The Adventures of Martin Eden 1942  N/R, 87 min.
Genre: Adventure
Director: Sidney Salkow
Cast: Glenn Ford, Claire Trevor, Evelyn Keyes, Stuart Erwin, Dickie Moore, Ian MacDonald, Frank Conroy, Rafaela Ottiano, Pierre Watkin, Robert J. McDonald, Harry Clark, Boyd Davis, Joan Blake, George Allen, James Gubitosi
This film adaptation of the Jack London novel is the story of a sailor, Martin Eden (Glenn Ford), who writes of his adventures at sea while under the command of the tough Captain "Butch" Ragan (Ian MacDonald). Martin's book is published and becomes a hit. Now, Ragan is punished, and Martin's fellow sailor Joe Dawson (Stuart Erwin), who was wrongly convicted of mutiny, is released.
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 The Bank Dick 1940  N/R, 74 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Edward F. Cline
Cast: W.C. Fields, Cora Witherspoon, Una Merkel, Evelyn Del Rio, Jessie Ralph, Franklin Pangborn, Shemp Howard, George Moran, Dick Purcell, Pierre Watkin, Eddie Acuff, Russell Hicks, Al Hill, Jack Norton, Bill Wolfe
After a bank robber trips over the park bench that barfly Egbert Souse (W.C. Fields) is lying on, the robber is caught, and Egbert becomes the town hero. Egbert is given a job at the bank as a guard and becomes involved in a bank scam convincing Og Oggilby (Grady Sutton)–who happens to be the fiance of Egbert's daughter Myrtle (Una Merkel)–to embezzle funds to buy shares in the Beefsteak Mines. When bank examiner J. Pinkerton Snoopington (Franklin Pangborn) arrives on the scene, mayhem ensues culminating in a great car chase. W.C. Fields' mastery of the comic art makes this film a classic.
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The Big Hangover 1950  N/R, 82 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Norman Krasna
Cast: Van Johnson, Elizabeth Taylor, Percy Waram, Fay Holden, Edgar Buchanan, Leon Ames, Gene Lockhart, Rosemary DeCamp, Selena Royle, Philip Ahn, Gordon Richards, Matt Moore, Pierre Watkin, Russell Hicks, Tristram Coffin
David Meldon (Van Johnson) joins an important law firm and finds–to his dismay–that his new allergy to alcohol is defeating his social expectations when he passes out with just one whiff of it.
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Bill Cracks Down 1937 N/R, 61 min.
Genre: Comedy / Drama
aka: Men of Steel
Director: William Nigh
Cast: Grant Withers, Beatrice Roberts, Ranny Weeks, Judith Allen, William Newell, Pierre Watkin, Roger Williams, Georgia Caine, Greta Meyer, Edgar Norton, Harry Depp, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson
Bill Reardon (Pierre Watkin) has willed his family's steel mill to either "Tons" Walker (Grant Withers) or to his playboy son, Bill Jr. (Ranny Weeks), with the provision that "Tons" will work with Bill Jr. for one year and convince him to change his ways. Professional as well as personal entanglements ensue, but when each becomes involved with each others' girlfriends (Beatrice Roberts and Judith Allen), antagonisms reach new heights, and lessons are learned by both "Tons" and Bill.
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Breakfast for Two 1937  N/R, 67 min.
Genre: Comedy / Romance
Director: Alfred Santell
Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Herbert Marshall, Glenda Farrell, Eric Blore, Frank M. Thomas, Donald Meek, Etienne Girardot, Pierre Watkin, Harold Goodwin, Sidney Bracey
A Texas heiress, Valentine Ransom (Barbara Stanwyck), and a playboy, Jonathan Blair (Herbert Marshall), enjoy an on-again off-again romance because of their differences in life styles, but, despite problems from his crazy fiancee Carol Wallace (Glenda Farrell), by the end of the story they live happily ever after.
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The Californian 1937 N/R, 59 min.
Genre: Western
aka: The Gentleman from California
Director: Gus Meins
Cast: Ricardo Cortez, Marjorie Weaver, Katherine DeMille, Maurice Black, Morgan Wallace, Nigel De Brulier, George Regas, Pierre Watkin, Jim Farley, Edward Keane, Gene Reynolds, Ann Gillis
During 1855, Ramon Escobar (Ricardo Cortez) returns to California after completing school in Spain and discovers that corrupt politicians are using tax collectors to force old Californians off their land. Ramon takes on the cause to bring justice back to the area.
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The Chance of a Lifetime 1943 N/R, 66 min.
Genre: Mystery / Drama
Director: William Castle
Cast: Chester Morris, Erik Rolf, Jeanne Bates, Richard Lane, George E. Stone, Lloyd Corrigan, Walter Sande, Douglas Fowley, Cy Kendall, Trevor Bardette, Harry Semels, Arthur Hunnicutt, Pierre Watkin, Maude Eburne
In this "Boston Blackie" episode, ex-thief Boston Blackie (Chester Morris) sponsors 12 paroled prisoners in an effort to redeem them by finding jobs for them in a defense plant. But, not all of the prisoners have patriotism in mind, and they plan a robbery after which a reformed safecracker–and the only honest one of the group–Dooley Watson (Erik Rolf) becomes the prime suspect. By story's end, Blackie and the parolees have learned to work together, and Blackie is rewarded by getting a new set of convicts to work with.
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Counterfeiters 1948 N/R, 73 min.
