All Quiet on the Western Front 1930 N/R, 140 min. Genre: Drama / Action
Director: Lewis Milestone Cast: Louis Wolheim, Lew Ayres, John Wray, Raymond Griffith, Slim Summerville, Fred Zinnemann, Russell Gleason, Ben Alexander, Harold Goodwin, William Bakewell, Arnold Lucy, Scott Kolk, Owen Davis Jr., Walter Rogers, Richard Alexander
The horrors of war along the Western Front during World War I are experienced by a group of young German soldiers and are told in this powerful story about the futility of war. Paul Bauman (Lew Ayres) and his classmates arrive on the front lines ready for battle. Their sergeant, Katczinsky (Louis Wolheim), briefs them on how to survive, but that night one of them is shot, and they learn that they are low on supplies and food. Now, they face days and nights fighting from the trenches and realize that fighting for their country is not what they had once believed it would be. The film won Academy Awards for Best Picture and Director.
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Amazing Mr. Williams 1939 N/R, 80 min. Genre: Comedy
Director: Alexander Hall Cast: Melvyn Douglas, Joan Blondell, Clarence Kolb, Ruth Donnelly, Edward Brophy, Donald MacBride, Don Beddoe, Jonathan Hale, John Wray, Maude Eburne
Kenny (Melvyn Douglas) is a groom-to-be, but first he must help a woman clear her name, to the chagrin of his fiancee. An amusing comedy/mystery.
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The Big Shakedown 1934 N/R, 64 min. Genre: Drama
Director: John Francis Dillon Cast: Charles Farrell, Bette Davis, Ricardo Cortez, Glenda Farrell, Allen Jenkins, Henry O'Neill, Robert Emmett O'Connor, Dewey Robinson, John Wray, Renee Whitney
When a young pharmacist (Charles Farrell) is drawn into the drug kingdom, his wife (Bette Davis) decides she cannot live in his new world.
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Blackmail 1939 N/R, 81 min. Genre: Drama
Director: H.C. Potter Cast: Edward G. Robinson, Ruth Hussey, Gene Lockhart, Bobs Watson, Guinn "Big Boy" Williams, John Wray, Arthur Hohl, Esther Dale, Joseph Crehan, Victor Kilian
In another good performance, Edward G. Robinson plays an innocent man who is blackmailed and sent to prison.
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The Cat and the Canary 1939 N/R, 72 min. Genre: Comedy / Mystery
Director: Elliott Nugent Cast: Bob Hope, Paulette Goddard, John Beal, Douglass Montgomery, Gale Sondergaard, Elizabeth Patterson, Nydia Westman, George Zucco, John Wray, Milton Kibbee
This remake of the 1927 classic film is a comedy/mystery that established Bob Hope's film career in a tale involving a group of murdering relatives spending the night in a haunted house awaiting word of who will inherit a fortune.
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The Death Kiss 1933 N/R, 74 min. Genre: Mystery
Director: Edwin L. Marin Cast: David Manners, Adrienne Ames, Bela Lugosi, John Wray, Edward Van Sloan, Vince Barnett, Wade Boteler, Harry Strang, Paul Porcasi, Harold Minjir, Alexander Carr
During the filming of a mystery film, one of the actors is murdered. When the film's leading lady (Adrienne Ames) is arrested for the crime, the film's screenwriter Franklin Drew (David Manners) begins to investigate. The suspects include the studio chief (Alexander Carr), studio executive (Bela Lugosi), and the film's director (Edward Van Sloan).
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Each Dawn I Die 1939 N/R, 92 min. Genre: Drama / Thriller
Director: William Keighley Cast: James Cagney, George Raft, Jane Bryan, George Bancroft, Max "Slapsie Maxie" Rosenbloom, Victor Jory, Stanley Ridges, Alan Baxter, Willard Robertson, Clay Clement, John Wray, Emma Dunn, Edward Pawley, Paul Hurst, Louis Jean Heydt
This prison melodrama centers around the attempted escape of crime boss "Hood" Stacey (George Raft) and the involvement of another prisoner, youthful reporter Frank Ross (James Cagney), who was framed for murder. Frank has appealed for parole but remains behind bars at Rocky Point Prison. He thinks that he has found a solution when he makes a deal to help "Hood" escape if "Hood" will help Frank prove his own innocence. "Hood" escapes but does nothing to help Frank until Frank's reporter girlfriend Joyce (Jane Bryan) steps in and convinces "Hood" to identify the real killer, Peter Kassock (John Wray), as the man who framed Frank. It turns out that Peter is also at Rocky Point Prison, and now his fate is sealed.
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Green Eyes 1934 N/R, 68 min. Genre: Mystery
Director: Richard Thorpe Cast: Shirley Grey, Charles Starrett, Claude Gillingwater, John Wray, William Bakewell, Dorothy Revier, Ben Hendricks Jr., Alden "Stephen" Chase, Arthur Clayton, Aggie Herring, Edward Keane, Robert Frazer
Stephen Kester (Claude Gillingwater) is hosting a weekend masquerade party at his country mansion when he is found stabbed to death in a closet. You guessed it–police are called in, guests are questioned, and the murder is solved.
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I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang 1932 N/R, 93 min. Genre: Drama
Director: Mervyn LeRoy Cast: Paul Muni, Glenda Farrell, Helen Vinson, Preston Foster, Allen Jenkins, Edward Ellis, Harry Woods, Douglass Dumbrille, Irving Bacon, John Wray, Noel Francis, Berton Churchill, David Landau, Hale Hamilton, Sally Blane
This powerful story, based on the autobiography of Robert E. Burns, concerns an innocent man, James Allen (Paul Muni) who went through Hell-on-Earth at the hands of a Southern justice system. After escaping the chain gang once only to be turned in later by scorned wife Helen (Glenda Farrell), he again escapes. This is not a pleasant story, but it is one that should hold the watcher's attention. The ending is classic.
