 Cabin in the Sky 1943  N/R, 99 min.
Genre: Musical
Director: Vincente Minnelli
Cast: Ethel Waters, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Lena Horne, Louis Armstrong, Rex Ingram, Mantan Moreland, Butterfly McQueen, Willie Best, Kenneth Spencer, John William Sublett
In this, Vincente Minnelli's first feature film, the story comes out as somewhat racist. Gambler Little Joe (Eddie "Rochester" Anderson) succumbs to the charms of a beautiful woman (Lena Horne) while his wife, Petunia (Ethel Waters), waits for him to come to his senses.
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Charlie Chan in Black Magic 1944  N/R, 67 min.
Genre: Mystery / Drama / Comedy
aka: Black Magic
Meeting at Midnight
Director: Phil Rosen
Cast: Sidney Toler, Frances Chan, Claudia Dell, Mantan Moreland, Jacqueline deWit, Edward Earle, Joseph Crehan, Helen Beverly, Geraldine Wall, Ralph Peters, Frank Jaquet, Harry Depp, Dick Gordon, Charles Jordan
Charlie Chan's (Sidney Toler) daughter Frances Chan (Frances Chan) attends a seance held by bogus fortunetellers William and Justine Bonner (Dick Gordon and Jacqueline deWit). During the seance, William is killed, and Frances becomes a suspect. The butler Birmingham (Mantan Moreland), who used to be Charlie's chauffeur, calls Charlie to investigate. Charlie arrives at the creepy mansion and, with help from Frances, solves the mystery.
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Charlie Chan in the Secret Service 1944  N/R, 65 min.
Genre: Mystery / Drama / Comedy / Thriller
Director: Phil Rosen
Cast: Sidney Toler, Mantan Moreland, Gwen Kenyon, Benson Fong, Arthur Loft, Sarah Edwards, George J. Lewis, Marianne Quon, Muni Seroff, Barry Bernard, Gene Roth, Eddy Chandler, Lelah Tyler, George Lessey, Davison Clark
Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler) is appointed as an agent for the Secret Service when a government scientist is killed and his secret plans to fight off German U-boats are stolen. Charlie gets aid from Number Three Daughter Iris (Marianne Quon) and Number Two Son Tommie (Benson Fong), and, despite the killer targeting Charlie twice, Charlie continues in his quest to weed out the real killer from a list of suspects.
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The Chinese Ring 1947 N/R, 67 min.
Genre: Mystery / Drama / Comedy / Thriller
Director: William Beaudine
Cast: Roland Winters, Warren Douglas, Victor Sen Yung, Mantan Moreland, Philip Ahn, Louise Currie, Byron Foulger, Thayer Roberts, Barbara Jean Wong, Paul Bryer, Chabing, George Spaulding, Thornton Edwards, Lee Tung Foo, Jack Mower
Chinese Princess Mei Ling (Barbara Jean Wong) visits Charlie Chan's (Roland Winters) home and gives Chan's chauffer Birmingham Brown (Mantan Moreland) a ring to show to Chan. While waiting for Chan, Mei Ling is killed in Chan's living room but manages to write the name "Captain K" on a piece of paper. Police Sergeant Bill Davidson (Warren Douglas) helps Chan investigate, and they are aided by reporter Peggy Cartwright (Louise Currie) and Chan's son Tommy (Victor Sen Yung). They learn that Mei Ling had $1,000,000 in her possession, and the money is missing. Will they be able to solve the case? This is a remake of "Mr. Wong in Chinatown," which starred Boris Karloff in the role of Mr. Wong.
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 Dressed to Kill 1941 N/R, 71 min.
Genre: Mystery / Drama
Director: Eugene Forde
Cast: Lloyd Nolan, Mary Beth Hughes, Sheila Ryan, William Demarest, Ben Carter, Virginia Brissac, Henry Daniell, Charles Trowbridge, Mantan Moreland, Milton Parsons, Erwin Kalser, Dick Rich, Hamilton MacFadden, May Beatty, Charles C. Wilson
Tough private investigator Michael Shayne (Lloyd Nolan) is preparing to marry showgirl Joanne La Mar (Mary Beth Hughes) when he becomes involved in investigating a string of theatrical murders that are all linked to the same play that had been produced 25 years earlier. All of the victims were wearing costumes from the play when their bodies were discovered. Using a souvenir program, Nolan uncovers clues leading to the murderer and solves the case. But, Joanne is fed up with the time he spends on investigations and leaves him.