Genre: Action
Director: Sam Newfield
Cast: John Sutton, Doris Merrick, Hugh Beaumont, Lon Chaney Jr., George O'Hanlon, Herbert Rawlinson, Pierre Watkin, Robert Kent, Don C. Harvey, Joi Lansing
John Sutton plays a Scotland Yard investigator who establishes himself as an undercover agent and brings an end to the illegal counterfeiting business of a gang of talented criminals.
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Country Gentlemen 1936  N/R, 66 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Ralph Staub
Cast: Ole Olsen, Chic Johnson, Joyce Compton, Lila Lee, Pierre Watkin, Donald Kirke, Ray Corrigan, Sammy McKim, Wade Boteler, Ivan Miller, Olin Howland, Frank Sheridan
The comedy team of Ole Olsen and Chic Johnson play con men who fleece residents of a veterans' home by selling stock in a non-producing oil well. The furious vets discover the scam and prepare for a lynching party–until the well, surprisingly, begins gushing oil.
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Dakota 1945  N/R, 82 min.
Genre: Western / Romance
Director: Joseph Kane
Cast: John Wayne, Vera Ralston, Walter Brennan, Ona Munson, Hugo Haas, Ward Bond, Mike Mazurki, Paul Fix, Grant Withers, Pierre Watkin, Olive Blakeney, Nick Stewart, Robert Livingston, Olin Howland, Robert Barrat
In this Western, professional gambler John Devlin (John Wayne) finds himself in the midst of a territorial dispute over a railroad line. John elopes with Sandy (Vera Ralston) who is the daughter of the railway tycoon, Marko Poli (Hugo Haas). Sandy has plans to use their money to buy land and then sell it to the railroad at a profit. While passengers on the River Bird on their way to check out the land, Sandy and John's money is stolen, a range war begins, and John joins the farmers in the fight.
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Dangerous 1935 N/R, 80 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Alfred E. Green
Cast: Bette Davis, Franchot Tone, Margaret Lindsay, Alison Skipworth, John Eldredge, Dick Foran, Pierre Watkin, Milton Kibbee, George Irving, Mary Treen
Bette Davis won the Oscar for her role as alcoholic ex-star Joyce Heath in this fair movie. Obviously, she is the highlight and makes it worth watching.
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The Devil's Playground 1937 N/R, 74 min.
Genre: Drama / Romance
Director: Erle C. Kenton
Cast: Richard Dix, Dolores del Rio, Chester Morris, George McKay, John Gallaudet, Pierre Watkin, Ward Bond, Francis McDonald, Ann Doran, Stanley Andrews, Don Rowan, Eddie Fetherston, Si Jenks, Garry Owen, William Worthington
After deep-sea diver Jack Dorgan (Richard Dix) discovers his wife's, Carmen (Dolores del Rio), interest has strayed to another, Robert Mason (Chester Morris), events accelerate to an underwater battle of brains and brawn. This film is a remake of "Submarine" (1928).
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Flamingo Road 1949 N/R, 94 min.
Genre: Drama / Romance
Director: Michael Curtiz
Cast: Joan Crawford, Zachary Scott, Sydney Greenstreet, David Brian, Gladys George, Fred Clark, Gertrude Michael, Virginia Huston, Alice White, Tristram Coffin, Sam McDaniel, Tito Vuolo, Iris Adrian, Pierre Watkin, James Flavin
Carnival dancer Lane Bellamy (Joan Crawford) is stranded in a small, Florida town where she gets a job as a waitress. She falls in love with Deputy Sheriff Fielding Carlisle (Zachary Scott), but Sheriff Titus Semple (Sidney Greenstreet), who will have none of their romance, frames Lane on a prostitution charge and sends her to jail. Later, after being released from prison, Lane returns to town and seeks revenge against the sheriff–an act that will bring death or destruction to all.
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Francis Goes to West Point 1952 N/R, 81 min.
Genre: Comedy / Fantasy
Director: Arthur Lubin
Cast: Donald O'Connor, Lori Nelson, Alice Kelley, Gregg Palmer, Les Tremayne, Otto Hulett, David Janssen, Paul Burke, Leonard Nimoy, Chill Wills, William Reynolds, James Best, Cliff Clark, Sam Flint, Pierre Watkin
In this "Francis the Talking Mule" episode, Peter Stirling (Donald O'Connor) and Francis (voice of Chill Wills), head to West Point where Francis tries to keep Peter out of trouble. Francis serves as the West Point football team's mascot but still finds time to give advice to Peter and even helps the Army team beat Navy. Look for Leonard Nimoy as a football player.
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Great Guns 1941 N/R, 73 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Monty Banks
Cast: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Sheila Ryan, Dick Nelson, Charles Trowbridge, Paul Harvey, Alan Ladd, Edmund MacDonald, Mae Marsh, Ethel Griffies, Pierre Watkin, Charles Arnt
As army recruits serving under a strict drill sergeant, Laurel and Hardy provide laughs for their ineptitude as cavalrymen. Far from their best effort.
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The Great Mike 1944 N/R, 72 min.
Genre: Comedy / Drama
Director: Wallace Fox
Cast: Stuart Erwin, Robert "Buzz" Henry, Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, Edythe Elliott, Pierre Watkin, Gwen Kenyon, Bob Meredith, William Halligan, Lane Chandler, Marion Martin, Ed Cassidy, Charles King, Leon Tyler
Mike is a horse that pulls the cart from which his owner, Speck (Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer), and his young friend, Jimmy (Robert "Buzz" Henry), deliver newspapers. Jimmy sees a great future for Mike and dreams of turning him into a race horse. Before Jimmy and trainer Spencer (Stuart Erwin) can fully prepare Mike for the big race, they encounter gangsters who have different plans for Mike, but courage and luck play roles in this fight for good over evil.
