Artists and Models Abroad 1938 N/R, 90 min. Genre: Musical
Director: Mitchell Leisen Cast: Jack Benny, Joan Bennett, Mary Boland, Charley Grapewin, Joyce Compton, Yacht Club Boys, Fritz Feld, Monty Woolley, G.P. Huntley
In this second of Jack Benny "Artists and Models" musicals, a musical company is stranded in Paris, but the boss (Benny) knows how to bail them out. Light and entertaining, even today.
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Big Brown Eyes 1936 N/R, 75 min. Genre: Mystery
Director: Raoul Walsh Cast: Joan Bennett, Cary Grant, Walter Pidgeon, Isabel Jewell, Lloyd Nolan, Alan Baxter, Marjorie Gateson, Douglas Fowley, Henry Brandon, Francis McDonald
Danny Barr (Cary Grant) is aided by his girlfriend (Joan Bennett) in capturing a gang of jewel thieves.
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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.
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Disraeli 1929 N/R, 89 min. Genre: Drama
Director: Alfred E. Green Cast: George Arliss, Joan Bennett, Florence Arliss, Anthony Bushell, David Torrence, Ivan F. Simpson, Doris Lloyd, Michael Visaroff
"Disraeli" was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Picture, and George Arliss won the Oscar for Best Actor in his role of the British prime minister who acquired rights to the Suez Canal, among many successes.
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Father of the Bride 1950 N/R, 94 min. Genre: Comedy / Drama / Romance
Director: Vincente Minnelli Cast: Spencer Tracy, Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Bennett, Don Taylor, Billie Burke, Leo G. Carroll, Moroni Olsen, Melville Cooper, Paul Harvey, Russ Tamblyn, Taylor Holmes, Frank Orth, Tom Irish, Marietta Canty, Fay Baker
This excellent film depicts a father Stanley T. Banks' (Spencer Tracy) emotions surrounding the approaching wedding of his only daughter Kay (Elizabeth Taylor). Mother Ellie (Joan Bennett) and daughter prepare wedding plans, but Father becomes concerned with financing the wedding. Underlying all this is Father's problem of coming to grips with losing his place of importance in his daughter's life. Academy Award nominations were received for Best Picture, Actor (Tracy), and Writing.
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Father's Little Dividend 1951 N/R, 82 min. Genre: Comedy / Romance
Director: Vincente Minnelli Cast: Spencer Tracy, Joan Bennett, Elizabeth Taylor, Don Taylor, Billie Burke, Moroni Olsen, Russ Tamblyn, Paul Harvey, Richard Rober, Frank Faylen, Tom Irish, Hayden Rorke, Marietta Canty, Dabbs Greer, Howard M. Mitchell
This sequel to "Father of the Bride (1950)" has Stanley Banks (Spencer Tracy) trying to adjust to becoming a grandfather. His daughter Kay (Elizabeth Taylor) is now married to Buckley (Don Taylor), and they are expecting a baby. Stanley's overbearing wife Ellie (Joan Bennett) is worried throughout the pregnancy, but their young grandson arrives safely. The baby now screams whenever Stanley comes near–until Stanley mistakenly leaves the baby alone in his carriage for a half hour. When Stanley returns, he is greeted by a smiling baby, and he is finally a proud grandfather.
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Green Hell 1940 N/R, 87 min. Genre: Adventure
Director: James Whale Cast: Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Joan Bennett, John Howard, George Sanders, Vincent Price, Alan Hale, George Bancroft, Gene Garrick, Francis McDonald, Iron Eyes Cody
On a treasure hunt through South America, an archeological expedition discovers lost temples and headhunters in the interior jungle of Brazil.
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Hollow Triumph 1948 N/R, 83 min. Genre: Drama aka: The Scar
Director: Steve Sekely Cast: Paul Henreid, Joan Bennett, Eduard Franz, Leslie Brooks, John Qualen, Mabel Paige, Herbert Rudley, Charles Arnt, George Chandler, Paul E. Burns, Charles Trowbridge, Ann Staunton
Ex-medical student and now living a life of crime, John Muller (Paul Heinreid) is lucky to get away from a bungled robbery during which his henchmen were caught. Now the victim's gang is after John, so when he finds out that a psychiatrist is an exact lookalike–except for a scar on the doctor's cheek–John cuts his cheek to match, kills the psychiatrist, and takes his identity. But that is just the beginning of his problems, not counting the problem of having cut the wrong cheek. Good film noir.