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Drums of the Desert 1940  N/R, 64 min.
Genre: Adventure
Director: George Waggner
Cast: Ralph Byrd, Lorna Gray, George Lynn, Willy Castello, Mantan Moreland, Jean Del Val, Ann Codee, Boyd Irwin, Neyle Morrow, Alberto Morin
On the way to Morocco and the French Foreign Legion, Paul (Ralph Byrd) meets Helene (Lorna Gray), and a romance begins. But Helene is engaged to Paul's best friend Jean (George Lynn), and the battle for her begins. Meanwhile, there are bad arms dealers to deal with.
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Eyes in the Night 1942 N/R, 80 min.
Genre: Mystery
Director: Fred Zinnemann
Cast: Edward Arnold, Ann Harding, Donna Reed, Katherine Emery, Allen Jenkins, Reginald Denny, Rosemary DeCamp, Barry Nelson, Mantan Moreland, John Emery
Duncan Maclain (Edward Arnold) is a blind detective who investigates a murder, but his sleepy-eyed dog is the real star of this film. Followed by "The Hidden Eye."
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The Feathered Serpent 1948  N/R, 68 min.
Genre: Mystery
Director: William Beaudine
Cast: Roland Winters, Victor Sen Yung, Keye Luke, Mantan Moreland, Robert Livingston, Nils Asther, Carol Forman, Martin Garralaga, Jay Silverheels
This is one of the last in a long series of Charlie Chan films. In this story, the mystery of a stolen Mexican statue is solved by the Chans.
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Freckles Comes Home 1942 N/R, 63 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Jean Yarbrough
Cast: Johnny Downs, Gale Storm, Mantan Moreland, Irving Bacon, Bradley Page, Betty Blythe, Marvin Stephens, Walter Sande, Max Hoffman Jr., Laurence Criner, John Ince, Gene O'Donnell
Freckles (Johnny Downs) arrives home from college with big plans for himself and his hometown. But he begins with a rough start when gangsters have holed up in town with the intent of robbing the bank. Freckles must deal with the situation while also dealing with his sweetheart, Jane (Gale Storm). Based on Gene Stratton-Porter's stories.
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Gang's All Here 1941 N/R, 63 min.
Genre: Drama
aka: In the Night
Director: Jean Yarbrough
Cast: Frankie Darro, Mantan Moreland, Marcia Mae Jones, Keye Luke, Jackie Moran, Irving Mitchell, Ed Cassidy, Pat Gleason, Jack Kenney, Laurence Criner, Paul Bryar, Jack Ingram, Robert Homans
Young truck drivers Frankie (Frankie Darro) and Jefferson (Mantan Moreland) work for a firm that is being put out of business by a rival that forces trucks off the road and then hijacks the contents. Frankie, Jefferson, and their friends Chick and Patsy (Jackie Moran and Marcia Mae Jones) decide to take action.
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The Golden Eye 1948 N/R, 69 min.
Genre: Comedy / Drama / Mystery / Thriller
aka: The Mystery of the Golden Eye
Charlie Chan and the Golden Eye
Director: William Beaudine
Cast: Roland Winters, Victor Sen Yung, Mantan Moreland, Tim Ryan, Bruce Kellogg, Wanda McKay, Evelyn Brent, Ralph Dunn, Lois Austin, Forrest Taylor, Lee "Lasses" White, Edmund Cobb, John Merton, George Spaulding, Lee Tung Foo
Charlie Chan (Roland Winters) visits an Arizona dude ranch where a defunct gold mine, mysteriously, has become active and, once again, is producing gold. The mine owner, Mr. Manning (Forrest Taylor) has called on Chan to help him when he learns that he is the intended victim of a murderer. Chan, his son Tommy (Victor Sen Yung), and chauffeur Birmingham (Mantan Moreland) pose as tourists, and the investigation begins. Clues lead to mine operator Driscoll (Ralph Dunn) who is smuggling gold from Mexico and passing it off as coming from the mine. But solving this case will prove difficult–and dangerous.
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Irish Luck 1939 N/R, 58 min.