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The Green Light 1937 N/R, 85 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Frank Borzage
Cast: Errol Flynn, Anita Louise, Margaret Lindsay, Cedric Hardwicke, Henry O'Neill, Spring Byington, Erin O'Brien-Moore, Walter Abel, Henry Kolker, Pierre Watkin
This is a philosophical drama about an idealist physician (Errol Flynn) who undergoes a conversion and leaves his profession to learn more about meaning in life.
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Heart of the Rio Grande 1942 N/R, 70 min.
Genre: Western
Director: William Morgan
Cast: Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, Fay McKenzie, Edith Fellows, Joseph Strauch Jr., Pierre Watkin, William Haade, Sarah Padden, Jean Porter, Edmund Cobb, Budd Buster, Jimmy Wakely
Singing cowboy Gene Autry teaches a few facts of life to a spoiled rich girl who finds ranch running isn't that simple.
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I Love You Again 1940 N/R, 97 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: W.S. Van Dyke
Cast: William Powell, Myrna Loy, Frank McHugh, Edmund Lowe, Donald Douglas, Nella Walker, Pierre Watkin, Paul Stanton, Morgan Wallace, Charles Arnt
An amnesiac (William Powell) is dull and boring, but then he receives a bump on the head and regains his old personality–and the love of his wife (Myrna Loy). Very funny–even today.
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In Old Amarillo 1951 N/R, 67 min.
Genre: Western
Director: William Witney
Cast: Roy Rogers, Estelita Rodriguez, Penny Edwards, Pinky Lee, Roy Barcroft, Pierre Watkin, Elisabeth Risdon, Pat Brady, Kenneth Howell, William Holmes, Al Bridge, Larry J. Blake, Bob Burns, Kermit Maynard, Jimmy Bryant
The cattle business is in trouble around Amarillo due to the drought, and, of course, there's always someone to take advantage of the situation. And that person is the dastardly canning guru who wants cheap cattle. But first, he must stop the cattlemen from seeding clouds and bringing water in by train. It's a good thing that investigator Roy Rogers is on the scene.
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Internes Can't Take Money 1937 N/R, 77 min.
Genre: Drama
aka: You Can't Take Money
Director: Alfred Santell
Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Joel McCrea, Lloyd Nolan, Stanley Ridges, Lee Bowman, Irving Bacon, Steve Pendleton, Pierre Watkin, Charles(2) Lane, Fay Holden, Barry Macollum, James Bush, Anthony Nace, Nick Lukats, Frank Bruno
In this, the first in a series of Dr. Kildare stories, Janet (Barbara Stanwyck) is the widow of a bank robber and has been serving time for a crime she did not commit. Now, she is released from prison and searches for her kidnapped three-year-old daughter who is being held by Innes (Stanley Ridges) who wants money from Janet. While searching, Janet helps a young intern, Dr. Kildare (Joel McCrea), save the life of a thug, Hanlon (Lloyd Nolan). He offers Kildare money, but Kildare does not accept the offer. By story's end, it is Kildare who helps Janet find and retrieve her missing daughter.
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It Ain't Hay 1943 N/R, 79 min.
Genre: Comedy
aka: Money for Jam
Director: Erle C. Kenton
Cast: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Grace McDonald, Cecil Kellaway, William Forrest, Shemp Howard, Eugene Pallette, Richard Lane, Samuel S. Hinds, Pierre Watkin
While searching for a replacement horse for their friend, Grover (Bud Abbott) and Wilbur (Lou Costello) unwittingly steal a racehorse, Teabiscuit.
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 Jesse James at Bay 1941 N/R, 56 min.
Genre: Western / Action / Adventure / Musical / Romance
Director: Joseph Kane
Cast: Roy Rogers, George "Gabby" Hayes, Sally Payne, Pierre Watkin, Ivan Miller, Gale Storm, Hal Taliaferro, Roy Barcroft, Jack Kirk, Edward Peil Sr., Hank Bell, Budd Buster, Chester Conklin, Jack Rockwell, Bob Woodward
The railroad is coming, and the railroaders need the land. So, they plot to grab the land from the settlers. Jesse James (Roy Rogers) helps the settlers by robbing the trains and distributing the proceeds among the settlers. But a local villain (also played by Roy Rogers) is a dead-ringer for Jesse, and the battle begins.
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The Jolson Story 1946  N/R, 128 min.
Genre: Musical
Director: Alfred E. Green
Cast: Larry Parks, Evelyn Keyes, William Demarest, Bill Goodwin, Ludwig Donath, Tamara Shayne, John Alexander, Ann E. Todd, Pierre Watkin, Will Wright
This biography of 1920's star Al Jolson (Larry Parks) provides good entertainment and great Jolson tunes including "April Showers" and "Swanee." The film won Academy Awards for Best Musical Score and Sound. It also had four other nominations, including Best Actor (Parks) and Supporting Actor (William Demarest).
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King of the Underworld 1939 N/R, 69 min.
Genre: Drama / Mystery
Director: Lewis Seiler
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Kay Francis, James Stephenson, John Eldredge, Jessie Busley, Arthur Aylesworth, Raymond Brown, Charles Trowbridge, John Ridgely, Pierre Watkin, Harland Tucker, Ralph Remley, Charley Foy, Murray Alper, Joe Devlin
Dr. Niles Nelson (John Eldridge) has been hired as the doctor for Joe Gurney (Humphrey Bogart) and his gangsters. When police raid Joe's hideout, Joe kills Niles and sets it up so that Niles' wife Carol (Kay Francis), who is also a doctor, is accused of the murder. Carol is acquitted, searches for Joe, and moves to a small town where Joe's gangsters are jailed. She meets Bill Stevens (James Stephenson) who Joe has hired to write his biography and convinces him not to write the story. Meanwhile, Joe is wounded while breaking the two gangsters out of jail and asks Carol to treat him. Carol treats Joe and his gangsters with eye drops that blind them and then calls the police.
