Beyond the Forest 1949 N/R, 95 min. Genre: Drama
Director: King Vidor Cast: Bette Davis, Joseph Cotten, David Brian, Ruth Roman, Regis Toomey, Dona Drake
A greedy woman, Rosa (Bette Davis), marries a small-town doctor (Joseph Cotten) with little money and then lives unhappily ever after–until she finds a new, fateful love interest. Bette Davis mutters, "What a Dump!"
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Billy the Kid 1930 N/R, 90 min. Genre: Western aka: The Highwayman Rides
Director: King Vidor Cast: Johnny Mack Brown, Wallace Beery, Kay Johnson, Karl Dane, Roscoe Ates, Wyndham Standing, Russell Simpson, Blanche Friderici, Warner Richmond, James A. Marcus, Nelson McDowell, Jack Carlyle, Chris-Pin Martin, John Beck, Marguerita Padula
A Marshal (Wallace Beery) is determined to capture and bring to justice the infamous Billy the Kid (Johnny Mack Brown) in this early talkie Western.
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Bird of Paradise 1932 N/R, 80 min. Genre: Drama
Director: King Vidor Cast: Joel McCrea, Dolores del Rio, John Halliday, Richard "Skeets" Gallagher, Lon Chaney Jr., Bert Roach, Napoleon Pukui, Wade Boteler, Creighton Hale, Arnold Gray
Romance blooms when an adventurer (Joel McCrea) arrives on a South Seas island and falls in love with a beautiful native (Dolores del Rio).
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The Champ 1931 N/R, 85 min. Genre: Drama
Director: King Vidor Cast: Wallace Beery, Jackie Cooper, Irene Rich, Roscoe Ates, Edward Brophy, Hale Hamilton, Jesse Scott, Marcia Mae Jones
Wallace Beery won the Academy Award for his role of Champ, the down-and-out boxer who loves his son, Dink (Jackie Cooper). Nominations for Best Picture and Director were also received. The story was later remade as "The Clown" in 1953 and again as "The Champ" in 1979.
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The Crowd 1928 N/R, 104 min. Genre: Drama
Director: King Vidor Cast: Eleanor Boardman, James Murray, Bert Roach, Estelle Clark, Daniel G. Tomlinson, Dell Henderson, Lucy Beaumont, Freddie Burke Frederick, Alice Mildred Puter
If there is really a classic movie, this is it. In one of the greatest silent films, young Joe (Murray) takes off to make his mark on the world in New York. But life is not easy, and this is the story of his family's ups and downs.
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Duel in the Sun 1946 N/R, 138 min. Genre: Western / Drama
Director: King Vidor Cast: Jennifer Jones, Gregory Peck, Joseph Cotten, Lionel Barrymore, Lillian Gish, Walter Huston, Herbert Marshall, Charles Bickford, Harry Carey, Otto Kruger, Joan Tetzel, Tilly Losch, Butterfly McQueen, Scott McKay, Sidney Blackmer
Half-breed Pearl Chavez (Jennifer Jones) is taken into the home of Laura Belle McCanles (Lillian Gish), her cattle baron husband Senator (Lionel Barrymore), and two sons Jesse (Joseph Cotten) and Lewt (Gregory Peck). Because of her background, Pearl is thought of as hot-blooded, and both Jesse and Lewt vie for her affections. Meanwhile, the two brothers use different means to fight the railroad that is infringing on their land, and Lewt kills one man (Charles Bickford) when he tries to propose to Pearl. By story's end, Pearl decides to take the easy road and takes on the role of the Jezebel she is reputed to be. Produced by David O. Selznik, this epic film captures the romance and dangers of the bygone era when cattle was king.
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The Fountainhead 1949 N/R, 114 min. Genre: Drama
Director: King Vidor Cast: Gary Cooper, Patricia Neal, Raymond Massey, Kent Smith, Robert Douglas, Henry Hull, Ray Collins, Moroni Olsen, Jerome Cowan, Paul Harvey
In this screen adaptation of Ayn Rand's philosophical novel about the value of individualism, Howard Roark (Gary Cooper) is the individualist architect who stands for integrity in a world of conformity.