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The House Across the Bay 1940 N/R, 86 min. Genre: Drama
Director: Archie Mayo Cast: George Raft, Lloyd Nolan, Walter Pidgeon, Joan Bennett, Gladys George, June Knight, Billy Wayne, Joe Sawyer, Cy Kendall, Max Wagner
During his imprisonment, a convict's (George Raft) wife (Joan Bennett) falls for another man (Walter Pidgeon), and now the husband wants revenge. Alfred Hitchcock directed portions of this film.
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I Met My Love Again 1938 N/R, 77 min. Genre: Drama
Director: Joshua Logan, George Cukor, Arthur Ripley Cast: Joan Bennett, Henry Fonda, Dame May Whitty, Alan Marshal, Louise Platt, Alan Baxter, Tim Holt, Dorothy Stickney
A young woman (Joan Bennett) leaves her small town to run away with her lover and lives to regret her actions.
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Little Women 1933 N/R, 115 min. Genre: Family / Drama / Romance
Director: George Cukor Cast: Katharine Hepburn, Joan Bennett, Paul Lukas, Frances Dee, Edna May Oliver, Jean Parker, Henry Stephenson, Spring Byington, Samuel S. Hinds, John Lodge, Douglass Montgomery, Nydia Westman, Harry Beresford, Mabel Colcord, Marion Ballou
Four New England sisters–Meg (Frances Dee), Jo (Katharine Hepburn), Beth (Jean Parker), and Amy (Joan Bennett)–learn to grow and survive under the loving care of their mother, Marmee (Spring Byington) while their beloved father (Samuel S. Hinds) is serving as a chaplain for the Union forces during the Civil War. This is the first film version of Louisa May Alcott's famous book, and it was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Picture and Director.
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The Macomber Affair 1947 N/R, 89 min. Genre: Adventure
Director: Zoltan Korda Cast: Gregory Peck, Joan Bennett, Robert Preston, Reginald Denny, Carl Harbord, Earl Smith, Jean Gillie, Vernon Downing, Frederick Worlock
This film adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber" is about Margaret (Joan Bennett) and Francis (Robert Preston) Macomber's doomed safari. Margaret and guide Wilson (Gregory Peck) begin a love affair, and Francis meets a tragic end. Very well presented.
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Man Hunt 1941 N/R, 105 min. Genre: Adventure / Drama / Thriller
Director: Fritz Lang Cast: Walter Pidgeon, Joan Bennett, George Sanders, John Carradine, Roddy McDowall, Ludwig Stossel, Heather Thatcher, Frederick Worlock, Roger Imhof, Holmes Herbert, Olaf Hytten, William Haade, Kurt Kreuger, Frederick Vogeding, Lester Matthews
While in the Bavarian Alps, big-game hunter Thorndyke (Walter Pidgeon) has an opportunity to assassinate Hitler. He fails in the attempt and is captured by the Gestapo, beaten, and left for dead. With help from young Vaner (Roddy McDowell), Thorndyke stows away on a steamer where he sees a "Mr. Jones" (John Carradine) who has stolen Thornydyke's identity, including his passport. But "Mr. Jones" is only one problem he must deal with in the coming days. Remade in 1976 as "Rogue Male."
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The Man in the Iron Mask 1939 N/R, 110 min. Genre: Adventure
Director: James Whale Cast: Louis Hayward, Joan Bennett, Warren William, Joseph Schildkraut, Alan Hale, Miles Mander, Bert Roach, Walter Kingsford, Marion Martin, Montagu Love, Peter Cushing, Albert Dekker, Doris Kenyon
This is a good rendition of Alexandre Dumas' classic story of twin brothers (both played by Louis Hayward)–one becomes the King of France and the other is sprung from prison and raised by the Three Musketeers (Alan Hale, Miles Mander, and Bert Roach). The renegade brother is forced to wear an iron mask to hide the fact that he is the legitimate heir to the throne, else his brother would do him in. Elaborate adventure. Look for Peter Cushing as a messenger to the King in his first screen role.
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Me and My Gal 1932 N/R, 78 min. Genre: Comedy
Director: Raoul Walsh Cast: Spencer Tracy, Joan Bennett, Marion Burns, George Walsh, J. Farrell MacDonald, Noel Madison, Henry B. Walthall, George Chandler, Bert Hanlon, Will Stanton
Comedy reigns when a hard-boiled cop (Spencer Tracy) falls for a waitress (Joan Bennett) whose relatives are involved with the underworld.
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Mississippi 1935 N/R, 75 min. Genre: Musical
Director: A. Edward Sutherland Cast: Bing Crosby, W.C. Fields, Joan Bennett, Queenie Smith, Gail Patrick, Claude Gillingwater, John Miljan, Edward Pawley, Fred Kohler, Dennis O'Keefe
With a Rogers and Hart score to back him, Bing Crosby shines as Tom Grayson who is rejected by his Philadelphia family and becomes a singer with the troupe on a Mississippi riverboat under the command of Commodore Jackson (W.C. Fields). This story was based on Booth Tarkington's "Magnolia."