Genre: Comedy / Mystery
Director: Howard Bretherton
Cast: Frankie Darro, Mantan Moreland, Dick Purcell, Lillian Elliott, Sheila Darcy, Dennis Moore, James Flavin, Howard M. Mitchell, Maxine Leslie, Ralph Peters
A hotel guest is murdered, and hotel bellhop Buzzy (Frankie Darro) hides the suspect, Kitty (Sheila Darcy), at his house while he and friend Jefferson (Mantan Moreland) find the real killer after a series of misadventures.
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The Jade Mask 1945 N/R, 69 min.
Genre: Mystery
aka: Charlie Chan: The Jade Mask
Director: Phil Rosen
Cast: Sidney Toler, Mantan Moreland, Edwin Luke, Janet Warren, Edith Evanson, Hardie Albright, Frank Reicher, Al Bridge, Ralph Lewis
When an inventor is murdered, Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler) and his son, Jimmy (Edwin Luke), put their heads together to solve the mystery.
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 Juke Joint 1947 N/R, 65 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Spencer Williams
Cast: Spencer Williams, July Jones, Inez Newell, Leonard Duncan, Dauphine Moore, Mantan Moreland, Melody Duncan, Katherine Moore, Tilford Patterson, Howard Galloway
Resourceful con-men Bad News Johnson and Cornbread Green (Spencer Williams and July Jones) arrive in a small Midwestern town with just 25 cents to their name. It isn't long before they become involved with a beauty contest and host a variety show.
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King of the Zombies 1941 N/R, 67 min.
Genre: Horror / Thriller
Director: Jean Yarbrough
Cast: Dick Purcell, Joan Woodbury, Mantan Moreland, Henry Victor, John Archer, Patricia Stacey, Guy Usher, Marguerite Whitten, Leigh Whipper, Madame Sul-Te-Wan, James Davis, Laurence Criner
A U.S. agent, his pilot, and his man-servant are sent to the Caribbean to locate an admiral whose plane crashed. They also crash on a tiny island where a German doctor is making zombies out of the inhabitants through hypnosis. He had also caused the admiral's plane to crash, planning to hypnotize the admiral and then extract secrets from him. But our heroes stop that nonsense in this World War II propaganda film–though the U.S. had not yet entered the war.
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Let's Go Collegiate 1941 N/R, 62 min.
Genre: Comedy / Musical
aka: Farewell to Fame
Director: Jean Yarbrough
Cast: Frankie Darro, Marcia Mae Jones, Jackie Moran, Keye Luke, Mantan Moreland, Gale Storm, Frank Sully, Barton Yarborough, Frank Faylen, Marguerite Whitten, Paul Maxey, Tristram Coffin
After members of a collegiate crew team–Frankie (Frankie Darro) and Jeff (Mantan Moreland)–tell their girlfriends that they will win the big race, their star rower is drafted. But that doesn't stop Frankie and Jeff who get a truck driver, Herk Bevans (Frank Sully), to fill in. They win, but Herk turns out to be a criminal on the run, and more than a few problems await the boys.
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Marriage: Year One 1971  TV, 100 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: William A. Graham
Cast: Sally Field, Robert Pratt, Cicely Tyson, William Windom, Agnes Moorehead, Neville Brand, Bob Balaban, Lonny Chapman, Michael Lerner, Mantan Moreland
Sally Field is the only bright spot in this comedy/love story as a poor medical student (Robert Pratt) and a rich, strong heiress (Field) marry and try to live on his meager salary.
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Phantom Killer 1942 N/R, 61 min.
Genre: Mystery
Director: William Beaudine
Cast: Dick Purcell, Joan Woodbury, John Hamilton, Warren Hymer, Mantan Moreland, J. Farrell MacDonald, Gayne Whitman, Kenneth Harlan, George J. Lewis, Elliott Sullivan, Karl Hackett, Frank Ellis
District Attorney Edward Clark (Dick Purcell) prosecutes the rich, popular, deaf mute John G. Harrison (John Hamilton) on a murder charge. When John is acquitted, the DA investigates and uncovers the fact that the Hamiltons are twin brothers, and the "normal" one is the bad guy. Remake of 1933's "The Sphinx."
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Revenge of the Zombies 1943 N/R, 61 min.
