early
Set in New Orleans during the1850s, a Southern belle (Bette Davis) plays mind games with her two suitors (Henry Fonda and George Brent), but the results are not what she planned. Bette Davis received an Oscar for Best Actress, and Fay Bainter won for Best Supporting Actress. A nomination for Best Picture was also received.
|  | |
Madame Butterfly 1932 N/R, 85 min. Genre: Drama
Director: Marion Gering Cast: Sylvia Sidney, Cary Grant, Charles Ruggles, Sandor Kallay, Irving Pichel, Helen Jerome Eddy, Edmund Breese, Wallis Clark, Sheila Terry, Berton Churchill
In this film, Puccini's opera is the basis for the story, but there is no music. The movie follows the traditional storyline of Lieutenant Pinkerton's (Cary Grant) tragic love affair with Cho-Cho-San (Sylvia Sidney).
|  | |
Martin Luther 1953 N/R, 105 min. Genre: Drama
Director: Irving Pichel Cast: Niall MacGinnis, John Ruddock, Pierre Lefevre, Guy Verney, Alastair Hunter, David Horne, Fred Johnson, Philip Leaver, Egon Strohm, Irving Pichel, Heinz Piper, Leonard White, Annette Carell, Alexander Gauge, Henry Oscar
In this well-made biography that was filmed in West Germany, Niall MacGinnis takes on the role of the 16th-century priest Martin Luther who left the Catholic Church and started a new religious movement: the Reformation. As a priest, Luther is not impressed with holy relics and believes that truth can be found in faith, "The just shall live by faith alone." Luther publishes his ideas on freedom, and, in 1520, Pope Leo excommunicates him. During his period in exile, Luther translates "The New Testament." A highlight of the film is Luther's "Here I Stand" speech.
|  | |
Miracle of the Bells 1948 N/R, 118 min. Genre: Drama
Director: Irving Pichel Cast: Fred MacMurray, Alida Valli, Frank Sinatra, Lee J. Cobb, Philip Ahn, Charles Meredith, Harold Vermilyea, Jim Nolan, Frank Ferguson, Frank Wilcox
A miracle occurs when the body of actress Olga Treskouna (Valli) is brought back to her hometown for burial.
|  | |
The Most Dangerous Game 1932 N/R, 63 min. Genre: Thriller aka: The Hounds of Zaroff
Director: Irving Pichel, Ernest B. Schoedsack Cast: Joel McCrea, Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, Leslie Banks, Noble Johnson, Steve Clemente, Hale Hamilton, William B. Davidson, Oscar "Dutch" Hendrian, James Flavin
Count Zaroff (Leslie Banks) lives in his castle on his remote island while awaiting boats that often wreck on the island. When one unfortunate ship wrecks, the count greets the three boaters graciously. But it soon becomes clear that he loves to hunt humans. Let the sports begin! This is the first (and best) filming of this often-told story, which was remade as "A Game of Death" and "Run for the Sun." Producer Ernest B. Schoedsack, Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, and others in this movie were filming "King Kong" at the same time.
|  | |
Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid 1948 N/R, 89 min. Genre: Comedy
Director: Irving Pichel Cast: William Powell, Ann Blyth, Irene Hervey, Andrea King, Clinton Sundberg, Art Smith, Lumsden Hare, Fred Clark, James Logan, Mary Field
Mr. Peabody (William Powell) is a middle-aged Bostonian who, while fishing in the Caribbean, reels in a beautiful mermaid (Ann Blyth).
|  | |
Murder by the Clock 1931 N/R, 74 min. Genre: Mystery
Director: Edward Sloman Cast: William "Stage" Boyd, Lilyan Tashman, Irving Pichel, Regis Toomey, Blanche Friderici, Walter McGrail, Sally O'Neil, Lester Vail, Frank Sheridan, Lenita Lane
Police Lieutenant Valcour (William "Stage" Boyd) is put in the position of tying together a bizarre woman who has a communications device in her grave with a series of murders performed like clockwork.
|  | |
The Mysterious Rider 1933 N/R, 59 min. Genre: Western aka: The Fighting Phantom
Director: Fred(2) Allen Cast: Kent Taylor, Lona Andre, Warren Hymer, Irving Pichel, Gail Patrick, Berton Churchill, Cora Sue Collins, Clarence Wilson, E.H. Calvert, Niles Welch
Based on a Zane Grey story, crooked lawyer Cliff Harkness (Irving Pichel) cheats ranchers out of their money and land. Cliff's life takes a turn for the worse when the "Mysterious Rider" (Kent Taylor) comes to the aid of the homesteaders.
|  | |
O.S.S. 1946 N/R, 105 min. Genre: Action / Drama
Director: Irving Pichel Cast: Alan Ladd, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Patric Knowles, Richard Benedict, Richard Webb, Don Beddoe, Bobby Driscoll, Onslow Stevens, John Hoyt, Harold Vermilyea, Gloria Saunders, Crane Whitley, Gavin Muir, Joseph Crehan, Egon Brecher
During World War II, Allies are aided by O.S.S. agents (Alan Ladd and Geraldine Fitzgerald) who are sent to France to destroy the Corbett Mallon railroad tunnel that German invaders are using to ship supplies to the troops. They succeed in their mission and fall in love in the process. But, commitment to duty interferes with their love for each other.