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Moby Dick 1930 N/R, 75 min. Genre: Drama
Director: Lloyd Bacon Cast: John Barrymore, Joan Bennett, Walter Long, Nigel De Brulier, Noble Johnson, Virginia Sale, John Ince, Lloyd Hughes, May Boley, Tom O'Brien
Any resemblance to Herman Melville's classic story is purely coincidental in this strange adaptation of his story about Captain Ahab's obsession with the great white whale.
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The Reckless Moment 1949 N/R, 81 min. Genre: Drama
Director: Max Ophuls Cast: James Mason, Joan Bennett, Geraldine Brooks, Henry O'Neill, Shepperd Strudwick, Roy Roberts, Paul E. Burns, Billy Snyder, Claire Carleton, Peter Brocco
Lucia (Joan Bennett) tries to hide evidence of an accidental homicide by her daughter, Bea (Geraldine Brooks); however, she is later blackmailed for her efforts by Martin Donnellly (James Mason) in this gripping suspense film.
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Scarlet Street 1945 N/R, 103 min. Genre: Drama
Director: Fritz Lang Cast: Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennett, Dan Duryea, Margaret Lindsay, Rosalind Ivan, Jess Barker, Samuel S. Hinds, Arthur Loft, Vladimir Sokoloff, Russell Hicks, Charles Kemper, Lou Lubin, Anita Sharp-Bolster, Cy Kendall, Lee Phelps
An amateur painter, Christopher Cross (Edward G. Robinson), is also the henpecked husband of Adele (Rosalind Ivan). Christopher is a sitting duck for extortion when the seductive Kitty March (Joan Bennett) arrives on the scene with big plans for making money off Christopher's art work. Kitty persuades Cross to embezzle money to pay for her apartment. Meanwhile, what Cross does not know is that Kitty's lover is con man Johnny Prince (Dan Duryea), and he is removing Cross' name from the paintings and replacing them with Kitty's name. Now the art work proves successful, and Johnny claims they are Kitty's and makes money off of them. Cross finally catches on, kills Kitty, and then suffers a mental breakdown. This is a remake of Jean Renoir's classic "La Chienne."
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Secret Beyond the Door 1948 N/R, 99 min. Genre: Drama / Thriller
Director: Fritz Lang Cast: Joan Bennett, Michael Redgrave, Anne Revere, Barbara O'Neil, Natalie Schafer, Paul Cavanagh, Anabel Shaw, Rosa Rey, James Seay, Mark Dennis, Houseley Stevenson
A wealthy socialite from New York, Celia (Joan Bennett), vacations in Mexico where she meets and marries Mark Lamphere (Michael Redgrave). It doesn't take long before Celia begins to suspect that her husband holds many secrets, including murdering his first wife. Could Celia be next on his list?
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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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Suspiria 1977 R, 97 min. Genre: Horror / Thriller
Director: Dario Argento Cast: Jessica Harper, Stefania Casini, Joan Bennett, Alida Valli, Udo Kier, Flavio Bucci, Miguel Bose, Barbara Magnolfi, Susanna Javicoli, Eva Axen
Now here's a REALLY frightening movie, not just because of the gore, but the overall mood, by clever use of camera and color, adds to the scene. Horror master Dario Argento is at his best as an American girl (Jessica Harper) arrives at a German ballet school. But this is just a front for some sinister goings-on.
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The Texans 1938 N/R, 92 min. Genre: Western
Director: James P. Hogan Cast: Joan Bennett, Randolph Scott, May Robson, Walter Brennan, Robert Cummings, Robert Barrat, Harvey Stephens, Francis Ford, Raymond Hatton, Irving Bacon
Following the Civil War, high taxes prove impossible for one Texas family that drives their cattle to a new range outside the area being taxed.
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There's Always Tomorrow 1956 N/R, 84 min. Genre: Drama
Director: Douglas Sirk Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray, Joan Bennett, Pat Crowley, Jane Darwell, William Reynolds, Gigi Perreau, Myrna Hansen, Paul Smith, Ross Hunter
Clifford Groves (Fred MacMurray) is a successful businessman who questions his own happiness as a family man when he becomes interested in New York businesswoman Norma Miller (Barbara Stanwyck).
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Thirteen Hours by Air 1936 N/R, 80 min. Genre: Drama
Director: Mitchell Leisen Cast: Fred MacMurray, Joan Bennett, Zasu Pitts, John Howard, Benny Bartlett, Grace Bradley, Alan Baxter, Brian Donlevy, Ruth Donnelly, Dean Jagger
Hijacking and murder is in store for passengers on a commercial airplane flying a transcontinental route.
