Individual Movie Titles: O to R

INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES

O - R

Objective Burma! (1945) - 142 mins

Starring Errol Flynn, William Prince, James Brown, George Tobias & Henry Huff.

Directed by Raoul Walsh.

A group of men parachute into Japanese-occupied Burma with a dangerous and important mission: to locate and blow up a radar station. They accomplish this well enough, but when they try to rendezvous at an old air-strip to be taken back to their base, they find Japanese waiting for them, and they must make a long, difficult walk back through enemy-occupied jungle.

Another great Errol Flynn action / adventure film!

Obliging Young Lady (1942) - 80 mins

Starring Joan Carroll, Edmond O'Brien, Ruth Warwick, Eve Arden, Robert Smith, Charles Lane & Franklin Pangborn

Directed by Richard Wallace

Linda Norton (Ruth Warrick) is instructed by her employer attorney to take young Bridget Potter (Joan Carroll), whose wealthy parents (John Miljan and Marjorie Gateson) are engaged in a divorce suit, to an isolated country resort, to shelter the girl from newspaper reporters and publicity. To the same resort comes Red Reddy (Edmond O'Brien), a hope-to-be novelist with plans also of furthering a former brief acquaintance with Linda, Charles Baker (Robert Smith) who is Linda's fiancée, a snooping private detective (Charles Lane), and Space O'Shea (the fabulous Eve Arden) hoping to get a story on Bridget and her divorce-seeking parents. The resort is also host to a convention-meeting of a group of bird lovers headed by the prissy Gibney (Franklin Pangborn). The mix gives rise to some hilarious situations

The studio concocted the film as a showcase for its 9-year-old discovery Joan Carroll with directing duties given to Richard Wallace, who as a former employee of Hal Roach Studios was well-grounded in this sort of frenetic farce

Edmond O'Brien was famous for his tough noir roles on the big screen, notably his starring roles in The Web (1947), Fighter Squadron (1948), Backfire (1950), D.O.A. (1950), 711 Ocean Drive (1950), Between Midnight and Dawn (1950), Two of a Kind (1951), The Turning Point (1952), Denver & Rio Grande (1952), The Hitch-Hiker (1953), China Venture (1953), The Bigamist (1953), The Shanghai Story (1954), Shield for Murder (1954), 1984 (1956) & A Cry in the Night (1956) - all of which are available from the INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section of this website. In the late 1950's Edmond O'Brien also made an interesting noir-style detective TV series called Johnny Midnight - a nice set of episodes from this series can be found in the TV Series I-Z section of this website

Then there are his earlier "breakout" roles in A Girl, a Guy, and a Gob (1941), Parachute Battalion (1941), Obliging Young Lady (1942), Powder Town (1942) & The Amazing Mrs. Holliday (1943) - all of which are available from this website.

The October Man (1947) - 98 mins

Starring John Mills, Joan Greenwood, Edward Chapman, Joyce Carey & Juliet Mills

Directed by Roy Baker

A stranger with a history of mental disorders, is the chief suspect in a murder hunt, when a girl that he has just met is found dead on the local common, and he has no alibi for the time she was killed. He must prove his innocence even to himself. A powerful melodrama and suspenseful mystery.

Odd Man Out (1947) - 115 mins

Starring James Mason, Robert Newton, Kathleen Ryan, Robert Beatty & Cyril Cusack

Directed by Carol Reed

Johnny McQueen, leader of a clandestine Irish organization, has been hiding in the house of Kathleen and her mother, planning a hold-up that will provide his group with the funds needed to continue its activities. During the hold-up, things go sour: Johnny is wounded, cannot make it back to the hideout, and disappears in the back-alleys of Belfast. Immediately, a large-scale man-hunt is launched, and the city is tightly covered by the constabulary, whose chief is intent on capturing Johnny and the other members of the gang. Kathleen sets out in search of Johnny.

Academy Award nominee for Film Editing.

The third in a great trilogy of James Mason noirs - preceded by The Man in Grey (1943) & The Seventh Veil (1945)

All 3 films are available from this website.

Mason combined with director Carol Reed again to great effect in 1953's The Man Between - see below

Another fine offering from director Carol Reed - his others include Night Train to Munich (1940), The Third Man (1949), The Man Between (1953) & The Key (1958) - all of which are available from this website

Odds Against Tomorrow (1959) - 96 mins

Starring Harry Belafonte, Robert Ryan, Shelley Winters, Ed Begley & Gloria Garhame

Directed by Robert Wise

Ex Cop Dave Burke is looking to hire two men to assist him in a bank raid: Earl Slater, an white ex-convict, and Johnny Ingram, a black gambler. Both are reluctant; but Burke arranges for Ingram's creditors to put pressure on him, while Slater feels humiliated by his failure to provide for his girl-friend; they eventually accept. But Slater loathes and despises blacks, and the tensions in the gang rapidly mount.

Robert Ryan in a great role with great support from a fabulous cast and another significant directorial effort from Robert Wise.

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Odette (1950) - 124 mins

Starring Anna Neagle, Trevor Howard, Marius Goring, Bernard Lee & Peter Ustinov

Directed by Herbert Wilcox

This espionage drama is based on the true story of Odette Hallowes who became an unlikely hero during WWII. Born in France, Odette (Anna Neagle) is married to an Englishman who has died in battle. When the British Army make an appeal for photos of the French coastline, Odette mails a set of old holiday snapshots to the War Office. As a result, Odette is approached to serve as a British agent in France during the Nazi occupation. Under the guidance of Capt. Peter Churchill (Trevor Howard) and French resistance soldier Arnaud (Peter Ustinov), Odette's ability to blend in as a typical French citizen is put to excellent use by Allied intelligence. Odette is eventually found out and subjected to brutal torture by Gestapo Col. Henri (Marius Goring), but she never gives up any information on her work. She is then sentenced to death in a concentration camp, and when American forces arrive to liberate the compound, Odette is held hostage by the camp's Commandant (Alfred Schieske), believing that she was too valuable to let go.

Anna Neagle spent a year with Odette Hallowes visiting the various prisons and camps where Odette was held and being introduced to other surviving SOE (Special Operations Executive) agents. Odette said of her, "She was absolutely into it. In fact it took one year after the end of the film to get back to normal, she was more upset by doing that film than I was reliving the experience."

Did you know, that as well as providing technical advise for Odette Hallowes for Odette (1950), she also provided valuable assistance for the similarly themed Carve Her Name With Pride (1958) - which tells the story of fellow SOE operative Violette Szabo.

Carve Her Name With Pride (1958) is also available this website.

O. Henry’s Full House (1952) - 117 mins

Starring Fred Allen, Anne Baxter, Jeanne Crain, Farley Granger, Charles Laughton, Oscar Levant, Jean Peters, Dale Robertson, Richard Widmark & Lee Aaker

Directed by Henry Hathaway, Howard Hawks, Henry King, Henry Koster &Jean Negulesco

Narrated by John Steinbeck, this anthology film assembles five respected directors and a top-notch cast to bring a handful of stories by the great American author O. Henry to the screen. In “The Cop and the Anthem” (directed by Henry Koster), a tramp named Soapy (Charles Laughton) tries to get arrested so that he can spend the winter in jail, only to find that is not as easy as it used to be. (Marilyn Monroe appears in this entry as a streetwalker). “The Clarion Call” (directed by Henry Hathaway) features Dale Robertson as Barney, a cop forced to arrest an old friend, Johnny (Richard Widmark). Anne Baxter stars as Joanna in “The Last Leaf “ (directed by Jean Negulesco) - she’s an elderly woman who sees her own illness reflected in the fall of the autumn leaves, convinced that when the last leaf drops from the tree outside her window, her life will go with it. “The Ransom of Red Chief” (directed by Howard Hawks) concerns Sam (Fred Allen) and Bill (Oscar Levant), two novice kidnappers who kidnap a child, only to discover that his parents don't want him back -- and after a few hours with the brat, they find out why. “The Gift of the Magi” (directed by Henry King) tells the story of a pair of cash-strapped newlyweds, Della (Jeanne Crain) and Jim (Farley Granger), who struggle to get each other the perfect Christmas gift, with unexpected results.

If you’re into anthology films, this one is the granddaddy of them all!

Oh Lucky Man! (1973) - 183 mins

Starring Malcolm McDowell, Ralph Richardson, Rachel Roberts, Arthur Lowe & Helen Mirren

Directed by Lindsay Anderson

One man's dreams of success take him on a Byzantine journey through the various stations of the British class system in this politically charged black comedy from director Lindsay Anderson. Mick Travis (Malcolm McDowell) is an ambitious young man who is looking to get his foot on the first rung of the ladder of success by landing a job as a salesman. After the death of Imperial Coffee's leading drummer in the North, Travis' charm and enthusiasm so impresses manager Mr. Duff (Arthur Lowe) that he's given the job, and after some coaching from Gloria Rowe (Rachel Roberts), Travis sets out to find his fortune in the coffee trade. Travis' desire for success quickly sets him on a curious odyssey in which he happens upon a secret sex club for businessmen, finds himself the subject of random seductions by lonely women, is captured and tortured by military intelligence agents, submits to medical experiments at a bizarre private clinic, hitches a ride with a traveling rock band led by former Animals keyboardist Alan Price, falls in love with a beautiful young bohemian named Patricia (Helen Mirren), goes to work for her father (Ralph Richardson), who happens to be a singularly corrupt political figure, and eventually lands in prison after he's implicated in a deal to sell chemical weapons to the Third World.

As Mick's strange tale progresses, we periodically visit Alan Price and his band in the recording studio or rehearsal hall, as they work on songs which serve as both mirror and counterpoint for Travis' progress - the film's surreal undercurrent is reinforced by the casting, in which nearly all of the principal actors play two or three roles.

Fabulous Music Score from Alan Price (winning a BAFTA as well as a Golden Globe nomination)

Anderson and McDowell later collaborated with similar effect on Oh Lucky Man! (1973) & Britannia Hospital (1982). Indeed, the three films are often considered the “trilogy of Mick Price”, largely due to the presence in all three of lead Malcolm McDowell playing the same role Mick Travis

Oh Lucky Man! (1973) & Britannia Hospital (1982) are also both available from this website

Also worth a look for Malcolm McDowell fans: Royal Flash (1975) - again, also available from this website.

Oh! Susanna (1951) - 84 mins

Starring Rod Cameron, Lorna Gray, Forrest Tucker, Chill Wills & Jim Davis

Directed by Joseph Kane

Captain Webb Calhoun (Rod Cameron) is a cavalry officer dedicated to protecting the rights of Indians from greedy gold prospectors. Calhoun's superior officer Lt. Col. Ungar (Forrest Tucker) despises all Indians, and makes things difficult for those who try to enforce existing treaties. Other interested parties include saloon owner Ira Jordan (Jim Davis), who is counting upon plenty of revenue from the prospectors, and saloon thrush Lia Wilson (Adrian Booth), who carries torches for Calhoun, Ungar and Jordan. The highly anticipated action climax comes with a vengeance as the betrayed Indians lay siege upon Ungar's fort.

Written by Charles Marquis Warren, whose later TV work included Wyatt Earp, Gunsmoke & Rawhide.

Nice Republic production in Trucolor!

Big scale Rod Cameron westerns available from this website are (the not really a western) Pirates of Monterey (1947), as well as Panhandle (1948), The Plunderers (1948), Brimstone (1949), Short Grass (1950), Stage to Tucson (1950), Oh! Susanna (1951), The Sea Hornet (1951), Ride the Man Down (1952), San Antone (1953), Hell’s Outpost (1954) & (the non-western) The Fighting Chance (1955)

Rod Cameron also appeared in two westerns in which he played the "baddie" - both films have developed "cult" status because they pit Rod against George Montgomery. Belle Starr’s Daughter (1948) & Dakota Lil (1950) are the two films and it’s a treat to watch this dynamic pair of western legends “going at it” in some interesting and provocative exchanges - both Belle Starr’s Daughter (1948) & Dakota Lil (1950) are available from this website.

Rod Cameron also made a couple of nice half hour adventure TV series: Coronado 9 & State Trooper

- both of these excellent shows can be found in the TV Series section of this website

The Oklahoman (1957) - 80 mins

Starring Joel McCrea, Barbara Hale, Brad Dexter, Gloria Talbott, Michael Pate & Anthony Caruso

Directed by Francis D. Lyon

Having lost his wife in childbirth en route to California, Dr. John Brighton (Joel McCrea) builds a new home for himself and his baby daughter in an Oklahoma backwater town, lodging with kindhearted Mrs. Fitzgerald (Esther Dale). As the town grows up around him, Brighton becomes a well-respected local medico, championing the rights of the area's Indian population when nasty rancher Cass Dobie (Brad Dexter) attempts to buy them out cheap. Unbeknownst to the townspeople, Dobie has discovered oil on the land belonging to Charlie Smith (Michael Pate), whose beautiful daughter, Maria (Gloria Talbott), is working as little Louise Brighton's (Laurie Mitchell) nursemaid. When Charlie is forced to kill Cass' brother, Mel (Douglas Dick), in self-defense, Cass vows revenge. Meanwhile, aided by female rancher Anne Barnes (Barbara Hale), Brighton learns about the discovery of oil.

The Old Dark House (1932) - 72 mins

Starring Boris Karloff, Melvyn Douglas, Charles Laughton, Lilian Bond & Raymond Massey

Directed by James Whale

It's a wildly varied group that takes shelter from a raging English storm in the forbidding mansion of the Femm family. Among the reluctant guests are stuffy Philip Waverton (Raymond Massey), Philip's sensitive wife Margaret (Gloria Stuart), their mutual friend, disillusioned war veteran Roger Penderell (Melvyn Douglas), vulgar self-made millionaire Sir William Porterhouse (Charles Laughton) and Porterhouse's lady friend Gladys DuCane (Lillian Bond). Under the baleful eyes of ungracious, atheistic host Horace Femm (Ernst Thesiger) and Horace's deeply religious sister Rebecca (Eva Moore), the group sits around conversing, slowly coming to the realization that first impressions are most deceiving. In fact the old dark house houses a deep dark secret involving 101-year-old Sir Roderick Femm and pyromaniac Saul Femm. Lumbering ominously throughout the proceedings is Morgan (Boris Karloff), the mute, alcoholic family butler…

Directed with sinister verve by James Whale and brimming with unforgettable dialogue, The Old Dark House is one of the most enjoyable and least formularized of the Universal "scare" pictures of the early 1930s.

The film was based on J. B. Priestly's Benighted.

Nicely restored print (and the audio has been cleaned up as well)

Remade (in color) more than 3 decades later (and available below)

Legendary director James Whale helmed some memorable films in his brief career:

Frankenstein (1931), The Old Dark House (1932), The Kiss Before the Mirror (1933), The Invisible Man (1933), Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Remember Last Night? (1935) & The Man in the Iron Mask (1939)

The Old Dark House (1963) - 86 mins

Starring Tom Poston, Robert Morley, Janette Scott, Joyce Grenfell & Mervyn Johns

Directed by William Castle

Tom Penderel (Tom Poston) is an american car salesman working in London who sets out to deliver a car to a remote and very creepy Welsh estate. Unfortunately he discovers the owner dead. While attempting to leave the estate, a fierce storm erupts and he crashes the car. Returning to the mansion to seek shelter and once warm and dry, he meets the rest of the strange family therein: including the twins, a strange type who is building an ark, and the matriarch of the household. The storm rages on and as the grim night slowly passes, family members are bumped off at appallingly regular intervals, leaving the Tom to solve the crimes.