|  | |
Oliver Twist 1933 N/R, 70 min. Genre: Drama
Director: William J. Cowen Cast: Dickie Moore, Irving Pichel, William "Stage" Boyd, Doris Lloyd, Barbara Kent, Lionel Belmore, Tempe Pigott, Virginia Sale, Harry Holman, Clyde Cook, George Nash, Alec B. Francis, Sonny Ray, George K. Arthur, Nelson McDowell
This is one of the less successful versions of "Oliver Twist." However, it is an interesting entry in the long list of "Oliver Twist" movies. Dickie Moore stars in the title role of young pickpocket Oliver Twist, and Irving Pichel is good as Oliver's tutor, the devious Fagin.
|  | |
The Pied Piper 1942 N/R, 86 min. Genre: Drama
Director: Irving Pichel Cast: Monty Woolley, Roddy McDowall, Anne Baxter, Otto Preminger, J. Carrol Naish, Lester Matthews, Jill Esmond, Ferike Boros, Peggy Ann Garner, Merrill Rodin, Maurice Tauzin, Fleurette Zama, William Edmunds, Marcel Dalio, Marcelle Corday
Another World War II propaganda film (though good) has Mr. Howard (Monty Woolley) enjoying a fishing holiday in France in 1940 when the Germans invade. He ends up leading the two Cavanaugh children–Ronnie and Sheila (Roddy McDowall and Peggy Ann Garner)–across France to attempt an escape to England through German-occupied territory. Along the way, more and more children join the trek. Academy Award nominations include Best Picture and Actor (Woolley).
|  | |
Quicksand 1950 N/R, 79 min. Genre: Drama / Mystery
Director: Irving Pichel Cast: Mickey Rooney, Jeanne Cagney, Barbara Bates, Peter Lorre, Taylor Holmes, Art Smith, Wally Cassell, Richard Lane, John Gallaudet, Minerva Urecal, Patsy O'Connor, Sidney Marion, Jimmy Dodd, Kitty O'Neil, Lester Dorr
Auto mechanic Dan (Mickey Rooney) falls for conniving waitress Vera (Jeanne Cagney). Needing money to take her out, Dan lifts $20 from the garage cash register, intending to return it before the accountant checks the books. But, this initiates a downward spiral when he takes on ever more debt to pay the last one, which leads to destruction.
|  | |
Santa Fe 1951 N/R, 89 min. Genre: Western
Director: Irving Pichel Cast: Randolph Scott, Janis Carter, Jerome Courtland, Peter M. Thompson, John Archer, Warner Anderson, Roy Roberts, Billy House, Olin Howland, Allene Roberts, Jock Mahoney, Harry Cording
Britt Canfield (Randolph Scott) fought as a Confederate in the war, but now he finds a job working with ex-Union forces building the Santa Fe Railroad. He tries to keep his brothers–Terry, Tom, and Clint (Jerome Courtland, Peter M. Thompson, and John Archer)–out of trouble, but after they try to rob the railroad, Britt is forced to help bring them to justice.
|  | |
She 1935 N/R, 96 min. Genre: Adventure / Sci-Fi
Director: Irving Pichel Cast: Helen Gahagan, Randolph Scott, Helen Mack, Nigel Bruce, Gustav von Seyffertitz, Samuel S. Hinds, Noble Johnson, Lumsden Hare, Jim Thorpe, Ray Corrigan
She (Helen Gahagan) has ruled over the lost land of Kor for 500 years, her immortality being maintained by the Flame of Life. Along comes a trio of people (Randolph Scott, Helen Mack, and Nigel Bruce) seeking this land and bringing problems as She falls for Scott. Based on the 1887 novel by H. Rider Haggard (who also wrote "King Solomon's Mines") and was remade in 1965.
|  | |
Special Agent 1935 N/R, 78 min. Genre: Drama
Director: William Keighley Cast: Bette Davis, Ricardo Cortez, George Brent, Jack La Rue, Henry O'Neill, Joe Sawyer, Joseph Crehan, Irving Pichel, Robert Strange, J. Carrol Naish
A detective (George Brent), posing as a reporter, tries to get information on a racketeering boss (Ricardo Cortez) via his bookkeeper (Bette Davis).
|  | |
They Won't Believe Me 1947 N/R, 79 min. Genre: Drama
Director: Irving Pichel Cast: Robert Young, Susan Hayward, Jane Greer, Rita Johnson, Tom Powers, Don Beddoe, Frank Ferguson, George Tyne, Harry Harvey, Wilton Graff
When his unfortunate wife (Jane Greer) and plotting lover (Susan Hayward) are both killed in a car accident, police close in and arrest Lawrence Ballantine (Robert Young) for the double murder.