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Lay That Rifle Down 1955 N/R, 71 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Charles Lamont
Cast: Judy Canova, Robert Lowery, Jil Jarmyn, Jacqueline deWit, Richard Deacon, Robert Burton, James Bell, Leon Tyler, Pierre Watkin, William Fawcett, Marjorie Bennett, Edmund Cobb
Overworked Judy (Judy Canova) is also paid little for her tasks at her aunt's hotel. So, she decides to enroll in a charm school, which turns out to be a scam, and that leads to more troubles–and fun for the viewer.
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Life Begins for Andy Hardy 1941 N/R, 100 min.
Genre: Drama / Comedy
Director: George B. Seitz
Cast: Lewis Stone, Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, Fay Holden, Ann Rutherford, Sara Haden, Patricia Dane, Ray McDonald, George P. Breakston, Pierre Watkin, Tommy Kelly, Joseph Crehan
Andy Hardy (Mickey Rooney) has graduated from high school and convinces his father, Judge Hardy (Lewis Stone), that he may go to New York City to spend the summer and learn more about the world. Andy's pal, Betsy Booth (Judy Garland), keeps an eye on things and even reports back to Judge Hardy on Andy's activities. It turns out that Andy is NOT ready for life in the big city, and Judge Hardy and Betsy convince him to return home.
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Little Giant 1946 N/R, 91 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: William A. Seiter
Cast: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Brenda Joyce, Jacqueline deWit, Elena Verdugo, Mary Gordon, Margaret Dumont, George Cleveland, George Chandler, Pierre Watkin
Bud Abbott takes on two roles in this story about a shy vacuum cleaner salesman (Lou Costello) who is trying to live up what his demanding bosses–John Morrison (Bud Abbott) and Tom Chandler (Bud Abbott)–expect of him.
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The Magnificent Dope 1942 N/R, 83 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Walter Lang
Cast: Henry Fonda, Lynn Bari, Don Ameche, Edward Everett Horton, George Barbier, Frank Orth, Roseanne Murray, Arthur Loft, Hobart Cavanaugh, Pierre Watkin
Country versus city is the theme for this film in which two men (Henry Fonda and Don Ameche) vie for a school secretary's (Lynn Bari) attention.
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 Meet John Doe 1941 N/R, 123 min.
Genre: Drama / Comedy / Romance
Director: Frank Capra
Cast: Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck, Walter Brennan, Edward Arnold, James Gleason, Spring Byington, Gene Lockhart, Irving Bacon, Regis Toomey, Warren Hymer, J. Farrell MacDonald, Rod La Rocque, Harry Holman, Pierre Watkin, Andrew Tombes
Journalist Ann Mitchell (Barbara Stanwyck) has been fired from her newspaper job, and she thinks she has found the perfect way to get that job back by printing a fake letter from "John Doe" announcing that he is going to jump off City Hall on New Year's Eve. The stunt works, the newspaper's readership rises, John Doe gains incredible support, and Ann is rehired. Now, Ann must find someone to play "John Doe"–and she does in the form of a soft-spoken hobo, Long John Willoughby (Gary Cooper). His popularity rises, newspaper publisher D.B. Norton (Edward Arnold) puts John Doe on the radio to deliver inspirational speeches, and soon he is deeply involved in politics. But, the politics support those of fascist Norton who has a secret plan to become a dictator of the United States. Will Willoughby catch on in time to save the day? 1 User Review
| User Review |
| | The darkest of the Frank Capra Films | 1fatts 07/22/2007 | It is the depression, and a failed baseball pitcher with a bum arm trying to get by in tough times, finds himself being trained by reporter Barbara Stanwyck to pretend to be John Doe, a symbol of the down-and-out who has promised to jump from the tallest building in town on New Year's Eve. Cooper as "Long John Willoughby" does "the decency of the simple man" quite wonderfully here. It's not as funny as "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town", but more poignant for sure.
The movie is solid Capra, with a Robert Riskin screenplay. But there is a darkness here which other Capra films just hint at. Yes, John Doe doesn't commit suicide. (Love conquers all. Sorry.) But the mildly upbeat ending is artificial. The bad guys win, in effect. The little guys, whom John Doe comes to represent, really are outmatched, outsmarted and defeated by the power of crooked money and crooked politics.
When Capra did Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, he invited all the members of the Senate to a preivew. Hearing that the Senate was presented in something less than pure halo and glory, they stayed away in droves. But it is John Doe that is the real critique, hidden in a comic script and a romantic ending.
Real hollywood film buffs need to be conversant with Capra. This is the one that needs to be the center of the discussion of "The Optimistic Vision of Frank Capra". |
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 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington 1939  N/R, 125 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Frank Capra
Cast: James Stewart, Jean Arthur, Claude Rains, Edward Arnold, Harry Carey, Thomas Mitchell, Guy Kibbee, Beulah Bondi, Eugene Pallette, H.B. Warner, Astrid Allwyn, Ruth Donnelly, Grant Mitchell, Pierre Watkin, Porter Hall
Filling in for his state's deceased senator, Jefferson Smith (James Stewart) takes his seat in the United States Senate. Despite crooked politics surrounding his appointment, as well as in Washington D.C., Smith behaves as we all wish our representatives would. An Academy Award was won for Best Original Story and 10 other nominations were received, including Best Picture, Actor, Supporting Actor (both Harry Carey and Claude Rains), and Director.
