Alibi 1929  N/R, 90 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Roland West
Cast: Chester Morris, Harry Stubbs, Mae Busch, Eleanore Griffith, Irma Harrison, Regis Toomey, Al Hill, Purnell Pratt, Pat O'Malley, DeWitt Jennings, Elmer Ballard, Edward Jardon, James Bradbury Jr., Kernan Cripps, Ed Brady
This early talkie (which was also released as a silent film) was a recipient of Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and Actor (Chester Morris, who plays the gangster Chick Williams). A warehouse robbery goes bad, results in a death, and Chick must come up with an alibi because he is the prime suspect. A tough story.
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The Casino Murder Case 1935  N/R, 82 min.
Genre: Mystery
Director: Edwin L. Marin
Cast: Paul Lukas, Alison Skipworth, Donald Cook, Rosalind Russell, Arthur Byron, Ted Healy, Eric Blore, Isabel Jewell, Louise Fazenda, Leslie Fenton, Leo G. Carroll, Purnell Pratt
Paul Lukas, accent and all, becomes the fourth Philo Vance. After people are poisoned, Philo is brought in to sort through the suspects in this stretch-in-credibility plot. Rosalind Russell was just beginning to blossom into stardom at the time of this film.
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Come on, Rangers 1938  N/R, 57 min.
Genre: Western
Director: Joseph Kane
Cast: Roy Rogers, Lynne Roberts, Raymond Hatton, J. Farrell MacDonald, Purnell Pratt, Harry Woods, Bruce MacFarlane, Lane Chandler, Chester Gunnels, Lee Powell
Rangers forced to retire when the Cavalry comes in are brought back together by Roy Rogers to go after the outlaws. A better-than-average Rogers flick.
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Crimson Romance 1934 N/R, 70 min.
Genre: Action / Drama
Director: David Howard
Cast: Ben Lyon, Sari Maritza, Erich von Stroheim, Hardie Albright, James Bush, William Bakewell, Herman Bing, Bodil Rosing, Vince Barnett, Arthur Clayton, Oscar Apfel, Purnell Pratt, Jason Robards Sr., Wilhelm von Brincken
American friends Bob Wilson (Ben Lyon) and Fred von Bergen (James Bush) join the German air force prior to the U.S. entry in World War I. When America enters the war, Bob remains loyal to America and fights for his country, but Fred continues to fight for Germany and is killed in action. Bob consoles Fred's love Alida (Sari Maritza), and his actions lead to their marriage. Meanwhile, Fred's mother (Bodil Rosing) delivers an anti-war eulogy.
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Dance, Fools, Dance 1931 N/R, 80 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Harry Beaumont
Cast: Joan Crawford, Cliff Edwards, Lester Vail, William Bakewell, William(2) Holden, Clark Gable, Earle Foxe, Purnell Pratt, Hale Hamilton, Natalie Moorhead
Ex-socialite Bonnie (Joan Crawford) is a newspaperwoman who is assigned an undercover job to get to the bottom of a murder.
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Emma 1932 N/R, 70 min.
Genre: Comedy / Drama / Romance
Director: Clarence Brown
Cast: Marie Dressler, Richard Cromwell, Jean Hersholt, Myrna Loy, John Miljan, Leila Bennett, George Meeker, Purnell Pratt, Barbara Kent, Kathryn Crawford, Dale Fuller, Wilfred Noy, Andre Cheron, Wade Boteler, Lee Phelps
An elderly nanny, Emma (Marie Dressler), raised the Smith children. Following the death of their mother, she marries their father Frederick Smith (Jean Hersholt). Frederick dies, and Emma is the sole inheritor of his fortune. The children then accuse Emma of murdering their father. Emma is put on trial and is acquitted. She leaves the Smith family and goes to work for another family. Dressler was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar.