A color remake of the 1932 classic of the same title (and available above)

Old Los Angeles (1948) - 88 mins

Starring Wild Bill Elliott, John Carroll, Catherine McLeod, Joseph Schildkraut, Andy Devine & Grant Withers

Directed by Joseph Kane

Its the early statehood days of California and Bill Stockton (Wild Bill Elliott) has left Missouri to join his brother Larry, and prospect for gold in California. Bill and his pal, Sam Bowie (Andy Devine), arrive in the picturesque town of old Los Angeles in 1848, but find that the outlaws rule: attacking mines and trains, burning ranches, looting stores and killing those who oppose them. Bill learns that Larry has been murdered for the gold claim he had staked for them. He sets out to avenge his brother's death - go get ‘em Bill!

Wild Bill Elliott had graduated from a string of Red Ryder oaters to lead a nice run of 9 “adult” westerns which utilized Republic’s skilled techniques in delivering action and adventure - this is the 4^th of that series. Old Los Angeles (1948) was preceded by Plainsman and the Lady (1946), Wyoming (1947), The Fabulous Texan (1947) and followed by The Gallant Legion (1948), The Last Bandit (1949), Hellfire (1949), The Savage Horde (1950) & The Showdown (1950) - all of which are available from this website

Old Yeller (1957) - 83 mins

Starring Fess Parker, Dorothy McGuire, Tommy Kirk, Kevin Corcoran, Jeff York & Chuck Connors

Directed by Robert Stevenson

Texas,1869 and while his father is away on a cattle drive, 15-year-old Travis Coates (Tommy Kirk) takes over management of the family farm. Adopting a "strictly business" policy, Travis is irritated when younger brother, Arliss (Kevin Corcoran), adopts a frisky stray dog. But soon Travis is as fond of the dog as everyone else in the family; moreover, "Old Yeller" (as he has now been called) is an excellent watchdog. But while fighting off a mad wolf, Yeller is infected with rabies. Though Yeller seems unaffected at first, he eventually behaves so viciously that the disheartened Travis must face up the fact that he must shoot the dog.

Based on the novel by Fred Gipson, Old Yeller earned a whopping eight million dollars in the US alone - it convinced Walt Disney to devote more and more time to live-action films and less time to animation

In 1963, Disney released a sequel to Old Yeller titled Savage Sam - which is also available from this website

The Omega Man (1971) - 98 mins

Starring Charlton Heston, Anthony Zerbe, Rosalind Cash, Paul Koslo, Eric Laneuville & Lincoln Kilpatrick

Directed by Boris Sagal

Unfolding in a post-apocalyptic 1976, we have Charlton Heston as Robert Neville, the sole recipient of a serum that enabled him to survive an onslaught of germ warfare between Russia and China - which seemingly rendered him the last (normal) human alive. Neville lives in a garish, antique-strewn L.A. penthouse. During the day, he roams through the vacant city. At night, he fends off a bloodthirsty horde of mutant scavengers led by Matthias (Anthony Zerbe) and his half-human vampires who want to kill Neville. Neville's last man on earth status is shattered when he comes across a group of young people, presided over by the cynical Lisa (Rosalind Cash). Neville begins to form an interest in her, as the two try to keep Matthias and his minions at bay.

Excellent Sci-Fi!

Based on Richard Matheson's novel "I Am Legend" which was previously made as The Last Man on Earth (1964) with Vincent Price in the Dr. Robert Morgan/Neville role - The Last Man on Earth (1964) is also available from this website.

Chuck Heston made a trio of “significant” sci-fi films in the late 60s / early 70s: Planet of the Apes (1968), The Omega Man (1971) & Soylent Green (1973) - all three are available from this website

On Dangerous Ground (1952) - 82 mins

Starring Robert Ryan, Ida Lupino, Ward Bond, Charles Kemper & Ed Begley

Directed by Nicholas Ray

Above par noir thriller that takes some stereotypical characters and potentially sentimental situations to fashion them into a film that thinks as well as entertains. Ryan is an increasingly violent cop sent to upstate New York to cool down, only to become involved in the hunt for a sex killer. This brings him into contact with blind Lupino and her constantly brutal father and a realization of what he himself has become. Ray's direction never forgets that the film's a mystery, but isn't afraid to use the genre to look deeper than the superficialities of the usual 'rough cop' movie.

One Foot in Hell (1960) - 90 mins

Starring Alan Ladd, Don Murray, Dan O'Herlihy, Dolores Michaels, Barry Coe & Larry Gates

Directed by James B. Clark

TV producer Aaron Spelling first came up with the story for this intriguing western set in a small town just after the American Civil War. Mitch (Alan Ladd) has tragically lost his wife during a problem in her pregnancy because he could not come up with $1.87 for the medicine she needed. A little twisted right from the beginning, he vows revenge. In the first step toward his goal, he gets the post of deputy sheriff from the repentant townspeople. In the second step, he murders the sheriff and then recruits a gang of disreputable toughs to steal $100,000 and bankrupt the town. In the last and fatal part of his plan for vengeance, he turns on his own gang of thieves.

Now a gorgeous Wide-Screen Tecnicolor Print! (gratis upgrades available to previous customers of this title)

One Minute to Zero (1952) - 105 mins

Starring Robert Mitchum, Ann Blyth, William Talman & Charles McGraw

Directed by Tay Garnett

This Korean War drama sees war-weary "Colonel Steve" Janowski obliged to contend with the North Korean forces while keeping troublesome UN official Linda Day at arm's length. Jet planes, Reds and atomic energy: this action adventure yarn has got the lot, including good supporting performances from Charles McGraw as a tough sergeant and William Talman as a jet pilot.

Some authentic Korean combat footage is well-integrated into the story of this film which was reportedly budgeted at over two million dollars, by Howard Hughes' RKO Pictures.

One Mysterious Night (1944) - 61 mins

Starring Chester Morris, Janis Carter, Richard Lane, George E. Stone & William Wright

Directed by Budd Boetticher

Reformed criminal Boston Blackie (Chester Morris) is accused of stealing the Blue Star of the Nile diamond from a war relief charity function. The police cut a deal with Blackie: If he'll locate the gem, they'll drop the charges. This time the police go so far as issuing Blackie a police badge, which he uses with amusing abandon.

Another fun Boston Blackie film based on a character (Horatio Black) portrayed in a series of novels by Jack Boyle. This one was directed by the legendary Budd Boetticher - his first ever credited helming of a film. Budd Boetticher went on to direct many wonderful films including a host of powerful westerns with Randolph Scott

Other Boston Blackie films in this (INDIVDUAL MOVIE TITLES) section of the website are Meet Boston Blackie (1941), Confessions of Boston Blackie (1941) & Boston Blackie Goes Hollywood (1942)

Please Note that this film is also part of the Boston Blackie Movie Series DVD set which can be found in the Movie Series section of this website

One of Our Aircraft is Missing (1942) - 102 mins

Starring Eric Portman, Godfrey Tearle, Hugh Williams, Bernard Miles, Hugh Burden & Emrys Jones

Directed by Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger

Six British bomber crewmen are obliged to bail out over Holland. To escape detection from the Nazis, the crewmen accept the hospitality of several Hollanders, all dedicated to the freedom-fighting activities of the Underground. The film is constructed along the lines of the earlier Powell-Pressburger film 49th Parallel except that the escapees are British rather than German and their Dutch contacts are willing rather than reluctant co-conspirators.

The austere photography by Ronald Neame is complemented by the to-the-point editing of future director David Lean. Oscar Nominated for Best Writing, Original Screenplay & Best Special Effects

Powell and Pressburger had previously combined to great effect in 1939's The Spy in Black (aka U-Boat 29), 1940's Contraband (aka Blackout) and 1941's 49th Parallel (aka The Invaders) and later with The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943) - all of which are available from this website.

Note that One of Our Aircraft is Missing (1942) is part of the Powell & Pressburger … their War Films … Combination which can be found in the Classic Movie Combinations section of this website

Excellent Print - much superior to commercial offerings!

The One That Got Away (1957) - 106 mins

Starring Hardy Kruger, Michael Goodliffe, Colin Gordon, Alec McCowen & Terence Alexander

Directed by Roy Ward Baker

The title character in this fact-based POW drama is Franz von Werra, played by Hardy Kruger. Shot down early in the war, Luftwaffe pilot von Werra is incarcerated in an English prison camp. He refuses to submit to camp routine, insisting that he's on the brink of escaping. After two failed attempts, von Werra is transferred to a camp in Montreal.

Can he escape?

One That Got Away was based on a novel by Kendal Burt and James Leasor.

One Way Passage (1932) - 67 mins

Starring William Powell, Kay Francis, Aline MacMahon, Frank McHugh & Warren Hymer

Directed by Tay Garnett

Dan (William Powell) is a condemned murderer who is being transported from Hong Kong to San Quentin by way of a luxury liner. Also on board is the lovely Joan (Kay Francis), who is suffering from a fatal heart condition. Steve (Warren Hymer) is the sympathetic detective escorting Dan and he allows his prisoner to roam the decks without handcuffs - opportunity Dan exploits by arranging an escape with two of his old cronies Skippy & Betty (Frank McHugh & Aline MacMahon). But when he meets Joan, Dan falls in love - and she is equally smitten, with the two conducting an exquisite shipboard affair, neither telling the other of their impending doom. Dan makes his escape, but is halted in mid-flight when Joan has a heart attack.

Oscar Winner for Best Screenplay

Only Angels Have Wings (1939) - 121 mins

Starring Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, Richard Barthelmess, Rita Hayworth & Thomas Mitchell

Directed by Howard Hawks

While waiting for her boat, Bonnie Lee stops at a small airport in South America. The pilots there deliver mail over a dangerous and usually foggy mountain pass. Geoff Carter, the lead flyer, seems distant and cold as Bonnie tries to get closer to him. Things heat up as Judy MacPherson, Geoff's old flame, shows up with her husband who is an infamous pilot.

Scripted by Jules Furthman from a story by Hawks, Only Angels Have Wings is a treasure trove of terse, pithy dialogue: one favorite scene occurs when, upon discovering that he's about to die, Thomas Mitchell says he's often wondered how he'd react to imminent death-and, now that death is but a few moments away, he'd rather that no one else be around to witness his reaction.

Cary Grant made some great comedies - classics, such as Topper (1937), The Awful Truth (1937), Bringing Up Baby (1938), Holiday (1938), His Girl Friday (1940), My Favorite Wife (1940), Arsenic and Old Lace (1944), The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947), Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948), I Was a Mail War Bride (1949), People Will Talk (1951), Monkey Business (1952), Operation Petticoat (1959) & Walk Don’t Run (1966) are all available from this website

Not forgetting Cary’s adventure/dramas: The Last Outpost (1935), Gunga Din (1939), Only Angels Have Wings (1939), Suspicion (1941), Mr. Lucky (1943), Destination Tokyo (1943), Notorious (1946), Crisis (1950), North by Northwest (1959) & Charade (1963) - all of which are available from this website

On the Double (1961) - 92 mins

Starring Danny Kaye, Dana Wynter, Wilfred Hyde-White, Margaret Rutherford, Diana Dors, Allan Cuthbertson

Directed by Melville Shavelson

American GI Private Ernie Williams (Danny Kaye), although “weak-kneed”, has an uncanny resemblance to British Colonel MacKenzie. Williams, also a master of imitation and disguise, is asked to impersonate the Colonel, ostensibly to allow the Colonel to make a secret trip East. What Williams is not told is that the Colonel has recently been a target of assassins. After the Colonel's plane goes down, the plan changes and Williams maintains the disguise to confuse the Nazis about D-Day.

Great comedy (at one point, Danny performs a riotous Marlene Dietrich impersonation!)

On the Double (1961) is an ideal Danny Kaye companion piece to The Court Jester (1955) which is also available from this website

On the Threshold of Space (1956) - 98 mins

Starring Guy Madison, Virginia Leith, John Hodiak, Dean Jagger, Warren Stevens & Martin Milner

Directed by Robert D. Webb

Capt. Jim Hollenbeck (Guy Madison) is an Air Force physician and Maj. Ward Thomas (John Hodiak) a research chief. They make record jumps and balloon flights in the interest of science as well as testing the now famous “rocket-sled”. Dr. Hugh Thornton (Dean Jagger) is a middle-aged doctor-scientist who lends support to this always fascinating film which realistically does justice to the deeds of dedicated men.

The greater part of the film is devoted to the exciting tests and risks that make for a forceful and exciting adventure. The crews, who worked under William Bloom, producer, and Robert D. Webb, director, on location at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida and Holoman Air Force Base in New Mexico, have come up with impressive color footage.

Yes - they are ejected in "capsules" from jet planes at 520 miles an hour and parachute from a height of 45,000 feet. And the now well-known rocket sled tests take on an awesome fascination in color as the projectile-like vehicle screams toward the camera at a speed reported at 1,000 miles an hour. An ascent into a 100,000-foot wild blue yonder in a balloon-borne metal gondola builds to an exciting climax.

Great stuff from the Right Stuff

John Hodiak’s last appearance before his untimely death at age 41

On the Waterfront (1954) - 108 mins

Starring Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, Rod Steiger, Pat Henning & Leif Erickson

Directed by Elia Kazan

Terry Malloy dreams about being a prize fighter, while tending his pigeons and running errands at the docks for Johnny Friendly, the corrupt boss of the dockers union. Terry witnesses a murder by two of Johnny's thugs, and later meets the dead man's sister and feels responsible for his death. She introduces him to Father Barry, who tries to force him to provide information for the courts that will smash the dock racketeers.

One of the finest films ever made - Oscars for Best Picture, Director, Editing, Writing, Art Direction, Cinematography, Actor & Supporting Actress

Operation Amsterdam (1959) - 104 mins

Starring Peter Finch, Eva Bartok, Tony Britton, Alexander Knox, Malcolm Keen & Alfred Burke

Directed by Michael McCarthy

One of the covert operations at the beginning of World War II is enacted in this fast-paced docudrama about a government-approved diamond heist. A Major from the British army (Tony Britton) joins up with a Dutch diamond expert (Alexander Knox) and another adventurous Dutchman (Peter Finch) to steal a fortune in diamonds from a bank vault in Amsterdam before the Nazis completely close off the city. The trio are launched under the covering fire of a British battleship in the harbor and then chauffeured into Amsterdam by Anna (Eva Bartok), one of many people they encounter who could be either friend or foe. There is no time to waste in emptying the bank vault because it is estimated that the city will be overrun by the Nazi army in just fourteen hours. Meanwhile, the war is intensifying all around them, and the Nazi soldiers already on patrol are a continual threat.

Another fine British WWII adventure with a top cast

Operation Conspiracy (1955) - See Cloak Without Dagger elsewhere on this website

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Operation Diplomat (1953) - 70 mins

Starring Guy Rolfe, Lisa Daniely, Patricia Dainton, Sydney Tafler & Anton Diffring

Directed by John Guillermin

Physician Dr. Fenton (Guy Rolfe) is grabbed up from a London street and driven to a secret location. Once there he is offered money to perform an operation on a very sick man. He balks but changes his mind when a gun is held to his head. He saves the man's life - is handed an envelope containg 500 pounds - and a large whiskey. It transpires that the drink is drugged and Fenton wakes up hours later dumped on a park bench somewhere in the city. Soon bodies start to show up everywhere and Fenton goes and the police who are sceptical of his involvement. MI-6 is called in and it transpires that Communists are kidnapping important scientists and shipping them to the Eastern bloc.