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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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Nevada City 1941 N/R, 56 min.
Genre: Western / Action / Musical / Romance
Director: Joseph Kane
Cast: Roy Rogers, George "Gabby" Hayes, Sally Payne, George Cleveland, Billy Lee, Fred Kohler Jr., Pierre Watkin, Joseph Crehan, Jack Ingram, Yakima Canutt, Hank Bell, Rex Lease, Syd Saylor, Fred Burns, Jack Kirk
In the early 1860s, Jeff and Gabby (Roy Rogers and George "Gabby" Hayes) are stagecoach drivers when the railroad is coming to the West. Their boss, Mark Benton (Joseph Crehan), is concerned that the railroad will take over and is feuding with Hank Liddell (George Cleveland) who owns the railroad. Jeff and Gabby try to get Benton and Liddell to reconcile but are not successful. When financier Amos Norton (Pierre Watkin) hires outlaw Black Bart (Fred Kohler Jr.) to raid both the stagecoaches and the railroads, matters worsen–until Liddell and Benton finally work together, and Gabby and Jeff stop the robberies.
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Pal Joey 1957 N/R, 109 min.
Genre: Musical / Drama / Romance
Director: George Sidney
Cast: Frank Sinatra, Rita Hayworth, Kim Novak, Bobby Sherwood, Hank Henry, Barbara Nichols, Elizabeth Patterson, Frank Wilcox, Pierre Watkin, James Seay, Franklyn Farnum, Bess Flowers, Robert Reed
San Francisco nightclub entertainer Joey Evans (Frank Sinatra) cannot seem to decide whether he is a good or bad guy. Romance comes into play when lecherous, wealthy widow Vera Simpson (Rita Hayworth) finances Joey in his own nightclub, the Chez Joey. But, it is good-girl chorine Linda English (Kim Novak) who Joey falls in love with. When Vera offers a bribe to get Joey to marry her, will Joey go along with it, or will he choose to change his ways and find love with Linda? Songs include "My Funny Valentine," "The Lady is a Tramp," and "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered."
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 Pride of the Yankees 1942 N/R, 128 min.
Genre: Family / Drama / Romance
Director: Sam Wood
Cast: Gary Cooper, Teresa Wright, Walter Brennan, Babe Ruth, Dan Duryea, Ernie Adams, Ludwig Stossel, Virginia Gilmore, Pierre Watkin, Harry Harvey, Elsa Janssen, Bill Dickey, Mark Koenig, Bill Stern, Bob Meusel
This is the poignant biography of Lou Gehrig (Gary Cooper), first baseman for the New York Yankees who joined the Yankees in 1925. He was forced into early retirement in 1939 when he contracted Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)–a fatal disease causing a deterioration of his nerve and muscle systems. His loyal wife Eleanor (Teresa Wright) supports him throughout his ordeal. Known as "The Iron Man of Baseball" because he never misses a game, Gehrig bids farewell to his fans at Yankee Stadium–ending his speech with "Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth."
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Rhythm on the River 1940 N/R, 92 min.
Genre: Musical
Director: Victor Schertzinger
Cast: Bing Crosby, Mary Martin, Basil Rathbone, Oscar Levant, John Scott Trotter, Charley Grapewin, William Frawley, Jeanne Cagney, Charles(2) Lane, Pierre Watkin
Ghostwriters Bob (Bing Crosby) and Cherry (Mary Martin) have been in the employ of music composer Oliver Courtney (Basil Rathbone). They fall in love and start writing in their own names. Naturally, they come up with a hit, but the story of their efforts is entertaining.
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 Road to Singapore 1940 N/R, 84 min.
Genre: Comedy / Musical / Romance
Director: Victor Schertzinger
Cast: Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour, Charles Coburn, Judith Barrett, Anthony Quinn, Jerry Colonna, Miles Mander, Pierre Watkin, Steve Pendleton, Johnny Arthur, Don Brodie
This is the first "Road" film; it proved so popular that six more films followed. Playboys Josh (Bing Crosby) and Ace (Bob Hope) escape romantic attachments and sail the Pacific Ocean to a tropical island. They try to con natives with their elixir "Spot-O," and meet and vie for the attention of a lovely lady, Mima (Dorothy Lamour), who is running away from her partner Caesar (Anthony Quinn). And fun and intrigue fill the screen.
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The Saint Takes Over 1940 N/R, 69 min.
Genre: Mystery
Director: Jack Hively
Cast: George Sanders, Wendy Barrie, Jonathan Hale, Paul Guilfoyle, Morgan Conway, Robert Emmett Keane, Cy Kendall, James Burke, Robert Middlemass, Nella Walker, Roland Drew, Pierre Watkin, Arthur Loft, Paul McVey, Charles Sullivan
This is another good Saint episode as The Saint (George Sanders) again helps Inspector Fernack (Jonathan Hale), who this time is being framed by gambling bad guys. After running into several murders, The Saint prevails.
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Scandal Sheet 1952 N/R, 82 min.
Genre: Drama / Romance / Thriller
aka: The Dark Page
Director: Phil Karlson
Cast: John Derek, Donna Reed, Broderick Crawford, Rosemary DeCamp, Henry O'Neill, Harry Morgan, James Millican, Griff Barnett, Jonathan Hale, Pierre Watkin, Cliff Clark, Gertrude Astor, Don Beddoe, Gertrude Astor, Katherine Warren
An ambitious and ruthless newspaper editor (Broderick Crawford) is hired to turn a respected New York paper around. He does it by turning the paper into a tabloid, to the dismay of many. At a party to celebrate the success, the editor's wife, whom he had run out on several years before, shows up. After she threatens to blackmail him, he kills her and makes it look as if it was an accidental death. Now, two of the paper's reporters seek the truth. A very good, and gripping, tale.