Genre: Horror
Director: Steve Sekely
Cast: John Carradine, Gale Storm, Robert Lowery, Bob Steele, Mantan Moreland, Veda Ann Borg, Barry Macollum, Mauritz Hugo, James Baskett, Sybil Lewis, Franklyn Farnum, Madame Sul-Te-Wan
Dr. von Alterman (John Carradine) works in his Louisiana mansion creating zombies to become soldiers in the Nazi Army. When the doctor's wife, Lila (Veda Ann Borg), dies under mysterious circumstances, she is also turned into a zombie for the cause. But his plan is foiled when Lila's brother Scott (Mauritz Hugo), heroine Jen (Gale Storm), and undercover FBI Agent Larry (Robert Lowry) arrive on the scene and are aided by Zombie Lila who seems to have a will of her own.
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The Scarlet Clue 1945 N/R, 65 min.
Genre: Mystery
Director: Phil Rosen
Cast: Sidney Toler, Benson Fong, Mantan Moreland, Helen Devereaux, Virginia Brissac, Jack Norton, I. Stanford Jolley, Janet Shaw, Robert Homans, Reid Kilpatrick
Stepping into the world of espionage, Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler) prevents spies from stealing World War II radar plans.
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Shadows Over Chinatown 1946 N/R, 64 min.
Genre: Mystery
Director: Terry O. Morse
Cast: Sidney Toler, Mantan Moreland, Victor Sen Yung, Tanis Chandler, John Gallaudet, Bruce Kellogg, Paul Bryar, Al Bridge, Mary Gordon, Dorothy Granger
San Francisco's Chinatown becomes the center for an insurance racket, but Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler) brings down the con men.
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 Shall We Dance? 1937 N/R, 116 min.
Genre: Musical
Director: Mark Sandrich
Cast: Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Edward Everett Horton, Eric Blore, Jerome Cowan, Ketti Gallian, Ben Alexander, Mantan Moreland, Ann Shoemaker, J.M. Kerrigan
While crossing the Atlantic by steamer, a Russian ballet dancer (Fred Astaire) and an American ballroom dancer (Ginger Rogers) meet and pretend to be husband and wife. George and Ira Gershwin songs in this film are great and include "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off," "They All Laughed," and "They Can't Take That Away from Me."
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Shanghai Chest 1948 N/R, 60 min.
Genre: Mystery
Director: William Beaudine
Cast: Roland Winters, Deannie Best, Mantan Moreland, John Alvin, Tim Ryan, Victor Sen Yung, Tristram Coffin, Russell Hicks, Pierre Watkin, Philip Van Zandt
Fingerprints of the murderer lead to a dead man, but Charlie Chan (Roland Winters) sleuths out the real killer.
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The Shanghai Cobra 1945 N/R, 64 min.
Genre: Mystery
Director: Phil Karlson
Cast: Sidney Toler, Benson Fong, Mantan Moreland, Joan Barclay, Walter Fenner, James Cardwell, James Flavin, Addison Richards, Arthur Loft, Janet Warren
Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler) and his son, Tommy Chan (Benson Fong), heed the U.S. government's call for help in solving a case of suspicious deaths following cobra bites.
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The Sky Dragon 1949 N/R, 64 min.
Genre: Mystery
Director: Lesley Selander
Cast: Roland Winters, Keye Luke, Mantan Moreland, Tim Ryan, Milburn Stone, Elena Verdugo, Lyle Talbot, Noel Neill, Iris Adrian, John Eldredge
This time around, Charlie Chan (Roland Winters) solves the crime while flying above the Pacific Ocean in the same airliner in which a $250,000 theft occurred. The last in the Charlie Chan series is perhaps the worst.
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Spider Baby or, The Maddest Story Ever Told 1964 N/R, 80 min.
Genre: Comedy / Horror
aka: The Liver Eaters
Spider Baby
Director: Jack Hill
Cast: Lon Chaney Jr., Carol Ohmart, Quinn K. Redeker, Mantan Moreland, Sid Haig, Jill Banner, Beverly Washburn, Mary Mitchel, Karl Schanzer, Carolyn Cooper
A degenerate, diseased family lives in a dreary, rundown mansion and is cared for (and covered for) by the chauffeur (Lon Chaney Jr.). Trouble starts when relatives arrive who want the mansion for themselves.