A very enjoyable thriller…

Operation Manhunt (1954) - 77 mins

Starring Harry Townes, Irja Jensen, Jacques Aubuchon, Robert Goodier & Albert Miller

Directed by Jack Alexander

Versatile character actor Harry Townes is afforded a rare top-billed assignment in Operation Manhunt. Townes is cast as the real-life Igor Gouzenko, who while working as a code clerk in the Soviet embassy in Ottawa was instrumental in smashing a Red spy ring operating in Canada. The film recounts Gouzenko's disillusionment with the Communist party line, his decision to cooperate with federal officials, and the efforts by the KGB to put him out of the way permanently. Location shooting at the actual sites of the historic incidents in and near Montreal, along with outstanding contributions from cast and crew have converted the piece into a superior thriller of the Espionage genre.

The story of Igor Gouzenko was previously dramatized on a bigger-budgeted scale in 20th Century-Fox's The Iron Curtain (1948) which is also available from this website

Operation Pacific (1951) - 111 mins

Starring John Wayne, Ward Bond, Patricia Neal, Philip Carey, Martin Milner & Paul Picerni

Directed by George Waggner

Submarine commander Duke Gifford feels guilty about both the death of his former commanding officer and his failed marriage. These issues pull at him during a hazardous mission against the Japanese in World War II, capped by the rescue of a group of orphans from a Japanese-held island.

Excellent Wayne vehicle with excitingly staged action sequences.

John Wayne: Duke - one of the most recognizable persons on the planet -a true mega-star in film. You'll find the following John Wayne movies in this INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section of this website:

The Big Trail (1930), Westward Ho (1935), Stagecoach (1939), Allegheny Uprising (1939), Dark Command (1940), Three Faces West (1940), Seven Sinners (1940), Reap the Wild Wind (1942), The Spoilers (1942), In Old California (1942), Flying Tigers (1942), Pittsburgh (1942), Reunion in France (1942), The Fighting Seabees (1944), Tall in the Saddle (1944), Back to Bataan (1945), Dakota (1945), They Were Expendable (1945), Without Reservations (1946), Tycoon (1947), Fort Apache (1948), Red River (1948), 3 Godfathers (1948), Wake of the Red Witch (1948), The Fighting Kentuckian (1949), She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949), Sands of Iwo Jima (1949), Rio Grande (1950), Operation Pacific (1951), Flying Leathernecks (1951), The Quiet Man (1952), Big Jim McLain (1952), Island in the Sky (1953), Hondo (1953), The Sea Chase (1955), Blood Alley (1955), The Wings of Eagles (1957), Jet Pilot (1957) Legend of the Lost (1957), Rio Bravo (1959), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), Donovan's Reef (1963), The Sons of Katie Elder (1965), El Dorado (1966), The War Wagon (1967), Hellfighters (1968), McQ (1974) & Brannigan (1975)

Additionally John Wayne filmed an incomparable "B" Western Movie Series: The Three Mesquiteers. A set of 8 films which were all critically acclaimed and enormously popular at the box office. You'll find this 2 DVD set comprising those 8 Three Mesquiteers westerns in the "B" Westerns Series section of this website (under "Three Mesquiteers")

Operation Petticoat (1959) - 124 mins

Starring Cary Grant, Tony Curtis, Joan O’Brien, Dina Merrill, Gene Evans & Dick Sargent

Directed by Blake Edwards

Rear Admiral Matt Sherman (Cary Grant) visits the submarine Sea Tiger on the morning of its decommissioning and reminisces about his time as the first commander of the boat, in 1941. Three days after Pearl Harbor, the sub is damaged during an enemy air raid in the Philippines. Rather than abandon her, Sherman and his chiefs attempt to re-float and re-fit the boat for sea once more. He’s forced to accept the services of Lt. JG Nicholas Holden (Tony Curtis), who has no sea experience, but is a born conniver, deal-maker, and scrounger (Holden’s motto: "In confusion, there is profit"). So Sherman appoints him as supply officer, and through a series of burglaries and petty thefts he gets the Sea Tiger seaworthy again. The Sea Tiger puts to sea just ahead of the Japanese and with a quintet of stranded army nurses aboard. The boat has also got an accidental coat of pink paint when the supply of red and white runs low, and since neither the Japanese nor the Americans officially has a pink submarine, the Sea Tiger ends up being hunted by both sides and comes under attack by an American destroyer. Classic line: “We just sank a truck!”

Oscar Nominated for Best Screenplay

Operation Secret (1952) - 108 mins

Starring Cornel Wilde, Steve Cochran, Phyllis Thaxter, Karl Malden, Paul Picerni & Dan O' Herlihy

Directed by Lewis Seiler

Loosely based on the true story of Lieutenant Colonel Peter Ortiz, this mystery centers on an American WW II veteran who heroically served as both an officer and a member of the French Foreign Legionnaire. During the war he had been instrumental in assisting in the French Resistance. With such a sterling war record - his exploits are revealed via flashback - it is therefore a great shock when he is charged with the murder of a Resistance leader. It does not help that the accused lieutenant is thought dead following a key mission and is not around to clear his sullied name. During the trial, several dubious witnesses tell their version of the tale. A former communist spy presents the most conclusive "proof" that the lieutenant killed the Resistance leader.

O.S.S. (1946) - 105 mins

Starring Alan Ladd, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Patric Knowles, John Hoyt & Richard (TV's "Captain Midnight") Webb

Directed by Irving Pichel

John Martin is part of an American spy team dropped into France during World War II to destroy the French railway system. After successfully blowing up a tunnel he runs back to save Ellen and is told "Never come back for me again." Later he must choose whether or not to obey her wishes. A first rate action film and spy yarn with Alan Ladd doing what he does best. This film later became the blueprint for Ron Randell's successful TV series of the same name.

Note further that this title along with Cloak and Dagger (1946) & 13 Rue Madeleine (1947) are part of a 3 DVD set of The O.S.S. Trilogy which can be found in the Classic Movie Combinations of this website.

Note that Cloak and Dagger (1946) & 13 Rue Madeleine (1947) are also available from within this (INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES) section as well.

Our Man in Havana (1959) - 111 mins

Starring Alec Guinness, Burl Ives, Maureen O’Hara, Ernie Kovacs, Noel Coward & Ralph Richardson

Directed by Carol Reed

Jim Wormald (Alec Guiness) is an Englishman selling vacuum cleaners in Cuba on the cusp of the 1959 Castro-led revolution. Hawthorne (Noel Coward), a British intelligence agent, is looking for information on Cuban affairs and recruits Jim to act as a spy. Jim has no experience in espionage and no useful knowledge to pass along, but Hawthorne is willing to pay for his services, and since Jim's daughter Milly (Jo Morrow) has expensive tastes, he can use the money. To keep Hawthorne happy (and his paychecks coming in), he turns in reports on the Cuban revolution that are copied from public documents, "hires" additional agents who don't exist, and presents blueprints of secret weapons that are actually schematics of his carpet sweepers. However, Hawthorne and his associate ‘C’ (Ralph Richardson) think that Jim is doing splendid work and encourage him to continue; meanwhile, Capt. Segura (Ernie Kovacs), the corrupt chief of police, has been fooled by Jim's charade into believing he's a real spy - and has also become attracted to Milly.

Great supporting roles for Burl Ives and Maureen O'Hara in this witty comedy inspired by Cold War paranoia and penned by Graham Greene.

Alec Guinness led the cast in several wonderful UK made comedies, including Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949), The Lavender Hill Mob (1951), The Man in the White Suit (1951), The Captain’s Paradise (1953), The Ladykillers (1955) & The Horse’s Mouth (1958) - all of which are available from this website

Out of the Fog (1941) - 93 mins

Starring Ida Lupino, John Garfield, Thomas Mitchell, Eddie Albert & George Tobias

Directed by Anatole Litvak

Litvak's film is an impressive adaptation of Irwin Shaw's play The Gentle People. Qualen and Mitchell are two honest and decent Brooklyn fishermen confronted by racketeer Garfield, who puts the squeeze on the two men for a little protection. Scared to tell the police, the fishermen decide to take matters into their own hands, but things start to get complicated when Garfield falls for Mitchell's daughter (Lupino). Hardly groundbreaking stuff, but Litvak's tight direction avoids any of the obvious clichés associated with this kind of material, and the performances are all first rate.

Out of the Past (1947) - 97 mins

Starring Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, Kirk Douglas, Rhonda Fleming, Richard Webb & Dickie Moore

Directed by Jacques Tourneur

Jeff Bailey, small-town gas pumper, has his mysterious past catch up with him one day when he's ordered to meet with gambler Whit Sterling. En route to the meeting, he tells girlfriend Ann his story. Flashback: Once, Jeff was a private eye hired by Sterling to find his mistress Kathie who shot Whit and absconded with $40,000. He traces her to Acapulco...where the delectable Kathie makes Jeff forget all about Sterling... Back in the present, Whit's new job for Jeff is clearly a trap, but Jeff's precautions only leave him more tightly enmeshed...

Classic example of 40's film noir with dialogue a particular standout.

Outpost in Malaya (1952) - The Planter’s Wife (1952)

Outpost in Morocco (1949) - 92 mins

Starring George Raft, Marie Windsor, Akim Tamiroff & John Litel

Directed by Robert Florey

Captain Gerard, of the French Foreign Legion, is assigned to escort an emir's daughter to her father's mountain citadel and find out what he can about the emir's activities. Gerard enjoys his work with lovely Cara, but arrives to find rebellion brewing. Can the garrison be reinforced in time?

The Outriders (1950) - 93 mins

Starring Joel McCrea, Arlene Dahl, Barry Sullivan, Claude Jarman Jr., James Whitmore & Ramon Novarro

Directed by Roy Rowland

Will Owens (Joel McCrea) is one of three Confederate soldiers who escape from a northern prison compound. The three men join a wagon train, hoping to capture a Yankee gold shipment to help their cause. When the wagoners are attacked by Indians, Owens decides to reassess his priorities and protect the passengers, including the fetching Jen Gort (Arlene Dahl).

Big budget Technicolor from MGM

The Overlanders (1946) - 94 mins

Starring Chips Rafferty, John Nugent Hayward, Daphne Campbell, Jean Blue & John Fernside

Directed by Harry Watt

In Northern Australia during WWII, and with invasion by the Japanese seeming imminent, Dan McAlpine is ordered to kill 1000 head of cattle rather than risk losing them to the enemy. Instead he herds the cattle across the Australian continent. The 2000-mile cattle drive costs dearly in terms of personal losses to Rafferty and his fellow drovers, but in the end their sacrifices are worth it.

The Overlanders is based on a true story, and was specifically selected for adaptation to film as a congratulatory morale-booster for postwar Australian audiences.

Australian action star Chips Rafferty heads the cast - often considered "Australia's John Wayne", Chips is superb in this remarkable film - the first non-British film to be produced by Ealing Studios.

Chips Rafferty stared in several iconic Aussie productions: 40, 000 Horsemen (1941), The Overlanders (1946), Bush Christmas (1947), Eureka Stockade (1949) & Bitter Springs (1950) - al of which are available from this website.

Note that fans of Chips Rafferty may like to check out his charismatic performances in the two Smiley films which were made in Australia in the late 1950s: Smiley (1956) & Smiley Gets a Gun (1958) are also available from this website.

The Ox-Bow Incident (1943) - 75 mins

Starring Henry Fonda, Dana Andrews, Mary Beth Hughes, Anthony Quinn, William Eythe & Harry Morgan

Directed by William A. Wellman

Two drifters are passing through a Western town, when news comes in that a local farmer has been murdered and his cattle stolen. The townspeople, joined by the drifters, form a posse to catch the perpetrators. They find three men in possession of the cattle, and are determined to see justice done on the spot.

Oscar Nominated for Best Picture

Pacific Blackout (1941) - 76 mins

Starring Robert Preston, Martha O'Driscoll, Philip Merivale, Thurston Hall & Eva Gabor

Directed by Ralph Murphy

While bombers roar overhead during a practice blackout in a large American West coast city, Robert Draper (Robert Preston), is among the prisoners in a police van. The inventor of a new range finder for anti-aircraft guns, he has been sentenced to death for the murder of his co-worker, John Maine, on the perjured testimony of night club singer Marie Duval (Eva Gabor), despite character evidence given in his favor by John Ronnel (John Merivale). Draper escapes when the van is in an accident and seeks refuge in a park, where he runs into telephone operator Mary Jones (Martha O'Driscoll) who decides to help him.

The Paleface (1948) - 91 mins

Starring Bob Hope, Jane Russell, Robert Armstrong, Iris Adrian & Bobby Watson

Directed by Norman Z. McLeod

Painless Potter (Bob Hope) is a hopelessly inept dentist who heads west to seek his fortune. Meanwhile, buxom female outlaw Calamity Jane (Jane Russell) is engaged in undercover work on behalf of the government, in the hopes of earning a pardon for her past crimes. Jane is on the lookout for notorious gun-runner Terris (Robert Armstrong). To put up an innocent front, Jane marries the befuddled Potter, then keeps the criminals at bay by convincing everyone that Potter is a gunslinger (actually, it's Jane who's been doing all the shooting). Terrie, who has been selling guns to the Indians, arranges for Jane to be captured by the scalp-hungry tribesmen, but Potter comes to the rescue.

Somewhere along the way, Bob Hope and Jane Russell get to sing the Oscar-winning Jay Livingston/Ray Evans tune "Buttons and Bows".

Bob Hope's Technicolor western spoof The Paleface was one of the comedian's biggest box-office hits. There are many hilarious moments in The Paleface, but screenwriter Frank Tashlin felt that he could have done better than director Norman Z. McLeod. To prove his point, Tashlin directed the side-splitting sequel, Son of Paleface (1952), which once more teamed Hope and Russell.

Bob Hope had some great “female teamings” in his films: firstly with Paulette Goddard for three outings: the haunted house double, The Cat and the Canary (1939) & The Ghost Breakers (1940) followed by Nothing But The Truth (1941). Hope also teamed to great effect with Jane Russell for two western comedies The Paleface (1948) & Son of Paleface (1952). Then it was Rhonda Fleming’s turn to partner up with Bob in another cowboy comedy Alias Jesse James (1959)

Bob Hope - the classical exponent of the wise-crack! His very best comedies can be found in this (INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES) section of the website: Never Say Die (1939), The Cat and the Canary (1939), The Ghost Breakers (1940), Nothing But The Truth (1941), My Favorite Blonde (1942), They Got Me Covered (1943), The Princess and the Pirate (1944), My Favorite Brunette (1947), The Paleface (1948), The Lemon Drop Kid (1951), My Favorite Spy (1951), Son of Paleface (1952) & Alias Jesse James (1959)

The Classic Movie Combinations section of this website contains two specially packaged Bob Hope Collections: a 6 DVD set comprising The Cat and the Canary (1939), The Ghost Breakers (1940), Nothing But The Truth (1941), The Paleface (1948), Son of Paleface (1952) & Alias Jesse James (1959) and a 3 DVD set comprising My Favorite Blonde (1942), My Favorite Brunette (1947) & My Favorite Spy (1951).

