Alimony 1949 N/R, 71 min. Genre: Drama
Director: Alfred Zeisler Cast: Martha Vickers, John Beal, Hillary Brooke, Douglass Dumbrille, James Guilfoyle, Laurie Linde, Marie Blake, Leonid Kinskey, Ralph Graves, William Ruhl, Harry Lauter, Joseph Crehan
Kitty (Martha Vickers) has found a good money-making job: she talks wealthy men into leaving their wives and marrying her, then brings lawsuits against them (such as adultery), and wins nice alimony settlements. But, a good job is hard to keep.
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Ball of Fire 1941 N/R, 111 min. Genre: Comedy
Director: Howard Hawks Cast: Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck, Dana Andrews, Richard Haydn, Oskar Homolka, Henry Travers, S.Z. Sakall, Allen Jenkins, Tully Marshall, Elisha Cook Jr., Leonid Kinskey, Dan Duryea, Aubrey Mather, Ralph Peters, Mary Field
Burlesque dancer Sugarpuss O'Shea (Barbara Stanwyck) moves into the home of seven professors, led by Bertram Potts (Gary Cooper), who are writing the "Encyclopedia of Slang." Comedy abounds when the professors learn slang first hand from their new resident and her gangster cohorts. Barbara Stanwyck received an Oscar nomination. 1 User Review
| User Review |
| | One of my favorite comedies | 1fatts 03/26/2007 | This comedy, famously modelled on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs places the great Barbara Stanwyck doing the "heart of gold tramp" in the middle of seven ivory tower professors living a monastic life, dedicating themselves to the writing of a new encyclopedia. (You remember written encycolopedias; you used to be able to find them in libraries near the microfiche.)
The professors are a splendid gathering of the best of the character actors of the time: "Cuddles" Sakall, Henry Travers, Hichard Haydn and on and on. Their leader and chief egghead is Gary Cooper playing wonderfully against type. (He did this in a great comic western once: See "Along Came Jones" when it comes along.) The result is funny and charming; and, yes, we really are touched by the innocence of long ago and far away.
For those who don't know the work of the young Barbara Stanwyck, this is a good one to serve as introduction. She really is a ball of fire. |
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The Big Broadcast of 1937 1936 N/R, 100 min. Genre: Comedy / Drama / Musical
Director: Mitchell Leisen Cast: Jack Benny, George Burns, Gracie Allen, Ray Milland, Bob Burns, Martha Raye, Shirley Ross, Benny Goodman, Irving Bacon, Jack Mulhall, Leonid Kinskey, Benny Fields, Sam Hearn, Frank Forest, Gene Krupa
Jack Carson (Jack Benny) owns a radio station and is having problems with sponsors. To solve the problem, he puts on a big show featuring big stars. George Burns and Gracie Allen star as the Platts who host "Platt Golf Ball," which presents more than a few problems because they just do not see eye-to-eye. Among others, musicians include Benny Goodman and Gene Krupa.
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Broadway Limited 1941 N/R, 75 min. Genre: Comedy
Director: Gordon Douglas Cast: Victor McLaglen, Marjorie Woodworth, Dennis O'Keefe, Patsy Kelly, Zasu Pitts, Leonid Kinskey, George E. Stone, Gay Ellen Dakin, Charles C. Wilson, John Sheehan, Edgar Edwards, Eric Alden, Sam McDaniel, Eddie Acuff, J. Farrell MacDonald
Film director Ivan Ivanski (Leonid Kinskey) boards the train from Chicago heading to New York with his up-and-coming star April (Marjorie Woodworth) and secretary Patsy (Patsy Kelly). Ivan wants April to take a baby with her on the trip as a publicity stunt. They find a baby and start the trip, but problems unfold when the engineer suspects that the baby was kidnapped.