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Seven Keys to Baldpate 1947 N/R, 66 min.
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Director: Lew Landers
Cast: Phillip Terry, Jacqueline White, Eduardo Ciannelli, Arthur Shields, Jason Robards Sr., Margaret Lindsay, Jimmy Conlin, Tom Keene, Tony Barrett, Pierre Watkin, Erville Alderson, Harry Harvey, Robert Bray
Based on George M. Cohan's play, which in turn was taken from Earl Derr Biggers' book, the plot centers on mystery writer Kenneth Magee (Phillip Terry) who heads for the Baldpate Inn where he plans to complete the writing of his novel in 24 hours. The inn is closed for the winter, and Magee has what he believes is the only key to the front door. As the evening sets in, strange characters appear with their own keys to the door. They come and go, murders take place, and Magee becomes involved in solving the mystery.
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Shanghai Chest 1948 N/R, 65 min.
Genre: Mystery / Drama / Comedy / Thriller
aka: Charlie Chan in the Shanghai Chest
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, Milton Parsons, Olaf Hytten, Erville Alderson, George Elredge, Eddie Coke
Vic Armstrong (John Alvin) visits his Uncle Judge Armstrong's (Pierre Watkin) home and answers a ringing telephone. Phyllis Powers (Deannie Best) is calling, but, just as he answers, Vic is knocked unconscious. Vic didn't know that his uncle had been murdered and the murderer is in the home. The murderer knocks Vic unconscious and escapes. When Vic regains consciousness, he pulls the knife out of his uncle's back, leaving his fingerprints on the knife. The police arrive and accuse Vic of the murder. Now, Charlie Chan (Roland Winters) sleuths out the real killer.
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Shock 1946 N/R, 70 min.
Genre: Horror / Thriller / Drama
Director: Alfred L. Werker
Cast: Vincent Price, Lynn Bari, Frank Latimore, Anabel Shaw, Stephen Dunne, Reed Hadley, Renee Carson, Charles Trowbridge, John Davidson, Selmer Jackson, Pierre Watkin, Robert Adler, George E. Stone, Charles Tannen, Mary Young
While waiting in a hotel for her husband Paul Stewart (Frank Latimore) to return from World War II, Janet (Anabel Shaw) witnesses a murder from her hotel window. Janet goes into shock, and the hotel management calls in a psychiatrist, Dr. Cross (Vincent Price), who is the man Janet had seen murdering his wife. When Paul returns, he does not believe Janet's story about Cross murdering his wife and sends her to Cross' sanitarium. Cross instructs his lover and nurse, Elaine Jordan (Lynn Bari), to give Janet an overdose of insulin–an event that turns into Cross murdering Jordan, but Janet's life is saved.
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Sioux City Sue 1946 N/R, 69 min.
Genre: Western / Musical
Director: Frank McDonald
Cast: Gene Autry, Lynne Roberts, Sterling Holloway, Richard Lane, Kenne Duncan, Minerva Urecal, Ralph Sanford, Ken Lundy, Helen Wallace, Pierre Watkin, Tristram Coffin, Tommy Coats, Tristam Coffin, Edwin Mills, LeRoy Mason
Sue Warner (Lynne Roberts) discovers singing cowboy Gene Autry and brings him to Hollywood. But, Gene Autry didn't care for Hollywood where he was taken by a talent scout, and he returns home to trouble with outlaws who are up to no good. Sue follows him, and after Gene gets rid of the rustlers, he signs a contract to star in a musical western.
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So Goes My Love 1946 N/R, 88 min.
Genre: Comedy / Drama
Director: Frank Ryan
Cast: Myrna Loy, Don Ameche, Rhys Williams, Bobby Driscoll, Richard Gaines, Molly Lamont, Sara Padden, Clara Blandick, John Gallaudet, John Phillips, Renie Riano, Bruce Edwards, Wheaton Chambers, Sherlee Graybill, Pierre Watkin
Set in 1860s' Brooklyn, this is the story of the inventor of the Maxim machine gun, Hiram Stephen Maxim (Don Ameche). The theme is about his married life to Jane (Myrna Loy) and how she adjusts to life with a slightly offbeat genius. They have two children, love flourishes, and Maxim's inventions are successful to the extent that his portrait hangs in the National Hall of Science.
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Society Lawyer 1939 N/R, 78 min.
Genre: Drama / Mystery / Musical
Director: Edwin L. Marin
Cast: Walter Pidgeon, Leo Carrillo, Virginia Bruce, Lee Bowman, Edward Brophy, Eduardo Ciannelli, Harry Strang, Frances Mercer, Clarence Kolb, Pierre Watkin, Ian Wolfe, Paul Guilfoyle, Ann Morriss, Herbert Mundin, Frank M. Thomas
This is a remake of "Penthouse," Arthur Somers Roche's story about lawyer Christopher Durant's (Walter Pidgeon) involvement with underworld characters when he agrees to defend his friend Phil Siddall (Lee Bowman) on a murder charge. Durant uses the help of Pat Abbott (Virginia Bruce) and crime boss Tony Gazotti (Leo Carrillo) to prove Siddall's innocence.
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 Stage Door 1937 N/R, 92 min.