Also the 6 “Road” comedies that Bob Hope made with Bing Crosby can be found in the Movie Series section of this website

The Palm Beach Story (1942) - 88 mins

Starring Claudette Colbert, Jole McCrea, Mary Astor, Rudy Vallee, Sig Arno & Robert Warwick

Directed by Preston Sturges

Tom Jeffers (Joel McCrea) and Gerry Jeffers (Claudette Colbert) are married … "And so they lived happily ever after," exults a title card, "...or did they?" Well, they didn't. After five years of marriage, Tom hasn't raised a dime with his pie-in-the-sky inventions. Gerry decides that the only way to help her husband is to divorce him, marry a wealthy man, and use the second husband's money to finance Tom's schemes. Borrowing money from a generous self-made business mogul known only as the Wienie King (Robert Dudley), Gerry boards a train to Palm Beach, FL, where all the rich folk go. En route, she is "adopted" by the Ale & Quail Club, a group of perpetually drunken millionaires whose idea of a good time is to shoot their rifles at everything that moves. Taking refuge from this rowdy crew, Gerry makes the acquaintance of likeable stuffed shirt John D. Hackensacker III (Rudy Vallee), who happens to be one of the wealthiest men in the Western Hemisphere. While Gerry spoons with Hackensacker in Palm Beach, the confused Tom dallies with Hackensacker's man-crazy sister, Princess Centimillia (Mary Astor). How all this straightens itself out is better seen than described, which is pretty much the case whenever one discusses writer/director Preston Sturges' singular work.

The Palm Beach Story is vintage Sturges with one side-splitting sequence after another and its the third of writer / director Sturges’ trio of masterpieces. Preceded by The Great McGinty (1940) with Brian Donlevy & Sullivan’s Travels (1941), again with Joel McCrea, both of which are also available from this website.

The Palomino (1950) - 73 mins

Starring Jerome Courtland, Beverly Tyler, Joseph Calleia, Roy Roberts & Gordon Jones

Directed by Ray Nazarro

Steve Norris (Jerome Courtland) is the scion of a meat-packing family. Steve decides to go into another line of work when he meets Maria Guevara (Beverly Tyler), owner of an rundown horse-breeding farm. Helping Maria put her operation back on its feet, Steve runs afoul of crooked horse-breeder Ben Lane (Roy Roberts), who has stolen the girl's prize palomino stallion for stud purposes.

With The Palomino, Columbia Pictures inaugurated its policy of giving "class" to its medium-budget pictures by filming in Technicolor.

Panhandle (1948) - 86 mins

Starring Rod Cameron, Cathy Downs, Reed Hadley, Anne Gwynne & Blake Edwards

Directed by Lesley Selander

Regarded by some film buffs as the best of director Leslie Selander's many westerns, Panhandle stars Rod Cameron as John Sands, an ex-lawman turned gunslinger. He hopes to bury his past and homestead in Texas, but his plans change when his newspaper-reporter brother is killed. Reluctantly, Sands buckles on his gun belt and heads out for retribution against crooked gambler Matt Garson (Reed Hadley). Making his screenwriting debut, Blake Edwards (who also coproduced the film and played a small supporting role) does his best to steer free of clichés, structuring his script in the manner of the detective stories Edwards had been churning out for radio – namely Richard Diamond, Private Detective for Dick Powell.

No mere B picture, Panhandle was permitted to unspool at an "A" length of 84 minutes. To further assure audience approval, Blake Edwards rewrote the ending, in which hero Rod Cameron had originally been killed off

Yes that’s THE Blake Edwards – he is perhaps best known for penning the Pink Panther films

Nicely digitally restored (and in the process the original sepia tone has been removed – now in glorious B&W!)

Rod Cameron also made a couple of nice half hour adventure TV series: Coronado 9 & State Trooper

- both of these excellent shows can be found in the TV Series section of this website

Panic in the Streets (1950) - 93 mins

Starring Richard Widmark, Paul Douglas, Barbara Bel Geddes, Jack Palance & Zero Mostel

Directed by Elia Kazan

One night in the New Orleans slums, vicious hoodlum Blackie and his friends kill an illegal immigrant who won too much in a card game. Next morning, Dr. Clint Reed of the Public Health Service confirms the dead man had pneumonic plague. To prevent a catastrophic epidemic, Clint must find and inoculate the killers and their associates, with the reluctant aid of police captain Tom Warren, despite official scepticism, and in total secrecy, lest panic empty the city. Can a doctor turn detective? He has 48 hours!

Oscar winner for Best Story

Panic in the Year Zero! (1962) - 93 mins

Starring Ray Milland, Jean Hagen, Frankie Avalon, Mary Mitchel, Joan Freeman & Rex Holman

Directed by Ray Milland

En route from Los Angeles to a vacation in the mountains, Harry Baldwin (Ray Milland, who also directs), his wife, Ann (Jean Hagen), and his teen-aged children, Rick (Frankie Avalon) and Karen (Mary Mitchell), are appalled to see a mushroom cloud forming over the L.A. skyline. With the highways clogged by panicking motorists, Baldwin and his family decide to head to the shelter of their fishing spot, there to wait until more news about the nuclear disaster is available. Everywhere they drive, however, the family is confronted by rampaging looters, heavily armed survivalists, and doped-up motorcycle punks. Attempting to remain calm and collected in the face of Armageddon, Baldwin ends up as violent and animalistic as everyone else.

Parachute Battalion (1941) - 72 mins

Starring Robert Preston, Nancy Kelly, Edmond O'Brien, Harry Carey, Buddy Ebsen & Paul Kelly

Directed by Leslie Goodwins

A unit of Army recruits train for a parachute corps in this patriotic war dram. One is an arrogant football star who finds jumping a kick. Another is worried that he may not be courageous enough to make that big leap out of an airplane. They find themselves competing for the affections of a young woman who happens to be the daughter of their training sergeant. The filmmakers of this movie paid careful attention to detail and was made with the cooperation of the 501st Parachute Battalion at Fort Benning, Georgia using actual paratroopers. The viewer is taken through every stage of a jump including folding the chute at the beginning.

Note that although Edmond O'Brien is listed 3rd in the cast, its really an ensemble piece involving the friendships of O'Brien's 'Bill' Burke, Preston's 'Don' Morse & Buddy Ebsen's Jeff Hollis. Ed has most to do as he is in fact the Colonel's son who has "issues" about his presence in the Battalion (but will he get the girl despite the best of competeition from Robert Preston?). This was a "breakout role" for Edmond O'Brien and he is given wonderful support by the deft playing of the legendary Harry Carey as MSgt. Bill 'Thunderhead' Richards

Pardners (1956) - 90 mins

Starring Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Lori Nelson, Jeff Morrow, Agnes Moorehead & Jackie Loughery

Starring Norman Taurog

Set around 1910, we meet Wade Kingsley Jr. (Jerry Lewis), the pampered son of tycoon Matilda Kingsley (Agnes Moorehead). Yearning to return to the Wild West where his father was a famed peacekeeper, Wade purchases a prize bull, destined for the ranch inherited by rodeo star Slim Mosely Jr. (Dean Martin). It so happens that Wade & Slim’s late fathers were "pardners", so Slim takes it upon himself to protect Wade from the various and sundry tough hombres in the region. Through a series of bizarre circumstances, Wade gains a reputation as a gunslinger, and in his hubris he decides to round up a gang of outlaws headed by Pete Rio (Jeff Morrow). As a result, he nearly gets himself blown to smitherines, but Martin shows up in the nick of time to rescue Lewis and help him capture the bad guys. Lori Nelson and Jackie Loughery supply the film's peripheral romantic angle.

Pardners ends with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis turning to the camera and promising that they'll keep on making pictures for their faithful fans; ironically, the team was breaking up even while the cameras were turning and their next outing, Hollywood or Bust (1956) would be their last teaming

What’s your favorite Jerry Lewis picture? There are 9 on this website - the ones that Trev best “connected with” during school holidays at the local cinema. The following with Dean Martin: Sailor Beware (1952), Scared Stiff (1953), The Caddy (1953), Living It Up (1954), Pardners (1956) & Hollywood or Bust (1956).

Then with Jerry on his own: The Bellboy (1960) & The Ladies Man (1961), both of which had Jerry in the directors chair and The Disorderly Orderly (1964) which reunited Jerry with director Frank Taslin, who had previously helmed Hollywood or Bust (1956).

Paris After Dark (1943) - 85 mins

Starring George Sanders, Philip Dorn, Brenda Marshall, Madeleine LeBeau & Marcel Dalio

Directed by Léonide Moguy

This French Underground melodrama stars George Sanders as a seemingly apolitical Parisian doctor who is actually a resistance leader. Sanders' nurse (Brenda Marshall) is likewise a French patriot - less so the nurse's husband (Philip Dorn), who has become disillusioned after two years in a POW camp.

Worth noting in Paris After Dark is the fact that several of the personnel involved were actual French refugees, including director Leonide Moguy and husband-and-wife supporting actors Marcel Dalio and Madeleine LeBeau.

Sanders is great in this WWII thriller! - why not check out the similarly themed Paris Calling (1941) below?

Paris Calling (1941) - 95 mins

Starring Randolph Scott, Basil Rathbone, Elisabeth Bergner, Gale Sondrgaard, Lee J. Cobb & Eduardo Ciannelli

Directed by Edwin L. Marin

Marianne Jannetier, a well-to-do Parisian, engaged to Andre Benoit, a high-ranking government official, flees the city when the goose-stepping Nazi storm-troopers arrive. When her mother dies on the road to Bordeaux as a result of Nazi bombing, she returns to Paris and joins the underground movement. Nicholas Jordan, an American member of the RAF, stranded in Paris after the evacuation is also working with the Paris underground.

Made just before America's entry into World War II, Paris Calling is one of the earliest French Underground adventures - - why not check out the similarly themed Paris After Dark (1943) below?

Quality Note: Not the best of prints but worth seeing just to watch Randolph Scott & Basil Rathbone together!

The Paris Express (1953) - see The Man Who Watched Trains Go By (1952) elsewhere on this website

Park Avenue Logger (1937) - 67 mins

Starring George O’Brien, Beatrice Roberts, Willard Robertson, Ward Bond & Bert Hanlon

Directed by David Howard

Millionaire Mike Curran thinks that his son, Grant (George O’Brien) is too intellectual and needs “to harden up”. So he sends Grant west to learn logging at one of his lumber camps. Unknown to his father, Grant has also learned the sport of wrestling in college and is now appearing incognito as The Masked Marvel in professional wrestling matches, raising money for charity. Hence Grant is easily able to handle the thugs that bully him at the lumber camp. This enables him to stay on the job and he soon uncovers how his father is being cheated by the local boss. Thrown into the mix is Peggy O’Shea (Beatrice Roberts) who is managing a rival logging firm and her boyfriend, Paul Stranger (Ward Bond) - the latter is secretly plotting the downfall of both the company and Grant (who has been striking up a relationship with Peggy).

The trio of star George O’Brien, director David Howard & writer Daniel Jarrett were responsible for a popular set of late 30s films that could best be described as “modern day adventures with a light touch.” Whispering Smith Speaks (1935), Hard Rock Harrigan (1935), The Border Patrolman (1936), Park Avenue Logger (1937) & Border G-Man (1938) benefitted from the ample charisma of O’Brien, Jarrett’s clever scripting, and the experienced “hand-at-the-helm” of Howard. All of these films can be found in this section of the website

George O’Brien fans take note! A nice collection of his westerns can be found in the “B” Westerns section of this website

Park Plaza 605 (1953) (aka Norman Conquest) - 75 mins

Starring Tom Conway, Eva Bartok, Joy Shelton, Sid James & Richard Wattis

Directed by Bernard Knowles

Suave PI, Norman Conquest, intercepts a secret message and meets a beautiful but mysterious blonde Nadina Rodin in Room 605 of the Park Plaza Hotel in London. When Conquest wakes up next to a dead body, he becomes the police's number one suspect and the blonde is nowhere to be seen. Conquest enlists the aid of Pixie Everard (Joy Shelton) in attempting to solve the crime that seems to also involve a cache of stolen diamonds and a gang of communist spies.

Released in the US as Norman Conquest after good box-office results in the UK (as “B” support to the Martin / Lewis film: Money From Home), this film was the first of a nice quartet of Tom “The Falcon” Conway UK releases from the 50's in which Conway plays a PI not too dissimilar to his role in The Falcon movie series from the 1940s.

Park Plaza 605 was followed by in the same year by Blood Orange (aka Three Stops to Murder). In 1955 Conway created the character of suave private detective, Tom 'Duke' Martin for two further British productions in which he was essentially playing The Falcon again: Barbados Quest (aka Murder on Approval) & Breakaway - all 4 of the films are available from this INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section of the website.

All 4 are also available in a nice specially priced boxed set from with the Classic Movie Combinations section of the website (under the title ‘Tom “The Falcon” Conway – now a very English PI’)

The Falcon Movie Series is available from this website, in the Movie Series section

Paratrooper (1953) - see The Red Beret (1953) elsewhere on this website

Passage to Marseille (1944) - 109 mins

Starring Humphrey Bogart, Claude rains, Michele Morgan, Helmut Dantine, Sydney Greenstreet & Peter Lorre

Directed by Michael Curtiz

Unfolded in a complex flashback-within-flashback structure, this is the story of Matrac (Humphrey Bogart), a freedom-loving French journalist who sacrifices his happiness and security to battle Nazi tyranny. The film opens as French liason officer Freycinet (Claude Rains), stationed in London, tells Mantrac's story to a British reporter (John Loder). Freycinet reveals that Mantrac, happily married to Paula (Michele Morgan), was framed by pro-fascists and sentenced to Devil's Island. Here he engineered a daring escape with such lost souls as Marius (Peter Lorre), & Garou (Helmut Dantine).

Designed as a follow-up to the enormously successful Casablanca, Passage to Marseille utilizes the talents of many of the on and off screen personnel of the earlier Warner Bros. classic.

Yes - there's Greenstreet & Lorre again!

Other films to feature the Greenstreet / Lorre combination were The Maltese Falcon (1941), Casablanca (1942), Background to Danger (1943), The Mask of Dimitrios (1944), The Conspirators (1944), Three Strangers (1946 & The Verdict (1946) - all of which are available from this website.

BOGIE! - incomparable - fabulous in every film appearance. Humphrey Bogart’s films are featured prominently on this website - they include: The Petrified Forest (1936), Dead End (1937), You Can't Get Away With Murder (1939), They Drive by Night (1940), High Sierra (1941), The Maltese Falcon (1941), All Through the Night (1941), The Big Shot (1942), Across the Pacific (1942), Casablanca (1942), Action in the North Atlantic (1943), Sahara (1943), Passage to Marseille (1944), To Have and Have Not (1944), Conflict (1945), The Big Sleep (1946), Dead Reckoning (1947), The Two Mrs. Carrolls (1947), Dark Passage (1947), The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948), Key Largo (1948), Tokyo Joe (1949), Chain Lightning (1950), In a Lonely Place (1950), The Enforcer (1951), Sirocco (1951), The African Queen (1951), Deadline U.S.A. (1952), Battle Circus (1953), The Caine Mutiny (1954), The Barefoot Contessa (1954), We're No Angels (1955), The Left Hand of God (1955), The Desperate Hours (1955) & The Harder They Fall (1956)

Passport to Adventure (1944) (see Passport to Destiny) - below

Passport to Destiny (1944) (aka Passport to Adventure) - 60 mins

Starring Elsa Lanchester, Gordon Oliver, Lloyd Corrigan, Gavin Muir, Lumsdale Hare & Fritz Field

Directed by Ray McCarey

Interesting little wartime fantasy about a cleaning lady who, convinced a lucky charm owned by her late husband (played in two photographs by an uncredited Charles Laughton, Lanchester's real-life husband) will keep her from harm, goes to Berlin to "give that blooming Mr. Hitler what for." Ably supported by a cast of first-rate comics, particularly Lumsdale Hare and Fritz Feld, it still requires Miss Lanchester at her most wide-eyed to pull this one off.