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Cafe Metropole 1937 N/R, 83 min. Genre: Comedy / Drama / Romance
Director: Edward H. Griffith Cast: Tyrone Power, Loretta Young, Adolphe Menjou, Gregory Ratoff, Charles Winninger, Helen Westley, Christian Rub, Ferdinand Gottschalk, Georges Renavent, Leonid Kinskey, Hal K. Dawson, Louis Mercier, Gino Corrado, Jules Raucourt, Paul Porcasi
Monsieur Victor (Adolphe Menjou) owns the Cafe Metropole, but he faces a prison term if he does not replace the money he has embezzled from the cafe. He thinks he has the money when he wins at the casino, and playboy Alexander Brown (Tyrone Power) gives him a check, but the check bounces. Now, Victor forces Alexander to pretend to be a Russian prince, "Alexis Penayev," and woo a wealthy American, Laura Ridgeway (Loretta Young), so that they can use her money to pay off the debt. The courtship begins, Alexis and Laura fall in love, and then the real prince (Gregory Ratoff) makes himself known. Has Victor taken on more than he can handle?
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Can't Help Singing 1944 N/R, 90 min. Genre: Musical
Director: Frank Ryan Cast: Deanna Durbin, Robert Paige, Akim Tamiroff, David Bruce, Leonid Kinskey, June Vincent, Ray Collins, Andrew Tombes, Thomas Gomez, Clara Blandick
The senator's daughter (Deanna Durbin) loves a U.S. Army officer, but the senator, not caring for him, sends his unit to California. Now she is on the way West by all sorts of transportation, picking up companions on the way. Not much plot, but Deanna's singing is great, and Jerome Kern's musical score won an Academy Award nomination. This is Deanna's only Technicolor film.
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Casablanca 1942 N/R, 104 min. Genre: Drama / Romance
Director: Michael Curtiz Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Peter Lorre, Paul Henreid, Sydney Greenstreet, S.Z. Sakall, Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, John Qualen, Leonid Kinskey, Madeleine LeBeau, Dooley Wilson, Joy Page, Curt Bois, Marcel Dalio
One of the best films ever, this Oscar winner for Best Picture stars Humphrey Bogart as Rick, the owner of a Moroccan bar during the German occupation of Northern Africa in WWII. When the love of his life, Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman), shows up in his joint one night, their old romance is rekindled; but Nazi politics make strange bedfellows. Rick: "Here's looking at you, kid." Another major Academy Award went to Michael Curtiz for his directing. The film also won for Best Writing, and had several nominations, including Best Actor (Bogart) and Supporting Actor (Claude Rains).
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Change of Heart 1934 N/R, 76 min. Genre: Musical
Director: John G. Blystone Cast: Janet Gaynor, Charles Farrell, James Dunn, Ginger Rogers, Shirley Temple, Mischa Auer, Jane Darwell, Bess Flowers, Dick Foran, Leonid Kinskey
Following college, four graduates head for New York in search of fame and fortune.
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Down Argentine Way 1940 N/R, 90 min. Genre: Musical / Comedy / Romance
Director: Irving Cummings Cast: Don Ameche, Betty Grable, Carmen Miranda, Charlotte Greenwood, J. Carrol Naish, Henry Stephenson, Kay Aldridge, Leonid Kinskey, Chris-Pin Martin, Robert Conway, Gregory Gaye, Bobby Stone, Charles Judels
American heiress Glenda (Betty Grable) visits Argentina where she hopes to find wealthy racehorse owner Ricardo Quintana (Don Ameche). She succeeds in reaching Ricardo, and they fall in love but must deal with their feuding families before living happily ever after. The film received three Academy Award nominations, including Best Original Song ("Down Argentine Way")
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Duck Soup 1933 N/R, 70 min. Genre: Comedy
Director: Leo McCarey Cast: Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx, Zeppo Marx, Edmund Breese, Louis Calhern, Margaret Dumont, Edgar Kennedy, Charles Middleton, Edwin Maxwell, Raquel Torres, Verna Hillie, Leonid Kinskey, William Worthington, Eric Mayne
Wealthy Mrs. Teasdale (Margaret Dumont) donates $20 million to Freedonia with the provision that it will make Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho Marx) its dictator. The deal is made, and Firefly immediately frustrates his cabinet and offends the neighboring country of Sylvania. War is inevitable, and Sylvania sends Chicolini (Chico Marx) and Pinky (Harpo Marx) to spy on Firefly and become members of his cabinet. Firefly declares war on Sylvania, and after more than a few double-crosses, Freedonia wins. This movie is silly, zany, crafty, and VERY entertaining.