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Five Star Final 1931 N/R, 89 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Mervyn LeRoy
Cast: Edward G. Robinson, Marian Marsh, H.B. Warner, George E. Stone, Ona Munson, Boris Karloff, Aline MacMahon, Anthony Bushell, David Torrence, Frances Starr, Oscar Apfel, Purnell Pratt, Robert Elliott, Gladys Lloyd, Evelyn Hall
This insightful offering examines the effects of yellow journalism in which the search for sensational news to sell newspapers ignores the responsibilities of the journalism profession.
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Grand Hotel 1932 N/R, 115 min.
Genre: Drama / Romance
Director: Edmund Goulding
Cast: Greta Garbo, John Barrymore, Joan Crawford, Wallace Beery, Lionel Barrymore, Jean Hersholt, Robert McWade, Purnell Pratt, Rafaela Ottiano, Tully Marshall, Lewis Stone, Ferdinand Gottschalk, Morgan Wallace, Frank Conroy, Murray Kinnell
This anthology won the Academy Award for Best Picture of 1931-1932. The story takes place in Berlin following World War I and involves guests of the Grand Hotel. Among those visiting are a ballerina (Greta Garbo), a jewel thief (John Barrymore), and a young stenographer (Joan Crawford).
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I Cover the Waterfront 1933  N/R, 70 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: James Cruze
Cast: Claudette Colbert, Ben Lyon, Ernest Torrence, Hobart Cavanaugh, Maurice Black, Purnell Pratt, Harry Beresford, George Humbert, Wilfred Lucas, Rosita Marstini, Lee Phelps, Al Hill
While covering waterfront stories, reporter Joe Miller (Ben Lyon) zeroes in on fishing captain Eli Kirk (Ernest Torrence) who Joe believes is involved in a smuggling operation. But, after meeting and falling in love with Eli's daughter, Julie (Claudette Colbert), Joe must deal with conflicting loyalties.
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Murder with Pictures 1936 N/R, 69 min.
Genre: Drama / Mystery
Director: Charles Barton
Cast: Lew Ayres, Gail Patrick, Joyce Compton, Paul Kelly, Onslow Stevens, Ernest Cossart, Anthony Nace, Benny Baker, Joe Sawyer, Irving Bacon, Purnell Pratt, Frank Sheridan, Don Rowan
Crime boss Nate Girard (Onslow Stevens) beats a murder rap and throws a party for the press during which one of his men is killed while posing for a picture with Nate. Photographer Kent Murdock (Lew Ayres) was at the party where he met Meg Archer (Gail Patrick) who needed to talk with him. Later, Meg shows up at Kent's apartment and tells him that she is a suspect in the murder. Kent believes her and sets out to find the real killer.
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Mystery Squadron 1933 N/R, 220 min.
Genre: Action
Director: Colbert Clark, David Howard
Cast: Bob Steele, Guinn "Big Boy" Williams, Lucile Browne, Jack Mulhall, Purnell Pratt, Robert Frazer, J. Carrol Naish, Lafe McKee, Bob Kortman, Edward Hearn, Edward Peil Sr., Jack Mower, Jack Perrin
The "Black Ace" and his squadron of masked pilots intend to blow up a large dam project. But flyers Fred (Bob Steele) and Bill (Guinn "Big Boy" Williams) come to the aid of the project foreman (Lafe McKee) and eventually uncover who the "Black Ace" is in this 12-chapter serial.
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Night of Mystery 1937 N/R, 66 min.
Genre: Mystery
Director: Ewald Andre Dupont
Cast: Grant Richards, Roscoe Karns, Helen Burgess, Ruth Coleman, Elizabeth Patterson, Harvey Stephens, June Martel, Ellen Drew, Purnell Pratt, Colin Tapley, James Bush, Ivan F. Simpson
This remake of 1929's "The Greene Murder Case" brings yet another actor (Grant Richards) to the scene as the suave, master detective Philo Vance. Vance investigates the murder of a NY millionaire as greedy relatives seek a portion of the inheritance. After a few suspects are murdered, Vance comes up with the killer. Richards certainly was not the best Philo Vance.
