 42nd Street 1933  N/R, 89 min.
Genre: Musical / Drama / Romance
Director: Lloyd Bacon
Cast: Warner Baxter, Bebe Daniels, George Brent, Una Merkel, Ruby Keeler, Guy Kibbee, Dick Powell, Ginger Rogers, George E. Stone, Allen Jenkins, Ned Sparks, Edward J. Nugent, Robert McWade, Louise Beavers, George Irving
Busby Berkeley's musical numbers highlight this entertaining film about what goes on behind the scenes of the Broadway musical show, "Pretty Lady." The show's director Julian Marsh (Warner Baxter) is in poor health but wants to enjoy one more hit before he retires. When the show's temperamental star, Dorothy Brock (Bebe Daniels) breaks her ankle on the night of the show's opening, chorus girl Peggy Sawyer (Ruby Keeler) fills in and takes over the lead. Featured numbers include" "You're getting to Be a Habit with Me," "Shuffle off to Buffalo," and "42nd Street." The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture.
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 Belle Starr 1941  N/R, 87 min.
Genre: Western
Director: Irving Cummings
Cast: Randolph Scott, Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, Shepperd Strudwick, Elizabeth Patterson, Chill Wills, Louise Beavers, Olin Howland, Paul E. Burns, Joe Sawyer
The real Belle Starr was not a nice person, but her story is romanticized in this film with Gene Tierney as the outlaw. Belle, who lost all her land during the Civil War, marries guerilla leader Sam Starr (Randolph Scott) and they continue to take on the Yankees after the war. Tierney is wonderful to look at but certainly is miscast in this one.
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Bullets or Ballots 1936  N/R, 81 min.
Genre: Drama / Thriller
Director: William Keighley
Cast: Edward G. Robinson, Joan Blondell, Barton MacLane, Humphrey Bogart, Frank McHugh, Joe King, Dick Purcell, George E. Stone, Louise Beavers, Joseph Crehan, Henry O'Neill, Henry Kolker
An undercover cop (Edward G. Robinson) manages to infiltrate the world of gangsters in an effort to bring an end to their criminal activities.
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Colorado Sundown 1952  N/R, 67 min.
Genre: Western
Director: William Witney
Cast: Rex Allen, Mary Ellen Kay, Slim Pickens, June Vincent, Fred Graham, John Daheim, Louise Beavers, Chester Clute, Clarence Straight
Rex Allen and his miracle horse, Koko, accompany a friend to Colorado where the friend is to inherit a large ranch. But–a conniving brother/sister team plan on getting the ranch and will stop at nothing to obtain it. This very low budget film also includes a few Rex Allen songs.
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Delightfully Dangerous 1945 N/R, 92 min.
Genre: Musical / Comedy / Drama
Director: Arthur Lubin
Cast: Jane Powell, Ralph Bellamy, Constance Moore, Arthur Treacher, Louise Beavers, Ruth Tobey, Ruth Robinson, Andre Charlot, Shirley Hunter Williams, Bess Flowers, Earle Hodgins, Morton Gould & Orchestra
A singing career on Broadway is the dream of Sherry Williams (Jane Powell) who goes to NYC to visit her sister, Jo (Constance Moore), who she believes is already a Broadway star. But, when she arrives in the city, Sherry discovers that Jo is not a Broadway star but is, instead, burlesque star "Bubbles Barton." Undaunted, Sherry makes friends with producer Arthur Hale (Ralph Bellamy) to help get Jo a Broadway role–and the fun begins.
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Du Barry Was a Lady 1943 N/R, 96 min.
Genre: Musical / Comedy
Director: Roy Del Ruth
Cast: Red Skelton, Lucille Ball, Gene Kelly, Virginia O'Brien, Rags Ragland, Zero Mostel, Donald Meek, Douglass Dumbrille, George Givot, Louise Beavers
This musical comedy is the film adaptation of a popular Broadway show. Although most of the musical score was dropped from the movie version, two classics "Friendship" and "Do I Love You?" were saved and add to the lighthearted entertainment of this enjoyable film.
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The Facts of Life 1960 N/R, 103 min.
Genre: Comedy / Drama / Romance
Director: Melvin Frank
Cast: Bob Hope, Lucille Ball, Ruth Hussey, Don DeFore, Louis Nye, Philip Ober, Peter Leeds, Robert F. Simon, Louise Beavers, William Lanteau, Marianne Stewart, Mike Mazurki
Larry (Bob Hope) and Kitty (Lucille Ball) are vacationing as "Mr. George Washington" and "Mrs. Martha Washington" while embarking on an extra-marital fling. Although the affair is never consummated, at first, their romance is great. But, by story's end, they learn that there are problems with having affairs in middle age and realize that true happiness lies back in their original marriages.