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Everything Happens at Night 1939 N/R, 76 min. Genre: Drama
Director: Irving Cummings Cast: Sonja Henie, Ray Milland, Robert Cummings, Maurice Moscovitch, Alan Dinehart, Fritz Feld, Jody Gilbert, Leonid Kinskey, Victor Varconi, William Edmunds
Two reporters, Geoffrey Thompson (Ray Milland) and Ken Morgan (Robert Cummings), try to find a missing Nobel Prize winner, and both fall in love with the man's daughter, Louise (Sonja Henie).
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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.
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The Fighting Seabees 1944 N/R, 100 min. Genre: Action
Director: Edward Ludwig Cast: John Wayne, Susan Hayward, Dennis O'Keefe, William Frawley, William Forrest, Leonid Kinskey, J.M. Kerrigan, Grant Withers, Paul Fix, Addison Richards, Roy Brent
The danger inherent in those who serve with the Seabees is the focus of this World War II film starring John Wayne as a construction boss.
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The General Died at Dawn 1936 N/R, 98 min. Genre: Adventure / Drama / Thriller
Director: Lewis Milestone Cast: Gary Cooper, Madeleine Carroll, Akim Tamiroff, Dudley Digges, Porter Hall, William Frawley, J.M. Kerrigan, Philip Ahn, Leonid Kinskey, Paul Harvey, Lee Tung Foo, Val Durand, Willie Fung, Russell Hicks, John O'Hara
An American adventurer, O'Hara (Gary Cooper), travels across China with money to buy weapons needed to fight warlord General Yang (Akim Tamiroff). While on his mission, O'Hara falls in love with a beautiful spy, Judy (Madeleine Carroll), who is the daughter of Peter Perrie (Porter Hall). Peter happens to be one of Yang's agents. Judy and O'Hara are captured, and Yang orders that they be executed. When Judy and O"Hara manage to escape, Yang orders his guards to commit suicide, and then he dies.
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Glory 1956 N/R, 100 min. Genre: Drama
Director: David Butler Cast: Margaret O'Brien, Walter Brennan, Charlotte Greenwood, John Lupton, Byron Palmer, Madge Blake, Hugh Sanders, Walter Baldwin, Leonid Kinskey
Clarabel Tilbee (Margaret O'Brien) is determined to enter her horse in the Kentucky Derby, and love blooms between Clarabel and horse breeder Chad (John Lupton) along the way to the big race.
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The Great Waltz 1938 N/R, 102 min. Genre: Musical / Drama / Romance
Director: Julien Duvivier Cast: Luise Rainer, Fernand Gravey, Miliza Korjus, Hugh Herbert, Lionel Atwill, Curt Bois, Leonid Kinskey, Minna Gombell, George Houston, Bert Roach, Greta Meyer, Herman Bing, Alma Kruger, Henry Hull, Sig Ruman
In this fictionalized biography of Austrian "Waltz King" Johann Strauss, Fernand Gravey takes on the role of Strauss in a very good romantic musical. Luise Rainer plays Strauss' wife Poldie and received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in this film.
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Make a Wish 1937 N/R, 76 min. Genre: Musical
Director: Kurt Neumann Cast: Basil Rathbone, Bobby Breen, Marion Claire, Ralph Forbes, Henry Armetta, Leon Errol, Donald Meek, Billy Lee, Leonid Kinskey, Herbert Rawlinson, Richard Tucker, Johnny Arthur, Barbara Barondess, Spencer Charters, Lillian Harmer
Young singing prodigy Chip (Bobby Breen) attends a summer camp where he is befriended by composer Selden (Basil Rathbone) who has lost his creative inspiration. When Chip reads letters from his widowed mother Irene (Marion Claire) to Selden, her words give him that needed inspiration to write a new opera. Irene stars in the opera and falls in love with Selden, and Chip gets a new father.