A lot a fun.

Passport to Suez (1943) - 72 mins

Starring Warren William, Ann Savage, Eric Blore, Robert Stanford, Sheldon Leonard & Lloyd Bridges

Directed by André De Toth

Amateur sleuth (& former jewel thief) Michael Lanyard (Warren William), aka the Lone Wolf, finds himself in Alexandria, Egypt, where he is enlisted to work as an unofficial espionage agent for the Allies. Nazi spies threaten to murder Lanyard’s valet Jamison (Eric Blore) if Lanyard does not agree to steal valuable military documents from the British Embassy. Among the suspicious characters weaving in and out of the proceedings are Johnny Booth (Sheldon Leonard) and Valerie King (Ann Savage), a secret agent posing as a journalist.

An excellent (Warren William) Lone Wolf entry, based on a character created by Louis Joseph Vance in a series of novels - other Lone Wolf films starring Warren William which are available from this (INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES) section of the website are The Lone Wolf Spy Hunt (1939) & Counter-Espionage (1942)

This film is also part of The Lone Wolf Movies Series DVD sets which are available from within the Movie Series section of this website

The Pathfinder (1952) - 78 mins

Starring George Montgomery, Helena Carter, Jay Silverheels, Walter Kingswood & Rodd Redwing

Directed by Sidney Salkow

During the French-Indian wars of the 18th century, The Pathfinder (George Montgomery) is an Indian scout in the employ of the British. He is sent to a French encampment to do secret-agent work, accompanied by Welcome Alison (Helena Carter), an Englishwoman posing as French. Their identities revealed, The Pathfinder and Welcome are imprisoned and slated for execution, and it looks as though the Great Lakes region will be claimed by the French.

This cinema-adaptation of James Fennimore Cooper's The Pathfinder features genuine Native Americans in several principal "Indian" roles.

Nicely restored Technicolor print!

George Montgomery westerns available from this website are: Belle Starr's Daughter (1948), Davy Crockett Indian Scout (1950), Dakota Lil (1950), Texas Rangers (1951), Cripple Creek (1952), The Pathfinder (1952), Jack McCall Desperado (1953), Fort Ti (1953), Gun Belt (1953), Battle of Rogue River (1954), The Lone Gun (1954), Masterson of Kansas (1954), Seminole Uprising (1955), Robbers’ Roost (1955), Canyon River (1956), Last of the Badmen (1957), Gun Duel in Durango (1957), Pawnee (1957), Black Patch (1957), Man From God’s Country (1958), The Toughest Gun in Tombstone (1958), Badman’s Country (1958), King of the Wild Stallions (1959) & Hostile Guns (1967)

Paths of Glory (1957) - 87 mins

Starring Kirk Douglas, Ralph Meeker, Wayne Morris, Adolphe Menjou & George Macready

Directed by Stanley Kubrick

In the third year of WWI, the erudite but morally bankrupt French general Broulard (Adolphe Menjou) orders his troops to seize the heavily fortified "Ant Hill" from the Germans. General Mireau (George Macready) knows that this action will be suicidal, but he will sacrifice his men to enhance his own reputation. Against his better judgment, Colonel Dax (Kirk Douglas) leads the charge, and the results are appalling. When, after witnessing the slaughter of their comrades, a handful of the French troops refuse to leave the trenches, Mireau very nearly orders the artillery to fire on his own men. Still smarting from the defeat, Mireau cannot admit to himself that the attack was a bad idea from the outset: he convinces himself that loss of Ant Hill was due to the cowardice of his men. Mireau demands that three soldiers be selected by lot to be executed as an example to rest of the troops. Acting as defense attorney, Colonel Dax pleads eloquently for the lives of the unfortunate three, but their fate is sealed.

Even an eleventh-hour piece of evidence proving Mireau's incompetence is ignored by the smirking Broulard, who is only interested in putting on a show of bravado.

Adapting Humphrey Cobb's novel to the screen, director Stanley Kubrick and his collaborators Calder Willingham and Jim Thompson set out to make a devastating anti-war statement, and they succeeded above and beyond the call of duty.

Banned in France for several years, Paths of Glory has since taken its place in the pantheon of classic war movies, its message growing only more pertinent and potent with each passing year.

Paul Temple Returns (1952) (aka Bombay Waterfront) - 71 mins

Starring John Bentley, Patricia Dainton, Grey Blake, Peter Gawthorne & Valentine Dyall

Directed by Maclean Rogers

A fiend known only as “The Marquis” who is bumping people off all over England and signing the name to his handiwork. Meanwhile, amateur sleuth, Paul Temple (John Bentley) whilst on holiday in New York, is asked by Scotland Yard’s Sir Graham Forbes (Peter Gawthorne) to gather information on one of the victims, a New York City police officer. Upon returning to England (and after receiving a “warning” from The Marquis not to intervene), Temple and his wife & partner-in-crime-solving Steve (Patricia Dainton) find themselves in the thick of it. The link between what was thought to be random killings is a secret papyrus, recently excavated in Egypt, which contains the antidote for all narcotic drugs - it could destroy the world narcotics cartels if it became known.

This story is based on Francis Durbridge's radio serial Paul Temple Intervenes, which was broadcast on the BBC in 1952. The film was also scripted by Durbridge who wrote all of the Paul Temple radio plays

Excellent Print

There were 4 Paul Temple films in all: Send For Paul Temple (1946), Calling Paul Temple (1948), Paul Temple’s Triumph (1950) & Paul Temple Returns (1952). All 4 are available separately from this section of the website.

The complete Paul Temple collection is also available in a 2 DVD set from within the Movie Series section of this website (under “P”)

Also there is the Paul Temple TV Series which can be found in the TV Series section under “P”

Note that the Radio Shows on MP3 CD section of this website contains the complete collection of surviving Paul Temple radio mysteries.

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Paul Temple’s Triumph (1950) - 92 mins

Starring John Bentley, Dinah Sheridan, Jack Livesey, Hugh Dempster, Andrew Leigh & Barbara Couper

Directed by Maclean Rogers

Scotland Yard’s Sir Graham Forbes (Jack Livesey) enlists the aid of amateur sleuth and detective novelist Paul Temple (John Bentley) in finding kidnapped scientist, Professor Hardwicke (Andrew Leigh) - the latter has developed a secret formula for controlling atomic weaponry. Paul and his wife, Steve (Dinah Sheridan) soon realize that Hardwicke has been captured by a ruthless organization known only as “Z”. They must first find the operating headquarters of “Z” and then Paul must infiltrate the group with a view to saving both the scientist and weapons formula before its too late.

The film was also scripted by Francis Durbridge who wrote all of the Paul Temple radio plays

Excellent Print

The complete Paul Temple collection is also available in a 2 DVD set from within the Movie Series section of this website (under “P”)

Also there is the Paul Temple TV Series which can be found in the TV Series section under “P”

Note that the Radio Shows on MP3 CD section of this website contains the complete collection of surviving Paul Temple radio mysteries.

Pawnee (1957) - 80 mins

Starring George Montgomery, Bill Williams, Lola Albright, Francis McDonald & Dabbs Greer

Directed by George Waggner

Paul Fletcher (George Montgomery) is a white man raised by Indians, under the moniker ‘Pale Arrow’. Upon reaching adulthood, Paul finds himself rejected by both the Pawnee tribe and the white community, but still manages to get a job as a wagon train scout. Meanwhile, Wise Eagle (Ralph Moody), the Pawnee chief who raised Paul as his own son dies, and the tribe is taken over by Paul's lifelong enemy Crazy Fox (Charles Horvath). Crazy Fox then leads the Pawnee in an attack on the wagon train …

Excellent Republic action western - nice Trucolor print - yes! its George Montgomery at Republic! (his only outing with the studio)

The People That Time Forgot (1977) - 90 mins

Starring Doug McClure, Patrick Wayne, Sarah Douglas, Dana Gillespie, Thorley Walters & Shane Rimmer

Directed by Kevin Connor

Major Ben McBride (Patrick Wayne) organises a mission to the Antarctic wastes to search for his friend (Doug McClure) who has been missing in the region for several years. McBride's party find themselves in a world populated by primitive warriors and terrifying prehistoric creatures, all of whom they must evade in order to get back safely to their ship.

The Land That Time Forgot (1975) was the first of three Edgar Rice Burroughs tales that were adapted for film by British production house Amicus under the direction of Kevin Connor and starring American actor Doug McClure (remember Trampas from the 60's TV series The Virginian ?). The second was At The Earth's Core (1976), which also starred Peter Cushing and the lovely Caroline Munro, and the last was The People That Time Forgot (1977), a sequel to the first film in which Patrick Wayne goes in search for Doug. The Land That Time Forgot is also significant because well known Fantasy writer Michael Moorcock worked on the screenplay. A fourth Connor / McClure film in this series of period lost world films was also produced : Warlords Of Atlantis (1978). Although not based on the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs, it followed fairly much the formula set by the other films in the series - a journey by stalwart period English scientists into a lost world filled with monsters, a voyage that takes places in a marvellous vehicle of period technology.

(Kevin Connor sandwiched these 4 films between equally enjoyable sci-fi / fantasy romps: From Beyond the Grave (1973) & Arabian Adventure (1979) - both of which are available from this website)

McClure then returned to US TV but within two years was back on the big screen in the outrageous Humanoids from the Deep (1980). From the Roger Corman (low-budget shocker) stable this film achieved dubious notoriety for its gratuitous and uncompromising approach to the genre

The films all also feature charismatic acting from lantern-jawed lead man Doug McClure and talented support players.

All of these films are available from within this section of the website - they are also available in a 5 DVD set from within the Classic Movie Combination section of this website

People Will Talk (1951) - 110 mins

Starring Cary Grant, Jeanne Crain, Finlay Currie, Hume Cronyn & Walter Slezak

Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Dr. Noah Praetorius (Cary Grant) is an unorthodox medical professor at a sedate midwestern college, who seems more interested in the human soul than in the cold facts of the human body. Praetorius' nemesis is a conservative rival doctor Professor Rodney Elwell (Hume Cronyn) who presses for an investigation into Noah’s clouded past - with special emphasis given the mysterious old man Shunderson (Finlay Currie) who lives with Praetorius and waits on him hand and foot. Complicating matters for Noah is that he has fallen for one of his students, an unmarried pregnant girl Deborah Higgins (Jeanne Crain).

One of Cary Grant's best and subtlest seriocomic performances - yes! it is a comedy

The Petrified Forest (1936) - 82 mins

Starring Leslie Howard, Humphrey Bogart, Bette Davis, Dick Foran & Joe Sawyer

Directed by Archie Mayo

Burned-out British intellectual Alan Squier wanders into the desert service station/restaurant owned by Jason Maple. Alan finds himself an object of fascination for Jason's starry-eyed daughter, Gabrielle, who dreams of moving to France and establishing herself. Boze Hertzlinger, Gabrielle's bowser attendant boyfriend, grows jealous of Alan, but the penniless, dissipated Briton has no intention of settling down; in fact, as soon as he scores a ride from wealthy tourists Mr. and Mrs. Chisholm, he's on his way out of Gabrielle's life or so everyone thinks. Later that same day, Alan, Gabrielle, Jason, Boze, and Mr. and Mrs. Chisholm are huddled together in the same restaurant, held at gunpoint by Dillinger-like desperado Duke Mantee (Humphrey Bogart) and his gang.

When originally presented on Broadway, Robert E. Sherwood's The Petrified Forest starred Leslie Howard and Humphrey Bogart. Warner Bros. intended to cast Edward G. Robinson in Duke's role, only to be thwarted by Howard, who told the studio that he himself would drop out of the project if Bogart wasn't retained. The film proved to be just the break that Bogart needed; years later, he expressed his undying gratitude to Howard by naming his daughter Leslie Bogart.

Absolutely riveting!

Leslie Howard & Humphrey Bogart re-teamed a year later for the delightful Stand-In (1937) - which is also available from this website

The Phantom From 10,000 Leagues (1955) - 80 mins

Starring Kent Taylor, Cathy Downs, Michael Whalen, Helene Stanton & Phillip Pine

Directed by Dan Milner

A series of mysterious deaths of fishermen and swimmers along a stretch of beach attract the attention of scientist Dr. Ted Stevens (Kent Taylor) and government investigator Bill Grant (Rodney Bell) - they both want to know why the victims and their boats all show signs of exposure to atomic radiation, and if there's a connection between these deaths and the nearby Pacific College of Oceanography, run by Professor King (Michael Whalen). They're also interested in why King's assistant, George Thomas (Phillip Pine), is always lurking around the beach, often armed with a spear gun. Stevens establishes a friendship with King's daughter Lois (Cathy Downs) that turns to romance, but he's principally concerned with finding out about an apparent source of radiation on the ocean floor, and what its connection might be with the unearthly sea creature rumoured to be stalking that section of the beach.

Good 50s Sci-Fi

Phantom Lady (1944) - 87 mins

Starring Franchot Tone, Ella Raines, Alan Curtis, Thomas Gomez & Regis Toomey

Directed by Robert Siodmak

Phantom Lady (1944) is one of the high points of '40s film noir, the title alone evoking a potent mythology of this era. At the center of its narrative is the seemingly hopeless search for the title character who potentially serves as the only reliable witness in the murder trial for Scott Henderson (Alan Curtis), falsely accused of killing his wife. But the search is frustrated by Henderson's inability to remember any details about the woman outside of a flamboyant hat she wore during the night they spent together, an unlikely memory lapse that only intensifies his apparent guilt. Furthermore, no one else who saw Henderson and the woman together will admit to the police that they had seen her. It is up to his assistant, Carol (Ella Raines), to initiate an investigation of her own. This journey takes her on a tour of a decaying 1940s New York, during which Carol undergoes some implausible transformations of her own before the true murderer is revealed.

Phantom of the Opera (1943) - 92 mins

Starring Claude Rains, Nelson Eddy, Susanna Foster, Edgar Barrier & Leo Carrillo

Directed by Arthur Lubin

This Technicolor retelling of the classic story sees Claude Rains playing the pathetic orchestra violinist, Enrique Claudin, who worships aspiring opera-singer Christine Dubois (Susanna Foster) from afar. The girl is unaware that Claudin has secretly been financing her music lessons with instructor Signor Ferretti (Leo Carrillo). When he runs out of money, Claudin attempts to sell the concerto that he's been working on all his life. Mistakenly believing that his precious concerto has been stolen from him, he attacks and kills the music publisher he holds responsible. Terrified, the publisher's mistress throws a pan full of acid into Claudin’s face. Soon afterward, the Paris Opera house is plagued by a series of mysterious accidents and the managers are informed via letter that the "accidents" will continue if Dubois is not immediately promoted to leading roles.