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Trade Winds 1938 N/R, 93 min. Genre: Comedy
Director: Tay Garnett Cast: Fredric March, Joan Bennett, Ralph Bellamy, Ann Sothern, Sidney Blackmer, Thomas Mitchell, Robert Elliott, Joyce Compton, Phyllis Barry, Dorothy Tree
Smooth ladies' man, detective Sam Wye (Fredric March), and his sidekick, Ben (Ralph Bellamy), chase murder suspect Kay (Joan Bennett) throughout Asia, and Sam falls in love with her in the process. When he catches up with her, he helps establish her innocence. Good performances throughout, especially Joan Bennett and Ann Sothern.
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Wedding Present 1936 N/R, 80 min. Genre: Comedy
Director: Richard Wallace Cast: Cary Grant, Joan Bennett, George Bancroft, Conrad Nagel, Gene Lockhart, William Demarest, Inez Courtney, Edward Brophy, Purnell Pratt, George Meeker
Charlie (Cary Grant) and Rusty (Joan Bennett) are reporters who find their relationship changing when Charlie is appointed the editor.
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We're No Angels 1955 N/R, 106 min. Genre: Comedy
Director: Michael Curtiz Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Aldo Ray, Peter Ustinov, Joan Bennett, Basil Rathbone, Leo G. Carroll, Lea Penman, Gloria Talbott, Paul Newlan, Torben Meyer, John Baer, John Smith, Joe Ploski, Ross Gould, Victor Romito
Three Devil's Island convicts–Joseph, Albert, and Jules (Humphrey Bogart, Aldo Ray, and Peter Ustinov)–escape and take refuge with the Ducotel family (Leo G. Carroll, Joan Bennett, and Gloria Talbott). While living with the Ducotels, the ex-cons protect the family from evil Uncle Andre Trochard (Basil Rathbone) who threatens the family with eviction after auditing the books of the store he owns that the Ducotels manage. The convicts contemplate murdering Trochard, but Albert's pet poisonous snake does the job for them. Now the Ducotels inherit the store and Trochard's fortune. The convicts have solved the family's problems except for finding a mate for Isabelle (Talbott), but soon that problem will be solved, and the convicts will have done their "good" deeds.
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Wild Geese Calling 1941 N/R, 78 min. Genre: Adventure
Director: John Brahm Cast: Henry Fonda, Joan Bennett, Warren William, Ona Munson, Barton MacLane, Russell Simpson, Iris Adrian, James C. Morton, Stanley Andrews, Mary Field
During the 1890s the Murdocks, John (Henry Fonda) and Sally (Joan Bennett), trudge from Oregon to Alaska. John suspects Sally is being unfaithful while, in reality, she is pregnant.
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The Woman in the Window 1944 N/R, 95 min. Genre: Drama / Thriller
Director: Fritz Lang Cast: Edward G. Robinson, Raymond Massey, Joan Bennett, Edmund Breon, Dan Duryea, Robert Blake, Dorothy Peterson, Thomas E. Jackson, Arthur Loft, Frank Dawson, Bess Flowers, Frank McClure
When his family is out of town, the very proper Professor Richard Wanley (Edward G. Robinson) meets the subject of a painting (Joan Bennett) and becomes involved in a murder. Great thriller.
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| 1. Artists and Models Abroad (1938)
2. Big Brown Eyes (1936)
3. Bulldog Drummond (1929)
4. Colonel Effingham's Raid (1946) aka: Man of the Hour
5. Disraeli (1929)
6. Father of the Bride (1950)
7. Father's Little Dividend (1951)
8. Gidget Gets Married (1972)
9. Green Hell (1940)
10. Hollow Triumph (1948) aka: The Scar
11. The House Across the Bay (1940)
12. I Met My Love Again (1938)
13. Little Women (1933)
14. The Macomber Affair (1947)
15. Man Hunt (1941)
16. The Man in the Iron Mask (1939)
17. Me and My Gal (1932)
18. Mississippi (1935)
19. Moby Dick (1930)
20. The Reckless Moment (1949)
21. Scarlet Street (1945)
22. Secret Beyond the Door (1948)
23. The Son of Monte Cristo (1941)
24. Suspiria (1977)
25. The Texans (1938)
26. There's Always Tomorrow (1956)
27. Thirteen Hours by Air (1936)
28. Trade Winds (1938)
29. Wedding Present (1936)
30. We're No Angels (1955)
31. The Wife Takes a Flyer (1942)
32. Wild Geese Calling (1941)
33. The Woman in the Window (1944)
In The News
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