Genre: Comedy / Drama
Director: Gregory LaCava
Cast: Katharine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers, Adolphe Menjou, Andrea Leeds, Eve Arden, Ann Miller, Lucille Ball, Gail Patrick, Constance Collier, Samuel S. Hinds, Franklin Pangborn, William Corson, Pierre Watkin, Grady Sutton, Frank Reicher
Along with other aspiring thespians, Terry (Katharine Hepburn) and Jean (Ginger Rogers) live in a boarding house in New York. When Terry's wealthy father ensures her a starring role in a new production, repercussions include the suicide of the actress who really deserved that role and leads to the rise of maturity for Terry. Academy Award nominations were received for Best Picture, Director, and Supporting Actress (Andrea Leeds).
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 State of the Union 1948 N/R, 124 min.
Genre: Comedy / Drama
Director: Frank Capra
Cast: Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Van Johnson, Angela Lansbury, Adolphe Menjou, Lewis Stone, Howard Smith, Raymond Walburn, Charles Dingle, Pierre Watkin, Maidel Turner, Margaret Hamilton, Art Baker, Florence Auer, Irving Bacon
When Grant Matthews (Spencer Tracy) campaigns for the office of President of the United States, his wife Mary (Katharine Hepburn) agrees to keep the problems of their marriage secret. The problems involve Kay Thordyke (Angela Lansbury) who loves Grant and helps him run for President. At a dinner party, Mary speaks out against corrupt politicians, and Grant finds himself in the middle of her outburst.
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The Stork Club 1945 N/R, 98 min.
Genre: Musical / Comedy / Romance
Director: Hal Walker
Cast: Betty Hutton, Barry Fitzgerald, Don DeFore, Robert Benchley, Bill Goodwin, Iris Adrian, Mikhail Rasumny, Mary Young, Andy Russell, Pierre Watkin, Charles Coleman, Catherine Craig, Perc Launders, Audrey Young, Anthony Caruso
Judy Peabody (Betty Hutton) is a hat check girl who saves the life of Jerry B. Bates (Barry Fitzgerald). He repays her anonymously by setting her up as a wealthy woman. But, problems develop when her boyfriend, Sgt. Danny Wilton (Don DeFore), returns from the war and is suspicious of her newfound prosperity.
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The Story of Seabiscuit 1949 N/R, 92 min.
Genre: Family / Drama / Romance
Director: David Butler
Cast: Shirley Temple, Barry Fitzgerald, Lon McCallister, Rosemary DeCamp, Donald MacBride, Pierre Watkin, William Forrest, Bill Cartledge, Creighton Hale, Gertrude Astor, Joe Hernandez, Hal J. Moore, Clem McCarthy, James Simmons, Gil Warren
Shawn O'Hara (Barry Fitzgerald) arrives in America with his niece Margaret O'Hara (Shirley Temple), and they are trying to leave bad memories behind. As a horse trainer, Shawn sees something no one else does in his horse, Seabiscuit. Training pays off, and Seabiscuit becomes a champion.
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Strange Illusion 1945  N/R, 87 min.
Genre: Drama
aka: Out of the Night
Director: Edgar G. Ulmer
Cast: Jimmy Lydon, Sally Eilers, Warren William, Regis Toomey, Charles Arnt, George Reed, Jayne Hazard, Sonia Sorel, John Hamilton, Pierre Watkin, Jimmy Clark, Mary McLeod, Victor Potel, George Sherwood, Gene Roth
Paul (Jimmy Lydon) has been having nightmares in which his father, who was killed under suspicious circumstances, warns him that a stranger will threaten his family. True to his dreams, smooth Brett (Warren William) shows up to woo Paul's mother (Sally Eilers). Paul investigates and puts himself in danger. An interesting takeoff on "Hamlet." 1 User Review
| User Review |
| | Hamlet-like plot in modern (1945) setting | darknessatnoon 01/10/2007 | | Quite enjoyed it... not quite film noir... moves well... mostly plausible... framing device is hokily done (but so was Bill's)... cast looks familiar from 1950s TV Superman series. |
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The Stranger Wore a Gun 1953 N/R, 82 min.
Genre: Western
Director: Andre De Toth
Cast: Randolph Scott, Claire Trevor, Joan Weldon, George Macready, Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Roscoe Ates, Alfonso Bedoya, Pierre Watkin, Joseph Vitale, Clem Bevans, Edward Earle, Edith Evanson, Paul Maxey, Francis McDonald
As Jeff Travis (Randolph Scott) tries to reform after being a spy for the Quantrill raiders, he is tempted to become involved in a plot to capture a government gold shipment but changes his mind in the nick of time.
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Sunset in the West 1950 N/R, 67 min.
Genre: Western
Director: William Witney
Cast: Roy Rogers, Estelita Rodriguez, Penny Edwards, Gordon Jones, Will Wright, Pierre Watkin, Charles La Torre, William Tannen, Steve Pendleton, Paul E. Burns, Foy Willing, John Daheim, Augie Gomez, Bob Burns, Stanley Blystone
Gunrunners are on the loose, and between songs Roy Rogers, the deputy sheriff, is after them.
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Swamp Fire 1946 N/R, 69 min.
Genre: Adventure
Director: William H. Pine
Cast: Johnny Weissmuller, Virginia Grey, Buster Crabbe, Carol Thurston, Pedro de Cordoba, Pierre Watkin, Marcelle Corday, William Edmunds, Frank Fenton, David Janssen, Edwin Maxwell, Charles Gordon, Joseph Crehan, Edward Earle, Emmett Vogan
Navy war veteran, riverboat captain Johnny (Johnny Weissmuller) plies the waters of the lower Mississippi River and fights it out with evil trapper Mike (Buster Crabbe) over the woman (Virginia Grey) he loves. The only highlight: the fight in the alligator-filled swamp. Look for a young David Janssen.