|  | |
Tomorrow Is Forever 1946 N/R, 102 min. Genre: Drama
Director: Irving Pichel Cast: Claudette Colbert, Orson Welles, George Brent, Lucile Watson, Richard Long, Natalie Wood, Ian Wolfe, Lois Austin, Irving Pichel, Milton Kibbee
Larry Hamilton (George Brent) hires an Austrian scientist, Erich Kessler (Orson Welles). Larry's wife, Elizabeth (Claudette Colbert), begins to suspect that Kessler is her husband of 20 years ago who was supposedly killed in action during World War I.
|  | |
Topper Takes a Trip 1938 N/R, 85 min. Genre: Comedy
Director: Norman Z. McLeod Cast: Constance Bennett, Roland Young, Billie Burke, Alan Mowbray, Verree Teasdale, Franklin Pangborn, Alexander D'Arcy, Paul Hurst, Spencer Charters, Irving Pichel, Armand Kaliz, Eddie Conrad, Leon Belasco, Georges Revanent, Wade Boteler
This film picks up where the original "Topper" left off (without Cary Grant, except in a flashback). Cosmo Topper's (Roland Young) wife Clara (Billie Burke) heads to France, intending to divorce Cosmo, thinking that he had an affair with Marion Kerby (Constance Bennett), who was, in reality, a ghost trying to do a good deed. Cosmo chases after Clara, hoping to change her mind, and Marion shows up with her ghost dog to help him out. Excellent special effects, especially for the 1930s.
|  | |
Torture Ship 1939 N/R, 57 min. Genre: Horror / Thriller
Director: Victor Halperin Cast: Lyle Talbot, Irving Pichel, Julie Bishop, Sheila Bromley, Anthony Averill, Eddie Holden, Russell Hopton, Julian Madison, Wheeler Oakman, Stanley Blystone, Skelton Knaggs
Intent on curing criminal minds, Dr. Herbert Stander (Irving Pichel) transports escaped criminals on Lt. Bob Bennett's (Lyle Talbot) ship with plans to operate on them at a remote island.
|  | |
Westward Passage 1932 N/R, 73 min. Genre: Drama
Director: Robert Milton Cast: Ann Harding, Laurence Olivier, Zasu Pitts, Juliette Compton, Irving Pichel, Edgar Kennedy, Bonita Granville, Ethel Griffies, Don Alvarado, Florence Lake
To attain true happiness, Olivia Van Tyne (Ann Harding) must decide between marriage to Nick (Laurence Olivier) or Harry (Irving Pichel).
|  | |
Without Honor 1949 N/R, 69 min. Genre: Drama
Director: Irving Pichel Cast: Laraine Day, Dane Clark, Franchot Tone, Agnes Moorehead, Bruce Bennett, Frank Marlowe, Harry Lauter, Peter Virgo, Marjorie Stapp, Lester Dorr
Jane (Laraine Day) argues with her lover (Franchot Tone) and stabs him. Believing he is dead, she lugs him into the laundry room before her husband, Fred (Bruce Bennett), arrives home. Fred's brother, Bill (Dane Clark), arrives on the scene and tells Fred of Jane's extramarital affair, which causes Jane to confess and then try to kill herself. She is rushed to the hospital where she discovers that her lover, who was not dead after all, managed to drag himself to the hospital for treatment.
|  | |
Woman Accused 1933 N/R, 71 min. Genre: Drama
Director: Paul Sloane Cast: Nancy Carroll, Cary Grant, John Halliday, Irving Pichel, Louis Calhern, Jack La Rue, Frank Sheridan, Norma Mitchell, Frank Sheridan, John Lodge, Harry Holman, Gertrude Messinger
Glenda (Nancy Carroll) kills her ex-lover (Louis Calhern) when he refuses to leave her alone and is interfering in her current love life.
|  | |
| 1. An American Tragedy (1931)
2. And Now Tomorrow (1944)
3. The Battle of Midway (1942)
4. The Bride Wore Boots (1946)
5. British Agent (1934)
6. The Cheat (1931)
7. Cleopatra (1934)
8. Colonel Effingham's Raid (1946) aka: Man of the Hour
9. Destination Moon (1950)
10. Dick Tracy's G-Men (1939)
11. Dracula's Daughter (1936)
12. Exile Express (1939)
13. The Great Commandment (1939)
14. The Great Rupert (1950) aka: A Christmas Wish
15. Hearts in Bondage (1936)
16. Hudson's Bay (1940)
17. Jezebel (1938)
18. Madame Butterfly (1932)
19. Martin Luther (1953)
20. Miracle of the Bells (1948)
21. The Most Dangerous Game (1932) aka: The Hounds of Zaroff
22. Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid (1948)
23. Murder by the Clock (1931)
24. The Mysterious Rider (1933) aka: The Fighting Phantom
25. O.S.S. (1946)
26. Oliver Twist (1933)
27. The Pied Piper (1942)
28. Quicksand (1950)
29. Santa Fe (1951)
30. She (1935)
31. Special Agent (1935)
32. They Won't Believe Me (1947)
33. Tomorrow Is Forever (1946)
34. Topper Takes a Trip (1938)
35. Torture Ship (1939)
36. Westward Passage (1932)
37. Without Honor (1949)
38. Woman Accused (1933)
In The News
|