Academy Award winner for Best Art Direction and Best Cinematography. Also Oscar Nominations for Best Music and Best Sound Recording

Phantom of the Rue Morgue (1954) - 83 mins

Starring Karl Malden, Claude Dauphin, Patricia Medina, Steve Forrest, Allyn Ann McLerie & Anthony Caruso

Directed by Roy Del Ruth

A mad scientist Dr. Marais (Karl Malden) uses a trained gorilla to exact revenge on those who've wronged him. At the top of Marais' hit list are the many beautiful women who've spurned his advances, including Yvonne (Allyn McLerie), Arlette and Camille. Each of these ladies have been given bracelets decorated with bells, designed to attract the homicidal ape's attention. Psychology professor Paul Dupin (Steve Forrest) conducts a private investigation of the killings, only to be arrested for the murders himself by Inspector Bonnard (Claude Dauphin). This leaves Bonnard's sweetheart Jeanette (Patricia Medina) virtually defenseless when she is targetted for extermination by Doc Marais. From the Edgar Allan Poe mystery yarn Murders in the Rue Morgue.

The Phantom Planet (1961) - 82 mins

Starring Dean Fredericks, Coleen Gray, Anthony Dexter, Francis X. Bushman, Richard Weber & Dick Haynes

Directed by William Marshall

In this off-beat sci-fi adventure, astronaut Capt. Frank Chapman (Dean Fredericks) must make a forced landing upon a remote asteroid. His ship is damaged and he must breathe the planet's atmosphere. Soon he begins shrinking and once he gets down to six inches discovers the place populated by diminutive people who have turned this "phantom planet" called Rheton into a ship which has the ability to move in and out of galaxies to escape their enemies. He soon joins forces with the little people to defeat the monstrous Solarites, terrifying creatures out to eat them.

The Phenix City Story (1955) - 100 mins

Starring John McIntire, Richard Kiley, Kathryn Grant, Edward Andrews & Biff McGuire

Directed by Phil Karlson

Based on actual events, this film tells the tale of a wide-open fictionally named town in Alabama where gambling, prostitution, and any number of other vices are tolerated openly by the law, thanks to the 50-year influence of organized crime on the local government. Lawyer John Patterson (Richard Kiley), back from the army, triggered by what he sees, joins a reform group, but armed with a cunning plan: to run his father Albert L. Patterson (John McIntire) for state attorney general. The syndicate responds with escalating violence in this savage noir extraordinaire

The Phenix City Story runs 100 minutes, including a 13-minute prologue, compiled from newsreel footage and interviews with the original participants - it provides background on the events that inspired the film.

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Piccadilly Third Stop (1960) - 90 mins

Starring Terence Morgan, Yoko Tani, John Crawford, Mai Zetterling, Dennis Price & William Hartnell

Directed by Wolf Rilla

Dominic Colpoys-Owen (Terence Morgan) is a petty crook with minor crimes on his agenda along with associates tough guy Joe Pready (John Crawford) and Edward (Dennis Price), a crooked gambling boss who Dominic helps by introducing innocent victims into his con game. One day Dominic hooks up with Seraphina Yokami (Yoko Tani) the naive daughter of an ambassador who just happens to let slip that a whole lot of cash is stashed away in their embassy's safe. Dominic's charms work wonders, and before long ‘Fina’ agrees to help in a robbery of the embassy's holdings. After careful planning and the roping in a good safecracker known only as Colonel (William Hartnell) it seem like everything should go off without a hitch.

A fast-paced crime story with a good cast, capably led by Terence Morgan - his next role proved to be the excellent TV series Sir Francis Drake - which is available from the TV Series section of this website.

Pickup on South Street (1953) - 80 mins

Starring Richard Widmark, Jean Peters, Thelma Ritter, Richard Kiley & Milburn Stone

Directed by Samuel Fuller

Extravagant claims are made for this noirish spy film and for its director, Sam Fuller. It has its moments of technical brilliance in lighting and camera placement and two superb performances (by Richard Widmark as Skip, a professional pickpocket just released from his third prison term, and Thelma Ritter as Moe, who sells information and ties).The plot centres on microfilm being followed by FBI agents en route to a Soviet agent when a pickpocket takes the billfold it is in out of the courier's purse on a subway.

Picnic (1955) - 115 mins

Starring William Holden, Kim Novak, Betty Field, Susan Strasberg, Arthur O'Connell & Cliff Robertson

Directed by Joshua Logan

William Holden plays Hal Carter, a handsome drifter who ambles into a small Kansas town during the Labor Day celebration to look up old college chum Alan (Cliff Robertson, in his film debut). Hoping to hit up Alan for a job - or a handout - Hal ends up stealing his buddy's fiancée Madge Owens (Kim Novak). Persuaded by her friends and family that Hal is no damn good, Madge is preparing to break off her relationship but will she be ruled by her heart and not her head.

Broadening the film's appeal is its George Duning-Steve Allen title song: "Moonglow".

One of the biggest box-office attractions of the 1950s, Picnic was adapted by Daniel Taradash from the Pulitzer Prize-winning William Inge play.

Academy Award Winner for Best Art Direction and Film Editing. Nominations for Best Supporting Actor (Arthur O'Connell), Director, Music (Duning) & Best Picture

Pier 5, Havana (1959) - 67 mins

Starring Cameron Mitchell, Allison Hayes, Eduardo Noriega, Logan Field & Nestor Paiva

Directed by Edward L. Cahn

Having the unique distinction of being perhaps the only American drama filmed in Cuba just after Fidel Castro's revolution, Pier 5, Havana is also distinctive because the American hero Steve Daggett (Cameron Mitchell) fights to protect Castro from dangerous pro-Batista counterrevolutionaries. Steve comes to Cuba to find his friend Hank Miller (Logan Field) who has been missing for awhile. It turns out that he has been captured by Fernando (Eduardo Noriega), the leader of the pro-Batista forces, who needs Hank to convert their airplanes into bombers. Steve enlists the help of the local police in his search for Hank. Complicating matters is the fact that Steve's former girlfriend Monica (Allison Hayes) is now Mrs. Hank Miller.

An action packed & interesting curio!

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Pillars of the Sky (1956) - 95 mins

Starring Jeff Chandler, Dorothy Malone, Ward Bond, Keith Andes, Lee Marvin & Michael Ansara

Directed by George Marshall

First Sgt. Emmett Bell (Jeff Chandler) is given the job of putting down an Indian uprising. Since converting to Christanity, the local tribe has done its best to keep the peace. But Chief Kamiakin (Michael Ansara) - understandably angered over an impending government plan to build a road through his territory - intends to break that peace. This is despite the strenuously pacifistic efforts of missionary Dr. Joseph Holden (Ward Bond). Thrown into the mix is a developing romance between Bell, Calla Gaxton (Dorothy Malone), and Calla's husband Tom (Keith Andes) - who just happens Bell's superior officer.

Cinema adaptation of Will Henry's novel Frontier Fury.

Gorgeous Wide-Screen Technicolor Print!

Pilot #5 (1943) - 71 mins

Starring Franchot Tone, Marsha Hunt, Gene Kelly, Van Johnson & Alan Baxter

Directed by George Sidney

A small group of Allied soldiers and airmen on Java are being bombed by Japanese planes daily. With only one working fighter of their own, and five pilots anxious to fly it, the Dutch commander chooses George Collins to fly a mission to drop a 500-lb bomb on the Japanese carrier lying offshore. As the flight progresses, the commander asks the other pilots to tell him about George. They recount his rise from brilliant law student, through the time he became involved in the corrupt machine of his state's Governor, and his attempts to redeem himself, both in his own eyes, and in Freddie, his long-time love.

Pilot # 5 served to introduce Gene Kelly in a supporting role as a nasty, pugnacious young jerk.

'Pimpernel' Smith (1941) (aka Mister V) - 117 mins

Starring Leslie Howard, Francis L. Sullivan, Mary Morris, Hugh McDermott & Raymond Huntley

Directed by Leslie Howard

The "Scarlet Pimpernel" legend is updated to WW2 in the breathless actioner Pimpernel Smith. Leslie Howard (who also directed) plays bespectacled and seemingly mild-mannered Professor Smith, who under cover of darkness transforms into a tireless defender of democracy. With the help of several loyal companions, Smith makes several forays into Nazi-occupied territories to rescue the oppressed victims of the Third Reich, using a phoney archaeological expedition to throw the villains off the track. The picture really roars into life during the cat-and-mouse exchanges between the Professor and his Gestapo antagonist Von Graum, phlegmatically enacted by the corpulent Francis L. Sullivan.

Leslie Howard had previous played the lead role in The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934) - which is also available from this website.

Released in the US as Mister V

The Pirates of Capri (1949) - 94 mins

Starring Louis Hayward, Binnie Barnes, Mariella Lotti, Massimo Serato & Alan Curtis

Directed by Edgar G. Ulmer

A group of men calling themselves 'The Pirates of Capri", headed by Captain Sirroco (Louis Hayward), who is really Count Amalfi, are trying to restore freedom to the people of Naples in 1779. The evil Queen Carolina (Binnie Barnes) is advised of the pirate's assault by a member of her court and she seeks to escape to Palermo. But, she is advised it would be good politics for her to first attend a ball Amalfi is giving for his fiancée, Countess Mercedes (Mariella Lotti), who is unaware of the dual role Amalfi is playing.

Great musical score by Nino Rota who better known for his work on the Godfather films.

Lensed in Italy and directed with great skill by Edgar G. Ulmer

Louis Hayward made a number of "swashbucklers" during his career - there was The Man in the Iron Mask (1939) and The Son of Monte Cristo (1940) followed by The Black Arrow in 1948. Then he filmed The Pirates of Capri (1949) in Italy for legendary director Edgar G. Ulmer, before combining again with The Black Arrow's director Gordon Douglas and co-star George Macready for Fortunes of Captain Blood (1950). Louis Hayward next played Dick Turpin in The Lady and the Bandit (1951) before Captain Pirate (1952) marked his last swordplay movie. He then moved to TV for The Lone Wolf TV series - each of the above films are available from this website, whilst the TV series is available in the TV Series section of this website.

Pirates of Monterey (1947) - 77 mins

Starring Rod Cameron, Maria Montez, Mikhail Rasumny, Gilbert Roland & Gale Sondergaard

Directed by Alfred L. Werker

During the early 19th century, at a time when California was asserting its independence from Mexico, Captain Phillip Kent (Rod Cameron) is a devil-may-care mercenary hired to transport a shipment of rifles to the American army detachment at Monterey. Along the way, he is forced to do battle with Mexicans, Indians and various and assorted thieves.

Fabulous Technicolor print!

Rod Cameron also made a couple of nice half hour adventure TV series: Coronado 9 & State Trooper

- both of these excellent shows can be found in the TV Series section of this website

Pit and the Pendulum (1961) - 80 mins

Starring Vincent Price, John Kerr, Barbara Steele, Luana Anders & Antony Carbone

Directed by Roger Corman

Nicholas Medina (Vincent Price) is the son of a notorious Spanish Inquisition torturer. Nicholas' wife Elizabeth (Barbara Steele) has died under mysterious circumstances, prompting Elizabeth's brother Francis (John Kerr) to arrive at the Medina castle to investigate. The tormented Medina believes that Elizabeth was buried alive, and is convinced that he can hear his wife's voice calling out to him. In truth, Elizabeth has faked her death, part of a plan concocted with her lover Dr. Leon (Anthony Carbone) to drive Medina mad.

Save for the climax, Richard Matheson's script bears but little resemblance to the Edgar Allen Poe original, though there are pronounced echoes throughout of Poe's The Premature Burial.

Vincent Price: Master of the Macabre - starred in several horror films during his career, so much so that he eventually became typecast in the genre. A nice selection of his better horror films are available from this website: House of Wax (1953), House on Haunted Hill (1959), The Tingler (1959), House of Usher (1960), Pit and the Pendulum (1961), Tales of Terror (1962), The Raven (1963), Twice-Told Tales (1963), The Masque of the Red Death (1964), Witchfinder General (1968), The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971), Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972), Theatre of Blood (1973) & Madhouse (1974).

He also lead the cast in some nice sci-fi films: The Fly (1958), Return of the Fly (1959), Master of the World (1961), The Last Man on Earth (1964) & War-Gods of the Deep (1965)

Not forgetting his only western as star: The Baron of Arizona (1950) - his favorite film.

All of the above are available from this website.

Pitfall (1948) - 84 mins

Starring Dick Powell, Lizabeth Scott, Jane Wyatt, Raymond Burr & John Litel

Directed by Andre de Toth

The darker side of the American dream is explored in this fascinating film noir. Dick Powell stars as John Forbes, a successful insurance man with a trophy wife named Sue (Jane Wyatt) and a model child named Tommy (Jimmy Hunt). Despite all that he's achieved in life, Forbes feels somehow unfulfilled. During an attempt to recollect illegally purchased goods by a convicted bank robber, Forbes falls for his glamorous client Mona Stevens and this sparks an affair between them. Forbes suffers the pangs of guilt, a fact immediately capitalized upon by the seedy private eye MacDonald (Raymond Burr), who is upset because Mona has rejected him. If adultery has been committed, can murder be far behind?

Note that this film is part of the Dick Powell "Drama" Combination which can be found in the Classic Movie Combinations section of this website

Pittsburgh (1942) - 91 mins

Starring Marlene Dietrich, Randolph Scott, John Wayne, Frank Craven & Louise Allbritton

Directed by Lewis Seiler

As indicated by the title, this is a saga of the steel industry, with longtime buddies Pittsburgh Markham (Wayne) and Cash Evans (Scott) rising from the ranks of miners to run their own foundry. Ruthlessly devoted to his work, Pittsburgh eventually has a falling out with Cash and also jeopardizes his romantic relationship with beautiful Josie Winters (Dietrich). Thanks to his duplicitous business practices, Pittsburgh loses both Josie and his steel mill; but when America enters WW II, he redeems himself by signing on as a common workman with Cash's still-thriving organization. Well acted and directed, Pittsburgh

The three stars of The Spoilers (1942) - Marlene Dietrich, John Wayne and Randolph Scott - were reunited for this fabulous adventure yarn (The Spoilers is also available from this website). Marlene Dietrich & John Wayne had previously teamed for Seven Sinners (1940) - also available from this website

The fascinating and alluring Marlene Dietrich! - the movies starring this amazing woman and which are available from this website are:

Morocco (1930), Dishonored (1931), Shanghai Express (1932), The Scarlet Empress (1934), The Devil Is a Woman (1935), Knight Without Armour (1937), Destry Rides Again (1939), Seven Sinners (1940), The Flame of New Orleans (1941), Manpower (1941), The Spoilers (1942), Pittsburgh (1942), Golden Earrings (1947) & Rancho Notorious (1952)

John Wayne: Duke - one of the most recognizable persons on the planet -a true mega-star in film. You'll find the following John Wayne movies in this INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section of this website:

A Place of One's Own (1945) - 92 mins

Starring Margaret Lockwood, James Mason, Barbara Mullen, Dennis Price & Helen Haye

Directed by Bernard Knowles

Adapted from a novel by Osbert Sitwell, A Place of One's Own has a double-edged title: It refers to a physical place as well as a spiritual one. An elderly couple played by Barbara Mullen and James Mason purchase an old house. They've been warned that it's haunted by the spirit of a murdered girl, but decide to set up housekeeping anyway. The restless ghost responds to this intrusion by possessing the soul of Annette (Margaret Lockwood), the old couple's young live-in companion. Leading man Dennis Price is on hand as Dr. Selbie to attempt an emergency exorcism on the vulnerable Annette.