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Man Without a Star 1955 N/R, 89 min. Genre: Western
Director: King Vidor Cast: Kirk Douglas, Jeanne Crain, Claire Trevor, William Campbell, Richard Boone, Mara Corday, Jay C. Flippen, Jack Elam, George Wallace, Paul Birch
Dempsey Rae (Kirk Douglas) is a drifter who helps Jeff Jimson (William Campbell) learn the ropes of being a cowboy. At the same time, he stays in one place just long enough to help Reed Bowman (Jeanne Crain) protect her land while he carries on a romance with dancehall hostess, Idonee (Claire Trevor). By film's end, Rae is drifting on to the next town.
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Northwest Passage 1940 N/R, 115 min. Genre: Adventure
Director: King Vidor Cast: Spencer Tracy, Robert Young, Walter Brennan, Addison Richards, Ruth Hussey, Nat Pendleton, Donald MacBride, Robert Barrat, Lumsden Hare, Isabel Jewell
In this historical saga about 18th-century America, Major Robert Rogers (Spencer Tracy) leads his men on an expedition to map out a northwest passage to the sea.
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On Our Merry Way 1948 N/R, 107 min. Genre: Comedy / Drama aka: A Miracle Can Happen
Director: Leslie Fenton, King Vidor, George Stevens, John Huston Cast: Burgess Meredith, Paulette Goddard, Fred MacMurray, Hugh Herbert, James Stewart, Dorothy Lamour, Victor Moore, Eilene Janssen, Henry Fonda, William Demarest, Harry James, Charles D. Brown, Henry Hull, Eduardo Ciannelli, John Qualen
This film is a series of episodes tied together by the shell of a story about a newspaper reporter (Burgess Meredith) and his new wife (Paulette Goddard–his actual wife at the time). He asks a number of people how a child has changed their lives and gets a variety of answers.
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Our Daily Bread 1934 N/R, 74 min. Genre: Drama aka: Miracle of Life
Director: King Vidor Cast: Tom Keene, Karen Morley, Barbara Pepper, John Qualen, Addison Richards, Billy Engel, Frank Minor, Henry Hall, Harry Holman, Lynton Brent
King Vidor produced and directed this powerful film. Set during the Depression, the story shows how the extraordinary efforts of those who work on a collective farm provide the way to salvation.
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Ruby Gentry 1952 N/R, 82 min. Genre: Drama
Director: King Vidor Cast: Jennifer Jones, Charlton Heston, Karl Malden, Tom Tully, Phyllis Avery, James Anderson, Josephine Hutchinson, Herbert Heyes, Charles Cane, Sam Flint, Myra Marsh, Frank Wilcox, Edgar Dearing, Barney Phillips
This is a story about the class system encountered by Ruby (Jennifer Jones) who thought "marrying up" with Boake Tackman (Charlton Heston) would give her the social status she desired. When Boake marries Tracy (Phyllis Avery) instead of Ruby, she marries the very wealthy Jim Gentry (Karl Malden). Later, Jim is killed in an accident, Ruby inherits his fortune, and calls in his loans. Boake is now turned on by Ruby, but their romance is ill-fated, and tragedy lies ahead.
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Solomon and Sheba 1959 N/R, 139 min. Genre: Drama
Director: King Vidor Cast: Yul Brynner, Gina Lollobrigida, George Sanders, Marisa Pavan, David Farrar, John Crawford, Finlay Currie, Harry Andrews, Laurence Naismith, Jose Nieto, Alejandro Rey, Maruchi Fresno, William Devlin, Jack Gwillim, Julio Pena
Tyrone Power was working on this film in the role of Solomon when he died; Yul Brynner replaced him. The story is based on the Biblical epic of Sheba's (Gina Lollobrigida) seductive attempt to bring down Solomon's rule of Israel.