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Man with the Golden Arm 1955 N/R, 119 min. Genre: Drama
Director: Otto Preminger Cast: Frank Sinatra, Kim Novak, Eleanor Parker, Darren McGavin, Arnold Stang, Robert Strauss, George Mathews, John Conte, George E. Stone, Leonid Kinskey, Doro Merande, Emile Meyer, Jack Mulhall, Will Wright
This is the story of card dealer/drug addict Frankie Machine (Frank Sinatra) who fights to kick the habit after he returns from six months in rehab. His boss (Robert Strauss) wants him to work one more rigged poker marathon. At the same time, Frankie must deal with his wheelchair-confined wife Zosch (Eleanor Parker)–who is actually faking her condition. Along comes sympathetic Molly (Kim Novak) who supports Frankie when he goes cold turkey and kicks the habit. Sinatra was nominated for the Academy Award for his performance.
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Nancy Goes to Rio 1950 N/R, 99 min. Genre: Musical / Comedy
Director: Robert Z. Leonard Cast: Jane Powell, Ann Sothern, Barry Sullivan, Carmen Miranda, Scotty Beckett, Fortunio Bonanova, Hans Conried, Louis Calhern, Nella Walker, Leon Belasco, Glenn Anders, Frank(2) Fontaine, Pierre Watkin, Sig Arno, Leonid Kinskey
Broadway star Frances (Ann Sothern) goes to Rio to prepare for her next show, and her daughter Nancy (Jane Powell) follows. Frances doesn't know that 17-year-old Nancy has been hired to appear in her show, and problems develop when rumors have Nancy rehearsing for Frances' role. As if that were not enough, rumors also mistakenly tell that Nancy is pregnant. Then to complete the problems, Frances and Nancy both fall for leading man Paul Berten (Barry Sullivan). Songs include "Time and Time Again" and "Shine on Harvest Moon."
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On Your Toes 1939 N/R, 93 min. Genre: Musical
Director: Ray Enright Cast: Vera Zorina, Eddie Albert, Alan Hale, Frank McHugh, James Gleason, Donald O'Connor, Leonid Kinskey, Queenie Smith, Berton Churchill, Irving Bacon
Although this film is loosely based on the Rogers and Hart musical, not much of the original Broadway show remains. Phil Dolan Jr. (Eddie Albert) is a composer who endures a long romance with ballerina Vera (Vera Zorina).
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Presenting Lily Mars 1943 N/R, 106 min. Genre: Musical
Director: Norman Taurog Cast: Judy Garland, Van Heflin, Fay Bainter, Richard Carlson, Spring Byington, Marta Eggerth, Marilyn Maxwell, Tommy Dorsey, Bob Crosby, Leonid Kinskey
A small town girl, Lily Mars (Judy Garland), aspires to stardom on Broadway in this run-of-the-mill, boy-meets-girl musical.
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So Ends Our Night 1941 N/R, 120 min. Genre: Adventure
Director: John Cromwell Cast: Fredric March, Frances Dee, Margaret Sullavan, Glenn Ford, Erich von Stroheim, Anna Sten, Joseph Cawthorn, Leonid Kinskey, Alexander Granach, Sig Ruman
In this World War II story, political refugees traverse Europe trying to stay one step ahead of the Nazis.
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The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle 1939 N/R, 93 min. Genre: Musical
Director: H.C. Potter Cast: Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Edna May Oliver, Walter Brennan, Etienne Girardot, Janet Beecher, Rolfe Sedan, Donald MacBride, Marge Champion, Leonid Kinskey
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers portray the popular dance team of Vernon and Irene Castle who made ballroom dancing popular in the early 20th century.
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The Talk of the Town 1942 N/R, 118 min. Genre: Comedy
Director: George Stevens Cast: Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, Ronald Colman, Edgar Buchanan, Glenda Farrell, Charles Dingle, Emma Dunn, Rex Ingram, Leonid Kinskey, Tom Tyler
Nora Shelley (Jean Arthur) convinces attorney Michael Lightrap (Ronald Colman) to defend Leopold Dilg (Cary Grant) who is a murder suspect in this excellent comedy about civil rights. There were seven Academy Award nominations, one of which was for Best Picture.