Quite a spooky delight!

The Plainsman (1936) - 113 mins

Starring Gary Cooper, Jean Arthur, Charles Bickford, James Ellison, Dorothy Burgess, George "Gabby" Hayes & Anthony Quinn

Directed by Cecil B. DeMille

Following the Civil War, a crooked arms dealer John Lattimer (Charles Bickford) schemes to sell a huge shipment of repeating rifles to the Indians. Constantly thwarting Lattimer's schemes is lawman Wild Bill Hickok (Gary Cooper), who soon forms a strong alliance with Indian scout Buffalo Bill Cody (James Ellison). Rambunctious Calamity Jane (Jean Arthur) is crazy about Wild Bill, but he refuses to have anything to do with her, contemptuously wiping his mouth whenever he kisses her. He prefers the company of winsome Louisa (Dorothy Burgess), but gallantly steps aside when Louisa marries Buffalo Bill. Upon learning that a band of Indians armed with Lattimer's rifles have attacked a military garrison, Wild Bill tells General Custer who in turn sends Buffalo Bill to the garrison with a consignment of weapons. Wild Bill then tries to arrange a peace conference with Indian chief Yellow Hand but is sidetracked when he sees Calamity Jane being captured by two Indian braves.

The biggest and the boldest of western adventures (yes, with several historical liberties being taken)

Coop: forever the great adventurer (& cowboy) - these Gary Cooper titles are available from this website:

Morocco (1930), A Farewell to Arms (1932), The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935), The General Died at Dawn (1936), The Plainsman (1936), Souls at Sea (1937), The Adventures of Marco Polo (1938), Beau Geste (1939), The Real Glory (1939), The Westerner (1940), North West Mounted Police (1940), Meet John Doe (1941), Sergeant York (1941), For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943), Cloak and Dagger (1946), Unconquered (1947), Task Force (1949), Dallas (1950), Distant Drums (1951), High Noon (1952) & Springfield Rifle (1952)

Plainsman and the Lady (1946) - 87 mins

Starring Wild Bill Elliott, Vera Ralston, Gail Patrick, Andy Clyde, Don “Red” Barry & Joseph Schildkraut

Directed by Joseph Kane

Cattleman Sam Cotton (Wild Bill Elliott) offers his services-and his six-guns-to the newly formed Pony Express. Erudite villain Peter Marquette (Joseph Schildkraut) is a rival stagecoach owner who'll stop at nothing to keep the mail from going through. Ordering his minions to disguise themselves as Indians, Marquette masterminds a series of bloody raids on the pony express riders. But Cotton, aided and abetted by grizzled sidekick Durango (Andy Clyde) may well prove a match for Marquette and his gang

The 87-minute running time of Plainsman and the Lady was evidence aplenty that this was no mere Republic B western.

Wild Bill Elliott’s first “A” list western with Republic - he had graduated from a string of Red Ryder oaters to lead a nice run of 9 “adult” westerns which utilized Republic’s skilled techniques in delivering action and adventure. Followed by Wyoming (1947), The Fabulous Texan (1947), Old Los Angeles (1948), The Gallant Legion (1948), The Last Bandit (1949), Hellfire (1949), The Savage Horde (1950) & The Showdown (1950) - all of which are available from this website

Planet Earth (1974) - 74 mins

Starring John Saxon, Janet Margolin, Ted Cassidy, Christopher Cary & Diana Muldaur

Directed by Marc Daniels

Planet Earth is a sequel to Gene Roddenberry's Genesis II (1973) made-for-TV movie, in which a NASA scientist, Dylan Hunt, is revived from suspended animation in the post-nuclear war United States. In Planet Earth, Dylan is now a sworn member of PAX, the colony of people who revived him. Dylan and his PAX team find another colony which is ruled by women and where all men are slaves. He is captured and sold as a slave, but escapes and organizes a rebellion. Dylan once again has a profound influence in the new world that he finds himself in, in the year 2233.

On three occasions between 1973 and 1975, Star Trek producer Gene Roddenberry attempted to launch a new science-fiction series. All three pilot films were predicated on the premise of a modern-day scientist awakening after nearly two centuries in suspended animation. The first of these feature-length pilots was Genesis II, which debuted March 23, 1973. When Genesis II failed to click as a series, Roddenberry and company tried again with Planet Earth (1974); when that didn't sell, the property was reworked as Strange New World (1975) - all three are available from this website.

Planet of the Apes (1968) - 112 mins

Starring Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans, James Whitmore & James Daly

Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner

Originally intended as a project for Blake Edwards, the film version of Pierre Boule's semisatiric sci-fi novel came to the screen in 1968 under the directorial guidance of Franklin J. Schaffner. Charlton Heston is Colonel George Taylor, one of several astronauts on a long, long space mission whose spaceship crash-lands on a remote planet, seemingly devoid of intelligent life. Soon the astronaut learns that this planet is ruled by a race of talking, thinking, reasoning apes who hold court over a complex, multilayered civilization. In this topsy-turvy society, the human beings are grunting, inarticulate primates, penned-up like animals. When ape leader Dr. Zaius (Maurice Evans) discovers that the captive Taylor has the power of speech, he reacts in horror and insists that the astronaut be killed. But sympathetic ape scientists Cornelius (Roddy McDowell) and Dr. Zira (Kim Hunter) risk their lives to protect Taylor - and to discover the secret of their planet's history that Dr. Zaius and his minions guard so jealously.

Scripted by Rod “Twilight Zone” Serling, Planet of the Apes has gone on to be an all-time sci-fi classic! It won a special Academy Award for John Chambers's convincing simian makeup. Also Oscar Nominated for Best Costume Design & Best Music (Jerry Goldsmith)

It spawned four successful sequels, as well as two TV series, one live-action and one animated.

There were 5 Planet of the Apes films: Planet of the Apes (1968), Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), Escape From the Planet of the Apes (1971), Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) & Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973) - all of which are available from this section of the website.

All 5 films are also available from within the Classic Movie Combinations section in a nice 5 DVD set

There was also a 14 episode Planet of the Apes TV Series which can be found in the TV Series section of this website

The Planter’s Wife (1952) - 92 mins

Starring Claudette Colbert, Jack Hawkins, Anthony Steel, Ram Gopal, Jeremy Spencer & Tom Macaulay

Directed by Ken Annakin

Socialite Liz (Claudette Colbert) marries wealthy plantation owner Jim Frazer (Jack Hawkins) and the newlyweds move to Hawkins' plantation in Malaya. Liz quickly bores of her dead-end existence, harboring thoughts of extramarital affairs and plans to take their young son, Mike, to school in England and does not plan to return. But when the natives prove restless, however, Liz loyally stays by her husband's side and helps him defend their property.

A top flight British production filmed in Ceylon - excellent action drama

Released in the US as Outpost in Malaya

The film represented Claudette Colbert's first non-Hollywood film project

The Plunderers (1948) - 87 mins

Starring Rod Cameron, Ilona Massey, Lorna Gray, Forrest Tucker, Grant Withers & Paul Fix

Directed by Joseph Kane

John Drum (Rod Cameron) kills Sheriff Sam Borden at point-blank range and in front of several witnesses - but the "killing” is merely a ruse set up to allow army agent Drum to infiltrate a gang of highway robbers. The gang is led by Whit Lacey (Forrest Tucker), and although Johnny is determined to bring Whit and his men to justice, he cannot help befriending the charming rascal. It all comes to a head when the Sioux attack the local fort and both Johnny and Whit prove that they at least have something in common: bravery and loyalty.

Large scale Republic Trucolor production

Rod Cameron also made a couple of nice half hour adventure TV series: Coronado 9 & State Trooper

- both of these excellent shows can be found in the TV Series section of this website

Plunder of the Sun (1953) - 81 mins

Starring Glenn Ford, Diana Lynn, Patricia Medina, Francis L. Sullivan & Sean McClory

Directed by John Farrow

Several interested parties converge upon the Mexican Aztec ruins in search of a long-buried treasure. Insurance investigator Al Colby (Glenn Ford) is ostensibly the hero, but he doesn't seem any more trustworthy than the rest of the petty crooks, fallen women and alcoholics who've gone along for the archeological ride. Pretty soon the treasure hunters have fallen out and murder is committed

Excellent adventure yarn - in the spirit of The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (also available from this website)

Adapted from a novel by David Dodge

Plunder Road (1957) - 72 mins

Starring Gene Raymond, Jeanne Cooper, Wayne Morris, Elisha Cook Jr., Stafford Repp & Steven Ritch

Directed by Hubert Cornfield

At Wells, Nevada, Eddie Harris (Gene Raymond), Frankie Chardo (Steven Ritch), Commando Munson (Wayne Morris), Skeets Jonas (Elisha Cook Jr.) and Roly Adams (Stafford Repp) rob a government train transporting $10,000,000 in gold to the San Francisco depository. To throw the police off the track, the gang divides the loot three ways and puts onto trucks for hauling to a Los Angeles hideout by three different routes - now they must transport this gold passing weighing stations and road blocks. Can these men in three separate vehicles elude the police who're hot on their trail? Is this the Perfect Crime?

A fine, tight little nourish thriller with a fine cast that includes soap-opera favorite Jeanne Cooper (The Young and the Restless) as Gene Raymond's gun moll.

Nice to see Wayne Morris back home in the US after a stint in the UK which produced The Gelignite Gang (1956) aka The Dynamiters and the Kubrick classic Paths to Glory (1957) - both of which are available from this website

Cast member Steven Ritch also wrote the story - he went on to pen several episodes of Wagon Train and Tightrope

Point Blank (1967) - 92 mins

Starring Lee Marvin, Angie Dickinson, Keenan Wynn, Carroll O'Connor, Lloyd Bochner & John Vernon

Directed by John Boorman

Based on Donald E. Westlake's novel The Hunter, John Boorman's gangster film hauntingly merges a generic revenge story with a European art cinema sensibility. In Alcatraz to divvy up the spoils from a robbery, thief Walker (Lee Marvin) is instead shot point blank by his double-crossing friend Mal Reese (John Vernon) and left to die while Reese takes off with Walker's wife Lynne (Sharon Acker) and his $93,000. Resurrected, the stone-faced Walker returns to Los Angeles a couple of years later to seek revenge on Mal with the help of the enigmatic Yost (Keenan Wynn) and Lynne's sister Chris (Angie Dickinson). Wanting little but his cash, Walker implacably penetrates Mal's lair and the hierarchy of the shady "Organization," registering no emotion about the string of murders left in his wake, as his thoughts repeatedly return to the past that brought him there. In his first American feature, Boorman transforms a stripped-down revenge plot into a surreal meditation on the gangster's spiritual demise, using flashbacks and startling shifts in setting to interweave Walker's fractured memories with his extraordinarily photographed odyssey through L.A. Marvin's chillingly stoic presence further hints at the ambiguities in Chris's observation that Walker "died at Alcatraz, all right."

Although Point Blank was mostly overlooked in 1967, Boorman's visual adventurousness, and Marvin's amoral and apathetic antihero, have since made Point Blank seem one of the key films of the mid-late '60s, a precursor to revisionist experimentations from Martin Scorsese to Quentin Tarantino.

Pony Express (1953) - 101 mins

Starring Charlton Heston, Rhonda Fleming, Jan Sterling, Forrest Tucker & Michael Moore

Directed by Jerry Hopper

Buffalo Bill (Charlton Heston) and Wild Bill Hickok (Forrest Tucker) join forces to establish a mail route that can get mail from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California, in ten days - the so-called U.S. rapid transcontinental mail system. Along the way the two Bills must battle bad weather, hostile Indians and outlaws intent on robbing the mail and shutting down the entire operation.

Great stuff - Chuck & Tuck in a fabulous adventure western

Charlton Heston made a nice trio of “A” list Technicolor westerns in the early 1950 for Paramount Pictures: The Savage (1952), Pony Express (1953) & Arrowhead (1953). Each were well scripted action pieces with Chuck a tower of strength.

All three films are available from this website

Pony Soldier (1952) - 82 mins

Starring Tyrone Power, Cameron Mitchell, Thomas Gomez, Penny Edwards & Robert Horton

Directed by Joseph M. Newman

In 1876, Duncan MacDonald (Tyrone Power) joins the new, 300-member Mounted Police in western Canada, just in time for a dangerous mission. It seems the Cree Indians, raiding across the border in Montana, took two hostages for their safe return to Canada. The new Constable, with only scout Natayo Smith (Thomas Gomez) to help, will need all his diplomacy and then some to extract the captives from the midst of a thousand Cree.

Gorgeous Technicolor print!

Portland Exposé (1957) - 72 mins

Starring Edward Binns, Carolyn Craig, Virginia Gregg, Lawrence Dobkin, Frank Gorshin & Joseph Marr

Directed by Harold D. Schuster

A Portland tavern owner, George Madison (Edward Binns) gets involved in a struggle for power between two gangs attempting to control the unions. When his young daughter is attacked by one of the gangsters, he joins the faction fighting against the syndicate and gets important evidence via a tape recorder. He is discovered and he and his daughter are threatened – will the honest union men come to their aid?

Portland Exposé is a fact-based account of skullduggery in the Oregon metropolis. It was inspired by revelations made during the Senate's McClellan Committee hearings into political corruption.

Fantastic performance from Frank “The Riddler” Gorshin as Joe, the demented “muscle” for the gang (Ed Binns is pretty good as well)

Posse From Hell (1961) - 89 mins

Starring Audie Murphy, John Saxon, Zohra Lampert, Vic Morrow, Robert Keith & Royal Dano

Directed by Herbert Coleman

Banner Cole (Audie Murphy) goes after bad guys who shot his friend the sheriff and abducted a local girl. In a plot reminiscent of High Noon, the posse of town blowhards gradually abandons Cole with only tenderfoot banker Seymour Kern (John Saxon) remaining to prove his manhood. When they find the girl, obviously abused by her captors, Cole shows her acceptance and sympathy whereas the others display only revulsion.

Possessed (1947) - 108 mins

Starring Joan Crawford, Van Heflin, Raymond Massey, Geraldine Brooks, Stanley Ridges & John Ridgely

Directed by Curtis Bernhardt

A dazed woman walks the streets of Los Angeles looking for a man named David. After collapsing in a diner, she's taken to the psychiatric ward of a nearby hospital. Flashbacks reveal her obsession for David as a result of borderline personality disorder which ultimately leads to murder.

A fabulous noir with Crawford at her absolute peak.

Joan Crawford was nominated for the Best Actress Oscar for this role!