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A Man Betrayed 1937 N/R, 58 min. Genre: Drama
Director: John H. Auer Cast: Edward J. Nugent, Kay Hughes, Lloyd Hughes, John Wray, Edwin Maxwell, Theodore von Eltz, Thomas E. Jackson, William Newell, Smiley Burnette, John Hamilton, Ralf Harolde, Carleton Young
Oil company executive Frank Powell (Edward J. Nugent) is framed for a murder and teams up with a group of thieves–led by Sparks (John Wray)–who helps prove his innocence.
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The Mouthpiece 1932 N/R, 90 min. Genre: Drama
Director: James Flood Cast: Warren William, Sidney Fox, Aline MacMahon, William Janney, John Wray, Mae Madison, Paulette Goddard, Guy Kibbee, J. Carrol Naish, Ralph Ince
Vincent Day (Warren William) is a prosecutor who becomes involved in corruption and takes over the defense of underworld figures. This film was later remade twice–as "The Man Who Talked Too Much" and "Illegal."
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Mr. Deeds Goes to Town 1936 N/R, 118 min. Genre: Comedy / Romance
Director: Frank Capra Cast: Gary Cooper, Jean Arthur, George Bancroft, Lionel Stander, Douglass Dumbrille, Raymond Walburn, H.B. Warner, Warren Hymer, Ruth Donnelly, Spencer Charters, Walter Catlett, John Wray, Stanley Andrews, Irving Bacon, George "Gabby" Hayes
In this classic film, Longfellow Deeds (Gary Cooper) inherits $20 million. He leaves his small town and moves to New York City where his lack of sophistication is misinterpreted when he wants to use part of his fortune to help the needy. Newspaper reporter Babe Bennett (Jean Arthur) is sent to get the scoop on Deeds and, in the process, regrets her actions when she falls in love with him. Frank Capra won the Oscar for Best Director, and four other Oscar nominations were received, including Best Picture and Actor (Cooper).
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Poor Little Rich Girl 1936 N/R, 77 min. Genre: Family / Adventure / Musical / Romance
Director: Irving Cummings Cast: Shirley Temple, Alice Faye, Gloria Stuart, Jack Haley, Michael Whalen, Jane Darwell, Claude Gillingwater, Henry Armetta, Sara Haden, Arthur Hoyt, Paul Stanton, Charles Coleman, John Wray, Tyler Brooke, Mathilde Comont
Barbara Barry (Shirley Temple) is a motherless girl who runs away from her wealthy father (Michael Whalen) and joins Jerry and Jimmy Dolan (Alice Faye and Jack Haley) in their vaudeville act. Barbara loves life on the stage, and her widowed father realizes he is losing his daughter and tries to win back her affections. This is one of Shirley Temple's best films.
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The President's Mystery 1936 N/R, 80 min. Genre: Mystery / Romance aka: One for All
Director: Phil Rosen Cast: Henry Wilcoxon, Betty Furness, Sidney Blackmer, Evelyn Brent, Barnett Parker, Mel Ruick, Wade Boteler, John Wray, Guy Usher, Robert Homans, Si Jenks, Arthur Aylesworth
A millionaire lawyer, James Blake (Henry Wilcoxon), fakes his own death and leaves his wife Ilka (Evelyn Brent) and law practice behind in order to start life anew. He then joins the woman he now loves, Charlotte (Betty Furness)–but big problems loom on James' horizon.
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Quick Millions 1931 N/R, 69 min. Genre: Drama
Director: Rowland Brown Cast: Spencer Tracy, Marguerite Churchill, Sally Eilers, Robert Burns, John Wray, George Raft, Warner Richmond, Edgar Kennedy, Leon Ames, Ward Bond
"Bugs" Raymond (Spencer Tracy) turns his job of truck driving into illegal racketeering–only to lose out in the end.
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Remember the Night 1940 N/R, 93 min. Genre: Comedy
Director: Mitchell Leisen Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray, Beulah Bondi, Elizabeth Patterson, Sterling Holloway, Paul Guilfoyle, Willard Robertson, Charles Waldron, Charles Arnt, John Wray
Lee Leander (Barbara Stanwyck) is arrested for shoplifting, but, because of Christmas vacation, her trial is postponed for two weeks. Deputy district attorney John Sargent (Fred MacMurray) steps in, takes pity on her, bails her out of jail, and agrees to keep her in his custody until the trial. Lee's visit to John's home changes both of their lives for the better.
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Swiss Family Robinson 1940 N/R, 92 min. Genre: Family
Director: Edward Ludwig Cast: Thomas Mitchell, Edna Best, Freddie Bartholomew, Terry Kilburn, Tim Holt, Christian Rub, John Wray, Herbert Rawlinson, Orson Welles, Bobbie Quillan
Based on Johann David Wyss' novel, this is the story of a shipwrecked family who learn how to survive on a small South Seas island. Welles narrates opening scenes.
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| 1. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
2. Amazing Mr. Williams (1939)
3. The Big Shakedown (1934)
4. Blackmail (1939)
5. The Cat and the Canary (1939)
6. The Death Kiss (1933)
7. Each Dawn I Die (1939)
8. Green Eyes (1934)
9. I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932)
10. A Man Betrayed (1937)
11. The Mouthpiece (1932)
12. Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)
13. Poor Little Rich Girl (1936)
14. The President's Mystery (1936) aka: One for All
15. Quick Millions (1931)
16. Remember the Night (1940)
17. Swiss Family Robinson (1940)
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