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Paid 1931 N/R, 80 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Sam Wood
Cast: Joan Crawford, Robert Armstrong, Marie Prevost, Douglass Montgomery, John Miljan, Purnell Pratt, Hale Hamilton, Polly Moran, Robert Emmett O'Connor, William Bakewell
An innocent woman, Mary Turner (Joan Crawford), is sent to prison where she turns into a hardened soul bent on revenge.
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Red Salute 1935 N/R, 80 min.
Genre: Comedy / Drama / Romance
aka: Her Enlisted Man
Runaway Daughter
Her Uncle Sam
Director: Sidney Lanfield
Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Robert Young, Hardie Albright, Cliff Edwards, Ruth Donnelly, Gordon Jones, Purnell Pratt, Paul Stanton, Nella Walker, Arthur Vinton, Edward McWade, Henry Kolker, Allan Cavan, Ferdinand Gottschalk, Selmer Jackson
Drue Van Allen (Barbara Stanwyck) is a college student and daughter of an Army general (Purnell Pratt). She is swayed in the liberal direction by one suitor and in the conservative direction by another.
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The Red-Haired Alibi 1932 N/R, 72 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Christy Cabanne
Cast: Merna Kennedy, Grant Withers, Theodore von Eltz, Huntley Gordon, Paul Porcasi, Purnell Pratt, Arthur Hoyt, John Vosburgh, Fred Kelsey, Shirley Temple, Spec O'Donnell, Harrison Greene, Harry Bowen, Lynton Brent, Marion Lessing
Red-haired Lynn (Merna Kennedy) is the constant escort for gangster Trent Travers (Theodore von Eltz). This gives him an alibi when his men do the dirty work, and Lynn is so naive that she doesn't even know he's a crook. When she finally realizes that Trent is a crook, Lynn leaves him and takes a job as nursemaid for young Gloria Shelton (Shirley Temple). While taking care of Gloria, love blooms between Lynn and Gloria's millionaire father, Rob Shelton (Grant Withers), and they marry. But, now Trent tracks her down for blackmail, and more problems ensue for Lynn. All does end well in this feature film debut for four-year-old Shirley Temple.
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The Return of Sophie Lang 1936 N/R, 63 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: George Archainbaud
Cast: Gertrude Michael, Sir Guy Standing, Ray Milland, Elizabeth Patterson, Colin Tapley, Paul Harvey, Garry Owen, Purnell Pratt, Eddie Fetherston, Jack Raymond
Maximillian Bernard (Sir Guy Standing) sets out in quest of a valuable diamond, hoping to enlist the aid of Sophie Lang, a jewel thief now trying to go straight, who is also the companion of a wealthy matron who loves jewels.
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 Scarface 1932 N/R, 93 min.
Genre: Drama / Action
aka: Scarface, The Shame of the Nation
Director: Howard Hawks, Richard Rosson
Cast: Paul Muni, Ann Dvorak, George Raft, Boris Karloff, Tully Marshall, Maurice Black, Paul Fix, Vince Barnett, Karen Morley, Osgood Perkins, C. Henry Gordon, Purnell Pratt, Inez Palange, Edwin Maxwell, Henry Armetta
Paul Muni is excellent as Roaring Twenties' gangster Antonio "Tony" Camonte in this film modeled after Al Capone's criminal activities in the world of bootleg gin as he fights to overtake the other mobster leaders in the city. After taking control of the bootlegging racket from his boss, Johnny Lovo (Osgood Perkins), Tony also takes Lovo's mistress Poppy (Karen Morley). But, Tony's obsession with his sister, Cesca (Ann Dvorak), will lead to a major confrontation with the law.
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The Secret Witness 1931 N/R, 65 min.