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Stella Dallas 1937 N/R, 108 min. Genre: Drama
Director: King Vidor Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, John Boles, Anne Shirley, Barbara O'Neil, Alan Hale, Marjorie Main, Tim Holt, Ann Shoemaker, Nella Walker, Jimmy Butler
Barbara Stanwyck was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in her role of Stella Dallas, the young woman from a mill town who marries a wealthy man (John Boles) but cannot find happiness because they never reconcile their differences in upbringing. Anne Shirley also received an Oscar nomination (Best Supporting Actress).
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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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The Texas Rangers 1936 N/R, 95 min. Genre: Western
Director: King Vidor Cast: Fred MacMurray, Jack Oakie, Jean Parker, Lloyd Nolan, Edward Ellis, Stanley Andrews, Irving Bacon, George "Gabby" Hayes, Fred Kohler, Richard Carle, Frank Shannon, Benny Bartlett, Frank Cordell, Jed Prouty, Elena Martinez
Following the Civil War, outlaws Jim Hawkins (Fred MacMurray) and Wahoo Jones (Jack Oakie) opt out of their criminal activities and turn to the side of law and order when they become Texas Rangers. Later, Jim and Wahoo conspire to capture a former cohort Sam McGee (Lloyd Nolan) whose gang is creating terror throughout the area. Followed by "The Texas Rangers Ride Again" and remade in 1949 as "Streets of Laredo."
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War and Peace 1956 N/R, 208 min. Genre: Drama / Romance
Director: King Vidor Cast: Henry Fonda, Audrey Hepburn, Mel Ferrer, Herbert Lom, John Mills, Barry Jones, Vittorio Gassman, Anita Ekberg, Oskar Homolka, May Britt, Wilfrid Lawson, Helmut Dantine, Tullio Carminati, Milly Vitale, Anna-Maria Ferrero
Napoleon's invasion of Russia is the backdrop for this epic tale in which the Russian aristocracy, with its reverence for the church, is clearly brought out amidst the glamorous lifestyle. While Napoleon plans to invade Russia, Russian intellectual Pierre Bezukhov (Henry Fonda) falls in love with Natasha (Audrey Hepburn). But, after his father dies and he gains a large inheritance, Pierre marries Helene (Anita Ekberg). This proves to be a loveless marriage that ends quickly. Meanwhile, Napoleon has invaded Russia, and Pierre's friend Andrei (Mel Ferrer) is fighting in the war. Andrei returns home and falls in love with Natasha but returns to the battlefield and is critically wounded. Pierre witnesses the carnage and vows to kill Napoleon. The French are finally beaten, and, by story's end, Pierre is reunited with Natasha. King Vidor received an Oscar nomination for his directing.
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The Wedding Night 1935 N/R, 81 min. Genre: Drama
Director: King Vidor Cast: Gary Cooper, Ralph Bellamy, Walter Brennan, Anna Sten, Helen Vinson, Sig Ruman, Esther Dale, George Meeker, Hilda Vaughn, Douglas Wood
A Polish girl is pursued by two men–with disastrous results.
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| 1. Beyond the Forest (1949)
2. The Big Parade (1925)
3. Billy the Kid (1930) aka: The Highwayman Rides
4. Bird of Paradise (1932)
5. The Champ (1931)
6. Comrade X (1940)
7. The Crowd (1928)
8. Cynara (1932)
9. Duel in the Sun (1946)
10. The Fountainhead (1949)
11. Hollywood Mavericks (1990)
12. Love and Money (1982)
13. Man Without a Star (1955)
14. Northwest Passage (1940)
15. On Our Merry Way (1948) aka: A Miracle Can Happen
16. Our Daily Bread (1934) aka: Miracle of Life
17. Ruby Gentry (1952)
18. Solomon and Sheba (1959)
19. Stella Dallas (1937)
20. Street Scene (1931)
21. The Texas Rangers (1936)
22. War and Peace (1956)
23. The Wedding Night (1935)
In The News
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