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The Goddess 1958 N/R, 104 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: John Cromwell
Cast: Kim Stanley, Lloyd Bridges, Steven Hill, Betty Lou Holland, Patty Duke, Joyce Van Patten, Bert Freed, Louise Beavers, Joan Copeland, Gerald Hiken
This film is an expose on the Hollywood scene that gives little value to the real lives of its sex symbols.
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Good Sam 1948 N/R, 114 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Leo McCarey
Cast: Gary Cooper, Ann Sheridan, Ray Collins, Edmund Lowe, Joan Lorring, Ruth Roman, Clinton Sundberg, Minerva Urecal, Louise Beavers, Irving Bacon
Lu Clayton (Ann Sheridan) has dreams of a new home, but her husband, Sam (Gary Cooper), cannot help giving a hand to those in need. If Sam continues his philanthropy, the Claytons will be bankrupt. Far from one of Cooper's best.
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Greeks Had a Word for Them 1932 N/R, 77 min.
Genre: Comedy
aka: Three Broadway Girls
Director: Lowell Sherman
Cast: Madge Evans, Joan Blondell, Ina Claire, David Manners, Lowell Sherman, Phillips Smalley, Sidney Bracey, Betty Grable, Louise Beavers, Ward Bond, Creighton Hale
Three New York City women–Polaire (Madge Evans), Schatze (Joan Blondell), and Jean (Ina Claire)–set out to find wealthy husbands. This story has been made several times, including "How to Marry a Millionaire."
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Holiday Inn 1942 N/R, 101 min.
Genre: Musical / Comedy / Romance
Director: Mark Sandrich
Cast: Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Marjorie Reynolds, Walter Abel, Virginia Dale, Louise Beavers, John Gallaudet, James Bell, Irving Bacon, Marek Winheim, John Gallaudet, Shelby Bacon
This musical features Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire as two performers who try to make a go of a country inn. The love triangle includes Lovely Linda (Marjorie Reynolds), but it's the great Irving Berlin musical score that makes this a classic film. "White Christmas" was introduced in this film and won an Oscar for Best Song.
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Imitation of Life 1934  N/R, 106 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: John M. Stahl
Cast: Claudette Colbert, Warren William, Ned Sparks, Louise Beavers, Rochelle Hudson, Fredi Washington, Alan Hale, Clarence Wilson, Henry Armetta, Henry Kolker, Paul Porcasi, Wyndham Standing, Franklin Pangborn, Dennis O'Keefe, Fred "Snowflake" Toones
This is the film adaptation of the Fannie Hurst novel about mothers Bea Pullman and Delilah Johnson (Claudette Colbert and Louise Beavers) and daughters Jessie (Rochelle Hudson as 18-year-old Jessie) and Peola (Fredi Washington as 16-year-old Peola) whose relationships become difficult. Bea and Delilah open a pancake restaurant that proves to be very successful. But, despite success in their professional lives, problems rise to the fore with their daughters. Jessie falls in love with her mother's boyfriend (Warren William). Meanwhile, light-skinned Peola decides to pass herself off as White and breaks Delilah's heart. An Academy Award nomination was received for Best Picture.
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It's Tough to Be Famous 1932 N/R, 80 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Alfred E. Green
Cast: Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Mary Brian, Emma Dunn, Walter Catlett, Oscar Apfel, J. Carrol Naish, David Landau, Claire McDowell, Louise Beavers, Harold Minjir
Scotty (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) is a young submarine officer who saves the crew after his submarine sinks. Expecting to sacrifice his life, he is rescued instead and now is a MAJOR media celebrity, causing great disruption in his day-to-day activities. A good study of our obsession with heroes, at least in the 1930s.
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Jack London 1943  N/R, 94 min.
Genre: Drama
aka: The Adventures of Jack London
The Life of Jack London
Director: Alfred Santell
Cast: Michael O'Shea, Susan Hayward, Osa Massen, Harry Davenport, Frank Craven, Virginia Mayo, Ralph Morgan, Louise Beavers, Jonathan Hale, Leonard Strong
Fiction reigns in this loosely based biography of American author Jack London. This is a disappointing film that wastes potential talent.