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Spirit of Youth 1938 N/R, 65 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Harry L. Fraser
Cast: Joe Louis, Clarence Muse, Edna Mae Harris, Mae Turner, Mantan Moreland, Cleo Desmond, Jewel Smith, Tom Southern, Jess Lee Brooks, Clarence Brooks, Marguerite Whitten
While still World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Joe Louis starred in this story of a fighter's rise in the boxing world. Louis would make more movies and later was the subject of the popular film "The Joe Louis Story."
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Up in the Air 1940 N/R, 62 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Howard Bretherton
Cast: Frankie Darro, Marjorie Reynolds, Mantan Moreland, Lorna Gray, Gordon Jones, Tristram Coffin, Clyde Dilson, Dick Elliott, John Holland, Carleton Young
Ambitious radio station pageboy Frankie (Frankie Darro) pushes management to air a comedy program starring him and his porter pal (Mantan Moreland). Just when it appears he will be successful in his quest, the station's stars start getting killed while on the air. C'mon Frankie, solve this case.
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Watermelon Man 1970 R, 97 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Melvin Van Peebles
Cast: Godfrey Cambridge, Estelle Parsons, Howard Caine, D'Urville Martin, Mantan Moreland, Erin Moran, Emil Sitka, Ray Ballard, Charles Lampkin, Paul Williams
Jeff Gerber (Godfrey Cambridge) is an extremely bigoted White man who wakes up one day to discover that his skin has turned black.
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We've Never Been Licked 1943 N/R, 103 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: John Rawlins
Cast: Richard Quine, Noah Beery Jr., Robert Mitchum, Anne Gwynne, Martha O'Driscoll, Moroni Olsen, Samuel S. Hinds, Harry Davenport, Mantan Moreland, William Frawley
A young American, raised in Japan, is faced with the dilemma of which country he wants to ally with following the Japanese attack on the U.S. Naval Base at Pearl Harbor.
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The Young Nurses 1973 R, 77 min.
Genre: Drama
aka: Nightingale
Director: Clint Kimbrough
Cast: Jeane Manson, Ashley Porter, Angela Gibbs, Zack Taylor, Jack La Rue Jr., Mantan Moreland, Nan Martin, William Joyce, Allan Arbus, Mary Doyle, Dick Miller
In Roger Corman's fourth entry in his "Nurse" series, young nurses fight a drug ring that is operating out of the hospital. As usual, some nudity, violence, and a touch of a social message highlight the film.
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| 1. Cabin in the Sky (1943)
2. Charlie Chan in Black Magic (1944)
aka: Black Magic
aka: Meeting at Midnight
3. Charlie Chan in the Secret Service (1944)
4. The Chinese Cat (1944)
aka: Charlie Chan: The Chinese Cat
5. The Chinese Ring (1947)
6. Dark Alibi (1946)
7. Docks of New Orleans (1948)
8. Dressed to Kill (1941)
9. Drums of the Desert (1940)
10. Eyes in the Night (1942)
11. The Feathered Serpent (1948)
12. Freckles Comes Home (1942)
13. Gang's All Here (1941)
aka: In the Night
14. The Golden Eye (1948)
aka: The Mystery of the Golden Eye
aka: Charlie Chan and the Golden Eye
15. Irish Luck (1939)
16. The Jade Mask (1945)
aka: Charlie Chan: The Jade Mask
17. Juke Joint (1947)
18. King of the Zombies (1941)
19. Let's Go Collegiate (1941)
aka: Farewell to Fame
20. Marriage: Year One (1971)
21. Phantom Killer (1942)
22. Revenge of the Zombies (1943)
23. The Scarlet Clue (1945)
24. Shadows Over Chinatown (1946)
25. Shall We Dance? (1937)
26. Shanghai Chest (1948)
27. The Shanghai Cobra (1945)
28. The Sky Dragon (1949)
29. Spider Baby or, The Maddest Story Ever Told (1964)
aka: The Liver Eaters
aka: Spider Baby
30. Spirit of Youth (1938)
31. The Trap (1946)
32. Up in the Air (1940)
33. Watermelon Man (1970)
34. We've Never Been Licked (1943)
35. The Young Nurses (1973)
aka: Nightingale
In The News
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