Genre: Mystery / Drama
aka: Terror by Night
Director: Thornton Freeland
Cast: Una Merkel, William Collier Jr., Zasu Pitts, Purnell Pratt, Clyde Cook, Ralf Harolde, June Clyde, Rita La Roy, Paul Hurst, Nat Pendleton, Clarence Muse, Hooper Atchley, Billy Bletcher, Mike Donlin, Henry Hall
Wealthy philanderer Herbert Folsom (Hooper Atchley) is found dead from a bullet wound, and there are several suspects who include his wife (Rita La Roy) and the brother of his latest mistress–who committed suicide when Herbert had refused to dump his wife. Ditzy neighbor Lois Martin (Una Merkel) helps in identifying the culprit.
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A Shriek in the Night 1933 N/R, 66 min.
Genre: Mystery Thriller
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, Jim Farley, Dick Rush
Ginger Rogers and Lyle Talbot are reunited (after starring together in "The Thirteenth Guest"). This time they play rival reporters Pat Morgan and Ted Kord 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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The Silver Horde 1930 N/R, 76 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: George Archainbaud
Cast: Evelyn Brent, Louis Wolheim, Jean Arthur, Raymond Hatton, Joel McCrea, Blanche Sweet, Gavin Gordon, Purnell Pratt, William B. Davidson, Ivan Linow, Dennis O'Keefe, William H. O'Brien, Robert Homans, Dick Curtis
Boyd Emerson (Joel McCrea) and Freddie Marsh (Gavin Gordon) vie not only for the hand of wealthy Cherry Malotte (Evelyn Brent) but for her Alaskan salmon fishing business as well.
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Sinner's Holiday 1930 N/R, 59 min.
Genre: Drama / Romance
Director: John G. Adolfi
Cast: Grant Withers, James Cagney, Evalyn Knapp, Joan Blondell, Lucille La Verne, Noel Madison, Otto Hoffman, Warren Hymer, Hank Mann, Purnell Pratt, Ray Gallagher
In this depressing story (James Cagney's first film), gypsies in an amusement park provide the backdrop for murder.
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The Trespasser 1929 N/R, 91 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Edmund Goulding
Cast: Gloria Swanson, Robert Ames, Purnell Pratt, William(2) Holden, Kay Hammond, Henry B. Walthall, Blanche Friderici, Mary Forbes, Brooks Benedict, Henry Armetta
This is Gloria Swanson's first talkie film. She plays a young wife whose husband (Robert Ames) annuls their marriage when he succumbs to family pressure over his marital choice.
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Wedding Present 1936 N/R, 80 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Richard Wallace
Cast: Cary Grant, Joan Bennett, George Bancroft, Conrad Nagel, Gene Lockhart, William Demarest, Inez Courtney, Edward Brophy, Purnell Pratt, George Meeker
Charlie (Cary Grant) and Rusty (Joan Bennett) are reporters who find their relationship changing when Charlie is appointed the editor.
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| 1. Alibi (1929)
2. The Casino Murder Case (1935)
3. Come on, Rangers (1938)
4. Crimson Romance (1934)
5. Dance, Fools, Dance (1931)
6. Emma (1932)
7. Five Star Final (1931)
8. Grand Hotel (1932)
9. I Cover the Waterfront (1933)
10. Murder with Pictures (1936)
11. Mystery Squadron (1933)
12. Night of Mystery (1937)
13. Paid (1931)
14. Red Salute (1935)
aka: Her Enlisted Man
aka: Runaway Daughter
aka: Her Uncle Sam
15. The Red-Haired Alibi (1932)
16. The Return of Sophie Lang (1936)
17. Scarface (1932)
aka: Scarface, The Shame of the Nation
18. The Secret Witness (1931)
aka: Terror by Night
19. A Shriek in the Night (1933)
20. The Silver Horde (1930)
21. Sinner's Holiday (1930)
22. The Trespasser (1929)
23. Wedding Present (1936)
In The News
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