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 The Jackie Robinson Story 1950 N/R, 76 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Alfred E. Green
Cast: Jackie Robinson, Ruby Dee, Minor Watson, Louise Beavers, Richard Lane, Harry Shannon, Ben Lessy, Bill Spaulding, Billy Wayne, Joel Fluellen, Bernie Hamilton, Kenny Washington
Jackie Robinson stars as himself in this biography of the great baseball star who broke the color barrier in the major leagues. It follows him from his playing days in college at U.C.L.A.; through the Negro League team in Kansas City; and his trials, tribulations, and successes in the majors.
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The Last Gangster 1937 N/R, 81 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Edward Ludwig
Cast: Edward G. Robinson, James Stewart, Rosa Stradner, Lionel Stander, Douglas Scott, John Carradine, Sidney Blackmer, Louise Beavers, Edward Brophy, Grant Mitchell
Upon his release, following 10 years in prison, a mobster (Edward G. Robinson) searches for the son he has never known. Another fine performance by Robinson.
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Made for Each Other 1939 N/R, 90 min.
Genre: Comedy / Drama / Romance
Director: John Cromwell
Cast: Carole Lombard, James Stewart, Charles Coburn, Lucile Watson, Eddie Quillan, Ruth Weston, Donald Briggs, Harry Davenport, Ward Bond, Esther Dale, Alma Kruger, Irving Bacon, Louise Beavers, Edgar Dearing, Mary Field
Having rushed into marriage, a young married couple–Jane and Johnny Mason (Carole Lombard and James Stewart)–finds many problems from all sides. First, Johnny's boss Judge Joseph Doolittle (Charles Coburn) is displeased because he wanted Johnny to marry his daughter (Ruth Weston) and calls him back to work immediately as a trial lawyer. Thus, the honeymoon must be skipped. Johnny's mother (Lucile Watson) moves in with the couple and is hypocritical of everything Jane does. Later, when their baby is born, more problems rise to the fore, and the marriage appears doomed. Then, on New Years Eve, their baby son becomes ill with pneumonia. Johnny appeals to Judge Doolittle for help in obtaining the needed medicine, and he comes to their aid–saving both the baby and the marriage as well.
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Midnight Mary 1933 N/R, 75 min.
Genre: Drama / Romance
Director: William A. Wellman
Cast: Loretta Young, Ricardo Cortez, Franchot Tone, Andy Devine, Una Merkel, Frank Conroy, Warren Hymer, Harold Huber, Charley Grapewin, Halliwell Hobbes, Ivan F. Simpson, Sandy Roth, Martha Sleeper, Robert Emmett O'Connor, Louise Beavers
While Mary (Loretta Young) is on trial for murder, her story is told through flashbacks. She grows up in poverty, and when she reaches adulthood Mary gets mixed up with Leo the Rat (Ricardo Cortez) and his gang of crooked gamblers (Warren Hymer, Harold Huber, Una Merkel, and Sandy Roth). After meeting wealthy lawyer Tom and becoming romantically involved with him, Mary tries to straighten out her life. But, she finds it difficult to escape her past, and she is torn between "good" Tom and "bad" Leo. Good Wellman and Young efforts.
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 Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House 1948 N/R, 94 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: H.C. Potter
Cast: Cary Grant, Myrna Loy, Melvyn Douglas, Sharyn Moffett, Reginald Denny, Louise Beavers, Jason Robards Sr., Harry Shannon, Ian Wolfe, Nestor Paiva
Jim and Muriel Blandings (Cary Grant and Myrna Loy) suffer MANY setbacks in their attempts to refurbish their dream house in Connecticut.
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My Blue Heaven 1950 N/R, 96 min.
Genre: Musical / Comedy / Drama
Director: Henry Koster
Cast: Betty Grable, Dan Dailey, David Wayne, Jane Wyatt, Mitzi Gaynor, Una Merkel, Louise Beavers, Minerva Urecal, Larry Keating, Mae Marsh
Radio stars (Betty Grable and Dan Dailey) try to adopt a child, and they get one–but not in the straightforward manner. The problems that follow are entertaining with music the center of attraction.
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Never Wave at a WAC 1952 N/R, 87 min.
Genre: Comedy
aka: The Private Wore Skirts
Director: Norman Z. McLeod
Cast: Rosalind Russell, Paul Douglas, Marie Wilson, William Ching, Arleen Whelan, Leif Erickson, Charles Dingle, Lurene Tuttle, Hillary Brooke, Regis Toomey, Frieda Inescort, Louise Beavers
Socialite Jo McBain (Rosalind Russell) joins the WACs and encounters more than a few problems dealing with life in the Army.