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That Night in Rio 1941 N/R, 90 min. Genre: Comedy / Musical
Director: Irving Cummings Cast: Alice Faye, Don Ameche, Carmen Miranda, S.Z. Sakall, J. Carrol Naish, Curt Bois, Leonid Kinskey, Bando da Lua, Frank Puglia, Maria Montez, Lillian Porter, Georges Renavent, Fortunio Bonanova, Eddie Conrad
Baron (Don Ameche) and Baroness (Alice Faye) Duarte head for South America, but, in order to save his business, the Baron must slip out of the country. He hires entertainer Larry Martin (also Don Ameche) to impersonate him and allow time for him to complete the deal. But, Larry treats the Baroness so nicely that when the Baron returns he knows that he must be more attentive to his wife. 1 User Review
| User Review |
| | Apple 03/06/2007 | My husband and I loved it. The re-mastering of the DVD is wonderful, Don Ameche is in fine voice and Carmen Miranda moves better than most women...ever! She and her bad knock out those Brazilian melodies with great gusto and the Samba is danced much better by her than by the other dancers choreographed by Hermes Pan. Carmen was really the star. She should have had top billing over Alice Faye who floated through the film as if she was stoned. But I heard she was ill around this time. Still...she's beautiful and her voice is lovely and mellow. The costumes by Travis Banton were magnificent and there were many of them...including Carmen Miranda's. Althought they were as usual a bit over-the-top they were more elegant than usual.
I searched and searched thru they DVD and I'll be darned if I could find Maria Montez. Maybe somebody can post here which character she was (I know her name was Inex but never heard it mentioned in the movie.)
All in all it was a very good night of entertainment. |
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That's My Baby 1944 N/R, 68 min. Genre: Animation / Comedy / Drama / Musical
Director: William Berke Cast: Richard Arlen, Ellen Drew, Leonid Kinskey, Minor Watson, Richard Bailey, Marjorie Manners, Madeline Grey, Alex Callam, P.J. Kelly, William "Billy" Benedict, Jack Chefe, Mike Riley, Freddie Fisher
For many years, R.P. Moody (Minor Watson) has suffered from depression, and now his daughter Betty (Ellen Drew) and her boyfriend Tim (Richard Arlen) plan to bring vaudevillians into the home to cheer him up. Good singing and dancing add to the fun, but the real highlight of this film is David Fleisher's ("Popeye" animator) animated sequence.
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Weekend in Havana 1941 N/R, 80 min. Genre: Musical / Comedy aka: Week-End in Havana
Director: Walter Lang Cast: Alice Faye, Carmen Miranda, John Payne, Cesar Romero, Cobina Wright, George Barbier, Sheldon Leonard, Leonid Kinskey, Billy Gilbert, Chris-Pin Martin, Hal K. Dawson, William B. Davidson, Hugh Beaumont
After Nan Spencer's (Alice Faye) ship gets hung up on a reef while she is headed for a Caribbean vacation, the company sends Jay Williams (John Payne) to escort her on a tour of Havana. While enjoying the local hot spots, Nan meets gambler Monte Blanca (Cesar Romero), and before the vacation ends both Monte and Jay become romantically interested in her.
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| 1. Alimony (1949)
2. Ball of Fire (1941)
3. The Big Broadcast of 1937 (1936)
4. Broadway Limited (1941)
5. Cafe Metropole (1937)
6. Can't Help Singing (1944)
7. Casablanca (1942)
8. Change of Heart (1934)
9. Down Argentine Way (1940)
10. Duck Soup (1933)
11. Everything Happens at Night (1939)
12. Exile Express (1939)
13. The Fighting Seabees (1944)
14. The General Died at Dawn (1936)
15. Glory (1956)
16. The Great Waltz (1938)
17. Make a Wish (1937)
18. Man with the Golden Arm (1955)
19. Nancy Goes to Rio (1950)
20. On Your Toes (1939)
21. Presenting Lily Mars (1943)
22. So Ends Our Night (1941)
23. The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (1939)
24. The Talk of the Town (1942)
25. That Night in Rio (1941)
26. That's My Baby (1944)
27. Weekend in Havana (1941) aka: Week-End in Havana
In The News
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