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 Swing Time 1936 N/R, 105 min.
Genre: Musical / Comedy / Romance
Director: George Stevens
Cast: Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Victor Moore, Helen Broderick, Eric Blore, Betty Furness, Pierre Watkin, Georges Metaxa, Gerald Hamer, Edgar Dearing, Ralph Byrd, Fern Emmett, Frank Mills, Landers Stevens, Bess Flowers
A gambler, John "Lucky" Garnett (Fred Astaire), arrives late and misses his wedding to Margaret (Betty Furness). Now he must prove that he is worthy of marrying her in the future. He goes to New York where he has an on-again, off-again romance with dance instructor Penelope "Penny" Carroll (Ginger Rogers). By story's end, Penny escapes her own wedding to Ricky (Georges Metaxa), and "Lucky" and Penny are reunited. Jerome Kern wrote the score, which includes "The Way You Look Tonight" and "Never Gonna Dance." The first of these won the Oscar for Best Song. One of the pair's best.
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Trapped by Boston Blackie 1948 N/R, 67 min.
Genre: Mystery / Drama
Director: Seymour Friedman
Cast: Chester Morris, June Vincent, Richard Lane, Patricia Barry, Edward Norris, George E. Stone, Frank Sully, Fay Baker, William Forrest, Sarah Selby, Mary Currier, Pierre Watkin, Ben Welden, Abigail Adams, Bess Flowers
While Boston Blackie (Chester Morris) and his sidekick The Runt (George E. Stone) are guarding a priceless pearl necklace that Claire Carter (Sarah Selby) plans to wear at a party she is giving, the necklace disappears. Inspector Farraday (Richard Lane) investigates and finds the necklace in Blackie's pocket. Once again, Blackie and The Runt escape and set out to find the thief in order to clear their names.
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Wall Street Cowboy 1939 N/R, 66 min.
Genre: Western
Director: Joseph Kane
Cast: Roy Rogers, George "Gabby" Hayes, Raymond Hatton, Ann Baldwin, Pierre Watkin, Paul Fix, Craig Reynolds, Ivan Miller, Reginald Barlow, Adrian Morris
Roy (Roy Rogers) has a good vein of the prized mineral molybdenum on his ranch and Wall Street crooks are out to get it. So Roy heads back to NY to make everything right.
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Young Dr. Kildare 1938 N/R, 81 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Harold S. Bucquet
Cast: Lew Ayres, Lionel Barrymore, Lynne Carver, Nat Pendleton, Jo Ann Sayers, Samuel S. Hinds, Emma Dunn, Walter Kingsford, Monty Woolley, Pierre Watkin, Truman Bradley, Nella Walker, Virginia Brissac, Don Castle, Frank Orth
This is the first in a series of nine Dr. Kildare movies. All films star Lew Ayres as the title character and Lionel Barrymore as Dr. Gillespie, his mentor. The setting is Blair General Hospital. In this episode, Dr. Kildare, upon graduation, decides not to join his father's practice in a small town; rather, he chooses a large hospital in NYC. He gets in trouble right away when he is blamed for the death of an important politician. The wheel-chair-bound Dr. Gillespie helps prove Kildare's innocence and, by story's end, becomes his mentor.
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| 1. The Adventures of Martin Eden (1942)
2. The Bank Dick (1940)
3. The Big Hangover (1950)
4. Bill Cracks Down (1937)
aka: Men of Steel
5. Breakfast for Two (1937)
6. The Californian (1937)
aka: The Gentleman from California
7. The Chance of a Lifetime (1943)
8. Counterfeiters (1948)
9. Country Gentlemen (1936)
10. Dakota (1945)
11. Dangerous (1935)
12. The Devil's Playground (1937)
13. Flamingo Road (1949)
14. Francis Goes to West Point (1952)
15. Great Guns (1941)
16. The Great Mike (1944)
17. The Green Light (1937)
18. Heart of the Rio Grande (1942)
19. I Love You Again (1940)
20. In Old Amarillo (1951)
21. Internes Can't Take Money (1937)
aka: You Can't Take Money
22. It Ain't Hay (1943)
aka: Money for Jam
23. Jesse James at Bay (1941)
24. The Jolson Story (1946)
25. King of the Underworld (1939)
26. Lay That Rifle Down (1955)
27. Life Begins for Andy Hardy (1941)
28. Little Giant (1946)
29. The Magnificent Dope (1942)
30. Meet John Doe (1941)
31. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
32. Nancy Goes to Rio (1950)
33. Nevada City (1941)
34. Pal Joey (1957)
35. Pride of the Yankees (1942)
36. Rhythm on the River (1940)
37. Road to Singapore (1940)
38. The Saint Takes Over (1940)
39. Scandal Sheet (1952)
aka: The Dark Page
40. Seven Keys to Baldpate (1947)
41. Shanghai Chest (1948)
aka: Charlie Chan in the Shanghai Chest
42. Shock (1946)
43. Sioux City Sue (1946)
44. So Goes My Love (1946)
45. Society Lawyer (1939)
46. Stage Door (1937)
47. State of the Union (1948)
48. The Stork Club (1945)
49. The Story of Seabiscuit (1949)
50. Strange Illusion (1945)
aka: Out of the Night
51. The Stranger Wore a Gun (1953)
52. Sunset in the West (1950)
53. Swamp Fire (1946)
54. Swing Time (1936)
55. Trapped by Boston Blackie (1948)
56. Wall Street Cowboy (1939)
57. Young Dr. Kildare (1938)
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