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No Time for Comedy 1940 N/R, 98 min.
Genre: Comedy
aka: Guy with a Grin
Director: William Keighley
Cast: James Stewart, Rosalind Russell, Charles Ruggles, Genevieve Tobin, Louise Beavers, Frank Faylen, Allyn Joslyn, Clarence Kolb, Robert Greig, J.M. Kerrigan
Gaylord and Linda Easterbrook (James Stewart and Rosalind Russell) are a playwright and actress who spar with each other while his play is being readied as a Broadway production.
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Our Blushing Brides 1930 N/R, 74 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Harry Beaumont
Cast: Joan Crawford, Anita Page, Dorothy Sebastian, Robert Montgomery, Raymond Hackett, John Miljan, Hedda Hopper, Albert Conti, Edward Brophy, Louise Beavers
Sales girls Jerry (Joan Crawford), Connie (Anita Page), and Franky (Dorothy Sebastian) seek rich husbands in this rather unconvincing–and dated–drama.
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Palooka 1934 N/R, 86 min.
Genre: Comedy
aka: Joe Palooka
The Great Schnozzle
Director: Benjamin Stoloff
Cast: Jimmy Durante, Lupe Velez, Stuart Erwin, Marjorie Rambeau, Robert Armstrong, Mary Carlisle, William Cagney, Thelma Todd, Franklyn Ardell, Tom Dugan, Guinn "Big Boy" Williams, Louise Beavers, Fred "Snowflake" Toones, Stanley Fields
Fight manager Knobby Walsh (Jimmy Durante) signs up farmboy Joe Palooka (Stuart Erwin) as a boxer and trains him for a big fight with hard-drinking champ Al "Mac" McSwatt (William Cagney– brother of James Cagney). In this film, Durante sings his song, "Ink-a-Dinka-do."
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The Phantom Broadcast 1933 N/R, 65 min.
Genre: Mystery
aka: Phantom of the Air
Director: Phil Rosen
Cast: Ralph Forbes, Vivienne Osborne, Paul Page, Gail Patrick, Guinn "Big Boy" Williams, Rockliffe Fellowes, Arnold Gray, Carl Miller, George "Gabby" Hayes, Louise Beavers, Pauline Garon, Mary MacLaren
Grant Murdock (Arnold Gray) is known as a popular radio crooner, but, in fact, he can't sing. The real singer behind the mike is his hunchback pianist, Norman Wilder (Ralph Forbes). The music stops when Murdock is murdered, and Wilder becomes the chief suspect.
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 Shadow of the Thin Man 1941 N/R, 98 min.
Genre: Mystery
Director: W.S. Van Dyke
Cast: William Powell, Myrna Loy, Barry Nelson, Donna Reed, Sam Levene, Alan Baxter, Loring Smith, Henry O'Neill, Will Wright, Louise Beavers
Master sleuths Nick and Nora Charles (William Powell and Myrna Loy) are at it again. Of course, their dog Asta is in the middle of things as they investigate mysterious events at the local racetrack.
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She Done Him Wrong 1933 N/R, 66 min.
Genre: Comedy / Romance
Director: Lowell Sherman
Cast: Mae West, Cary Grant, Noah Beery, Rafaela Ottiano, Gilbert Roland, Fuzzy Knight, Owen Moore, David Landau, Dewey Robinson, Rochelle Hudson, Tammany Young, Grace La Rue, Robert Homans, Louise Beavers
Lady Lou (Mae West) is a New York City saloonkeeper in this "Gay Nineties" story. Lou tries to seduce Captain Cummings (Cary Grant) who is really an undercover police detective investigating her activities. An Academy Award nomination was received for Best Picture.
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A Shriek in the Night 1933 N/R, 66 min.
Genre: Mystery
Director: Albert Ray
Cast: Ginger Rogers, Lyle Talbot, Purnell Pratt, Harvey Clark, Arthur Hoyt, Lillian Harmer, Maurice Black, Louise Beavers, Clarence Wilson, Cyril Ring, Tiny Sanford
Ginger Rogers and Lyle Talbot are reunited (after starring together in "The Thirteenth Guest"). This time they play rival reporters who team up to solve a series of murders in which the killer leaves a card behind that contains a drawing of a coiled snake.
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Tammy and the Bachelor 1957 N/R, 87 min.
Genre: Drama / Musical / Romance
Director: Joseph Pevney
Cast: Debbie Reynolds, Leslie Nielsen, Walter Brennan, Mala Powers, Sidney Blackmer, Mildred Natwick, Fay Wray, Philip Ober, Craig Hill, Louise Beavers, April Kent, Robert Filmer
After Pete's (Leslie Nielsen) plane crash lands near her backwoods home, Tammy (Debbie Reynolds) and her moonshiner grandfather (Walter Brennan) nurse him back to health. Pete does recover and returns to his upper-crust family. Then, Tammy's grandfather is sent to jail, and Tammy goes to Pete's home where her home cooking and enthusiastic attitude transform his relatives–and Pete, as well–into a happy family. The song "Tammy" received an Oscar nomination for Best Song.
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West of the Pecos 1935 N/R, 68 min.
Genre: Western
Director: Phil Rosen
Cast: Richard Dix, Martha Sleeper, Samuel S. Hinds, Fred Kohler, Louise Beavers, Willie Best, Maria Alba, Pedro Regas, G. Pat Collins, Russell Simpson, Maurice Black, George Cooper
Comanche attacks and villains, as well as being accused of cattle rustling, are just part of the problems of Pecos Smith (Richard Dix). After rescuing Ril (Martha Sleeper)–who has disguised herself as a boy during her trek west–he must add her to his list of problems. Based on a Zane Grey novel and remade in 1945. Robert Mitchum made his film debut in this film.
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What Price Hollywood? 1932 N/R, 88 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: George Cukor
Cast: Constance Bennett, Lowell Sherman, Neil Hamilton, Gregory Ratoff, Brooks Benedict, Louise Beavers, Bryant Washburn, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Florence Roberts, Heinie Conklin
An alcoholic Hollywood producer, Maximilian Carey (Lowell Sherman), helps a waitress, Mary Evans (Constance Bennett), attain stardom and then sinks into his alcoholic abyss, which ends in suicide.
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You Can't Run Away from It 1956 N/R, 95 min.
Genre: Comedy / Musical / Romance
Director: Dick Powell
Cast: June Allyson, Jack Lemmon, Charles Bickford, Paul Gilbert, Jim Backus, Stubby Kaye, Henny Youngman, Allyn Joslyn, Jack Albertson, Walter Baldwin, Byron Foulger, Louise Beavers, Richard H. Cutting, Raymond Greenleaf
This remake of "It Happened One Night" has been set to music as it re-tells the story of heiress Ellie Andrews (June Allyson) who runs away from her impending marriage and discovers real love in the person of newspaper reporter Peter Warne (Jack Lemmon).
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Young America 1932 N/R, 71 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Frank Borzage
Cast: Spencer Tracy, Tom Conlon, Doris Kenyon, Ralph Bellamy, Beryl Mercer, Louise Beavers, Raymond Borzage, Robert Homans, Sarah Padden, Anne Shirley
It takes his role of preventing a robbery to allow orphaned Arthur Simpson (Tom Conlon) to gain a place of respect among his friends, relatives, and community.
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| 1. 42nd Street (1933)
2. Belle Starr (1941)
3. Bullets or Ballots (1936)
4. Colorado Sundown (1952)
5. Coquette (1929)
6. Delightfully Dangerous (1945)
7. Du Barry Was a Lady (1943)
8. The Facts of Life (1960)
9. The Goddess (1958)
10. Good Sam (1948)
11. Good-Bye, My Lady (1956)
12. Greeks Had a Word for Them (1932)
aka: Three Broadway Girls
13. Holiday Inn (1942)
14. Imitation of Life (1934)
15. It's Tough to Be Famous (1932)
16. Jack London (1943)
aka: The Adventures of Jack London
aka: The Life of Jack London
17. The Jackie Robinson Story (1950)
18. The Last Gangster (1937)
19. Made for Each Other (1939)
20. Midnight Mary (1933)
21. Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948)
22. My Blue Heaven (1950)
23. Never Wave at a WAC (1952)
aka: The Private Wore Skirts
24. No Time for Comedy (1940)
aka: Guy with a Grin
25. Our Blushing Brides (1930)
26. Palooka (1934)
aka: Joe Palooka
aka: The Great Schnozzle
27. The Phantom Broadcast (1933)
aka: Phantom of the Air
28. Shadow of the Thin Man (1941)
29. She Done Him Wrong (1933)
30. A Shriek in the Night (1933)
31. Tammy and the Bachelor (1957)
32. West of the Pecos (1935)
33. What Price Hollywood? (1932)
34. You Can't Run Away from It (1956)
35. Young America (1932)
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