The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) - 113 mins

Starring Lana Turner, John Garfield, Cecil Kellaway, Hume Cronyn, Leon Ames & Audrey Totter

Directed by Tay Garnett

Drifter Frank Chambers (John Garfield) takes a job at a roadhouse run by slovenly but likeable Nick Smith (Cecil Kellaway). Nick's sexy young wife Cora (Lana Turner) takes an immediate liking to Frank, but he senses that she's trouble and he keeps his distance for a while, anyway. Inevitably succumbing to Cora's tawdry charms, Frank enters into her scheme to murder Nick and claim the old boy's insurance money. Not long after committing the foul deed, Frank and Cora are arrested. Thanks to the conniving of slimy attorney Arthur Keats (Hume Cronyn), the illicit lovers are able to beat the murder rap but, as the film's title symbolically indicates, they eventually pay for their misdeeds in an unexpected manner.

James M. Cain's novel received its first authorized screen treatment in this MGM production but fans of the novel, not to mention Cain himself were aghast at the changes made by screenwriters Harry Ruskin and Niven Busch; many of the alterations were made to conform with censorship standards of the era.

Great noir film with Garfield at his very best!

Powderkeg (1971) - 94 mins

Starring Rod Taylor, Dennis Cole, Fernando Lamas, John McIntire, Luciana Paluzzi & Michael Ansara

Directed by Douglas Heyes

A Mexican bandit is about to be executed in the United States. So his brother takes over a train and holds the passengers as hostages unless his brother is released. Now both the Americans and Mexicans are baffled as to what to do. But one of the passengers, who wrote the letter for their captor, has a suggestion: call Hank Brackett and Johnny Reech, two mercenaries. Which they do. And as expected they do come up with a plan but the President of the Railroad is not sure if it will work.

This was the successful pilot for the subsequent TV series Bearcats! and was released theatrically in Europe to wide acclaim.

Note that this movie together with the entire TV series Bearcats! is available from TV Series section of this website.

Fans of aussie actor Rod Taylor are well catered for on this website with the following titles available: The Time Machine (1960), Seven Seas to Calais (1962), The Birds (1963), Fate Is the Hunter (1964), 36 Hours (1965), Young Cassidy (1965), The Liquidator (1965), Chuka (1967), Dark of the Sun aka The Mercenaries (1968), The High Commissioner aka Nobody Runs Forever (1968), The Hell With Heroes (1968), Powderkeg (1971), Trader Horn (1973) & Cry of the Innocent (1980) - all of which are available from the INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section of this website.

The TV Series section of this website also contains DVD sets of Rod's other TV series: Hong Kong (1960-61).

Powder Town (1942) - 78 mins

Starring Victor McLaglen, Edmond O'Brien, June Havoc, Dorothy Lovett & Eddie Foy Jr.

Directed by Rowland V. Lee

Adapted by Vicki Baum from a novel by Max Brand, the story is largely set in a wartime munitions plant. Targetted for abduction or murder by Nazi agents, eccentric scientist Pennant (Edmond O'Brien) is assigned a bodyguard, Jeema O'Shea (Victor McLaglen). Despite Jeema's best efforts, Pennant falls into the villain's clutches, all because of a super-explosive which the scientist has developed. Before Jeema can effect a rescue, he is obliged to expose the head of the spies. Veteran vaudevillians June Havoc and Eddie Foy Jr. provide some great comedic respites from the ongoing intrigue in this free flowing story.

Note that although Edmond O'Brien is listed 2nd in the cast, behind Victor McLaglen, its really Ed's picture - a nice blend of intrigue, espionage, mystery, comedy & even a touch of sci-fi!

Primrose Path (1940) - 93 mins

Starring Ginger Rogers, Joel McCrea, Marjorie Rambeau, Miler Mander & Henry Travers

Directed by Gregory La Cava

Ellie Mae lives on Primrose Hill with her good-hearted and fancy free mother, her drunken father, her younger sister and a mean-spirited grandmother. The Hill is not a good part of town, however. When she meets and falls for a hard-working man, they marry and she hides her past from him. When he discovers the truth it jeopardizes their marriage.

The Prince and the Pauper (1937) - 118 mins

Starring Errol Flynn, Claude Rains, Henry Stephenson, Barton MacLane, Billy Mauch & Alan Hale

Directed by William Keighley

As Jane Seymour, consort of King Henry VIII gives birth to the heir to the throne, the later Edward VI and Tom Canty is born in the nearby slums. Years later, as King Henry is near death, providence brings the two together and they discover that they share a striking resemblance. Having changed clothes with Tom during play, Edward is mistaken for a pauper by the Captain of the Guard and evicted from the palace. In contrast, Tom is believed to be the Prince of Wales by all of sundry and, when protesting, is treated as mentally unsound. Only the Earl of Hertford, the king's scheming advisor, realizes the truth but keeps quiet to further his own career. With a price on his head, the real Edward lives the life of a pauper among the thieves and beggars of London, befriended only by Miles Hendon.

From the novel by Mark Twain.

Prince of Foxes (1949) - 107 mins

Starring Tyrone Power, Orson Welles, Wanda Hendrix, Marina Berti & Everett Sloane

Directed by Henry King

Filmed entirely on location in Italy, Prince of Foxes is a cinemadaptation of Samuel Shellabarger's popular novel. Set during the Renaissance, the film stars Tyrone Power as Orsini, a good-will ambassador for scheming, covetous Cesare Borgia (Orson Welles). Orsini is aware that he is being used to expand Borgia's political influence, but he does his best to serve his master. But when he visits a mountain province ruled by the kindly Duke Varano (Felix Aylmer), Orsini comes to realize that there is more to life than power and possessions. Turning against the Borgias, Orsini is subjected to torture and humiliation, but he escapes to spearhead a revolt against the despotic family.

Because of contractual and budgetary restrictions, Prince of Foxes had to be filmed in black-and-white, which is a shame; if ever a film cried out for Technicolor, it is this one - 20th Century-Fox soon rectified this artistic gaffe with its full-color, location-filmed The Black Rose (1950), which also starred Tyrone Power and Orson Welles and is available from this website

Oscar nominated for B&W Cinematography & Costume Design

Tyrone Power: that fabulous adventurer … great Tyrone Power movies available from this website are: The Mark of Zorro (1940), Johnny Apollo (1940), Blood and Sand (1941), Son of Fury (1942), The Black Swan (1942), Crash Dive (1943), The Razor's Edge (1946), Captain From Castile (1947), Nightmare Alley (1947), Prince of Foxes (1949), The Black Rose (1950), American Guerrilla in the Philippines (1950), Diplomatic Courier (1952) & King of the Khyber Rifles (1953).

The Prince of Thieves (1948) - 72 mins

Starring Jon Hall, Patricia Morison, Adele Jergens, AlanMowbray & Michael Duane

Directed by Howard Bretherton

Robin Hood (Jon Hall) rescues a pair of Saxon nobles who were waylaid in Sherwood Forest - they turn out to be Maid Marian (Patricia Morison) and her brother Sir Allan Claire (Michael Duane). Claire was heading for his wedding to Lady Christabel (Adele Jergens) however the powers who rule England in King Richard’s absence have other ideas for some politically convenient marriages of alliance.

The Princess and the Pirate (1944) - 94 mins

Starring Bob Hope, Virginia Mayo, Walter Brennan, Wlater Slezak, Victor McLaglen & Marc Lawrence

Directed by David Butler

Princess Margaret (Virginia Mayo) who is kidnapped by a rough, tough buccaneer known only as The Hook (Victor McLaglen). Through a series of unbelievable circumstances, she is rescued by Sylvester the Great (Bob Hope), a two-bit entertainer "touring" the West Indies in the 18th century. The two of them then pose as travelling troubadors in a treacherous Pirate colony, where people are stabbed and dumped in the ocean for nonpayment of rent and other such offenses. Disguising himself as The Hook, Sylvester is befriended by corrupt colonial governor La Roche (Walter Slesak), but only until the real Hook shows up. Things look bleak for Sylvester and Margaret, but salvation is on the way, as well as a surprising romantic dénouement, when a "bit player from Paramount" (guess who?) shows up to steal the Princess away from Sylvester ("Boy, this is the last picture I make for Goldwyn!") No fewer than six writers teamed up for this Technicolor extravaganza, which still holds up beautifully today. A surprise performance comes from Walter Brennan as an addled pirate named Featherhead - a character right out of a Tex Avery cartoon!

Oscar nominations for Art Direction & Music

This was Hope second starring role for MGM - it was preceded a year earlier by They Got Me Covered (also directed by David Butler) which is also available from this website

Also the 6 “Road” comedies that Bob Hope made with Bing Crosby can be found in the Movie Series section of this website

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The Princess Comes Across (1936) - 76 mins

Starring Carole Lombard, Fred MacMurray, Douglass Dumbrille, Alison Skipworth & William Frawley

Directed by William K. Howard

Wanda Nash (Carole Lombard) is an alluring Swedish beauty who travels under the name of Princess Olga. Everyone whom she meets en route to America on the steamship Mammoth bows and scrapes to the Princess, while Hollywood anxiously awaits her arrival to star her in a big-budget film. Only the ship's bandleader, King Mantell (Fred MacMurray), refuses to defer to Olga, sensing that she may not be all she claims. Mantell's instincts are right on target: the "Princess" is a phony, a Brooklyn girl who has adopted a royal guise thanks to drama coach Lady Gertrude Allwyn (Alison Skipworth) - its a publicity stunt. Unfortunately, blackmailer Darcy (Porter Hall) becomes aware of Wanda's true identity and offers to keep quiet in exchange for a huge cash settlement. At the same time, Darcy is attempting to shake down several other passengers on the Mammoth, including King Mantell. Inevitably, Darcy is found murdered in the Princess’s stateroom, and Wanda finds herself one of several likely suspects, among them Mantell. A quintet of international detectives, travelling to a convention in America, sets out to solve the mystery, which becomes even more mysterious when one of the detectives also turns up dead. Taking matters in his own hands, Mantell vows to clear Wanda's name, and in the course of things he realizes that he's madly in love with her - but will Wanda give up her hoax, and her future showbiz career, for Mantell's sake?

Wonderful comedy-mystery!

Prince Valiant (1954) - 100 mins

Starring James Mason, Janet Leigh, Robert Wagner, Debra Paget, Sterling Hayden, Brian Aherne & Victor McLaglen

Directed by Henry Hathaway

Hal Foster's Sunday-comics saga of a young Viking prince in the service of King Arthur is brought to the screen in CinemaScope and Technicolor here. Trained for the Round Table by Sir Gawain (Sterling Hayden), Prince Valiant (Robert Wagner ) takes time out to fall in love with the beautiful Princess Aleta (Janet Leigh). The villain of the piece is The Black Knight, aka Sir Brack (James Mason), who intends to topple King Arthur (Brian Aherne) from his throne, then conquer Valiant's people in Scandia. But Prince Valiant proves a fearsome opponent to the usurping Sir Brack.

Excellent Widescreen Technicolor print!

Sterling Hayden: ever the maverick, ever the individual - he preferred to sail his yacht around the world rather than act in movies. Yet despite his lack of interest in film, he was lauded and chased by the very finest directors: John Huston, Robert Altman, Francis Ford Coppola & Stanley Kubrick. In each of his roles, Hayden's individuality showed forth whatever the genre of film: noir, adventure, western & swashbuckler. He remains a huge favourite of my Dad (who introduced me to his films) and my son (to whom I, too introduced this powerful actor).

Sterling Hayden films which are available from this website are:

Bahama Passage (1941), Manhandled (1949), Asphalt Jungle (1950), Denver & Rio Grande (1952), Hellgate (1952), The Golden Hawk (1952), Fighter Attack (1953), Crime Wave (1954), Prince Valiant (1954), Johnny Guitar (1954), Naked Alibi (1954), Suddenly (1954), Battle Taxi (1955), Timberjack (1955), Shotgun (1955), The Last Command (1955), The Killing (1956), Crime of Passion (1954), 5 Steps to Danger (1957), Terror in a Texas Town (1958), Ten Days to Tulara (1958) & The Long Goodbye (1973)

The Prince Who Was a Thief (1951) - 88 mins

Starring Tony Curtis, Piper Laurie, Everett Sloane, Jeff Corey & Marvin Miller

Directed by Rudolph Maté

Tony Curtis (in his first starring role) and Piper Laurie were first teamed in this lavish adaptation of Theodore Dreiser's The Prince Who Was a Thief. Curtis stars as Julna, the rightful heir to a Middle Eastern throne. Kidnapped in infancy, Julna is raised as a thief by the roguish Yussef (Everett Sloane). Eventually, however, Julna's true identity is revealed, prompting him to lead a revolt against the evil, usurping Mustapha (Donald Randolph). Tina (Piper Laurie) is a carnival contortionist who falls in love with Julna and helps him regain his throne.

Fine escapist entertainment, The Prince Who Was a Thief secured major stardom for both its leading players.

The Prince Who Was a Thief (1951) was followed by Son of Ali Baba (1952) which also paired Tony Curtis & Piper Laurie. Tony Curtis swashed buckles in two further outings in the 1950s: The Black Shield of Falworth (1954) & The Purple Mask (1955) - all 4 films are available from this website

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The Prisoner of Shark Island (1936) - 96 mins

Starring Warner Baxter, Gloria Stuart, Claude Gillingwater, Arthur Byron & Harry Carey

Directed by John Ford

In 1865 Dr. Samuel Mudd (Warner Baxter), a known Confederate sympathizer, sets the broken leg of a mud-caked stranger who stumbles into his home. The injured man turns out to be John Wilkes Booth (Francis McDonald), and Mudd is accused of conspiring to murder President Lincoln. Sentenced to hang with the genuine conspirators, Mudd finds his sentence commuted to life imprisonment at the very last moment. He is shipped to Shark Island, a brutal penal colony. Subject to the cruelties of a guard Sgt. Rankin (John Carradine) who hates Mudd because of his "complicity" in Lincoln's death, the doctor suffers the torments of the damned, while back home his wife, Peggy (Gloria Stuart) campaigns desperately to get her husband pardoned. During a Yellow Fever breakout on Shark Island, Dr. Mudd performs heroically to save the survivors. For his humanitarian efforts, Mudd is finally released and reunited with his wife.

An almost unbelievable but true story … well told by the maestro: John Ford

Dr. Samuel Mudd's story was retold in the Hellgate (1952), with Sterling Hayden as a (fictional) doctor - this film is also available from this website.

The Prisoner of Zenda (1937) - 101 mins

Starring Ronald Colman, Madeleine Carroll, C. Aubrey Smith, Raymond Massey, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., David Niven & Mary Astor

Directed by John Cromwell

Ronald Colman stars in David O. Selznick's classic production of Anthony Hope's swashbuckling adventure. The film takes place in a mythical Central European kingdom with Colman in a dual role as King Rudolf V and Rudolph Rassendyl, a visitor from England who's a distant cousin to the prince. Arriving in the city of Strelsau, the inhabitants are startled by Rudolph's resemblance to the prince. Spotted by two of the prince's aides, Captain Fritz von Tarlenheim (David Niven) and Colonel Zapt (C. Aubrey Smith), the Englishman is taken to meet the prince at his hunting lodge. The two lookalikes have dinner together as the prince tells Rudolph of the preparations for his upcoming coronation as king. The next morning, Zapt wakes Rudolph and informs him the prince had been drugged the night before and is now in a coma. Because of their similar appearance, Zapt prevails upon Rudolph to impersonate the prince at the coronation, otherwise the prince's evil brother Black Michael (Raymond Massey) will be crowned in his place. With the assistant of Zapt and von Tarlenheim, Rudolph bluffs his way through the coronation, successfully fooling Michael, who is shocked to see his brother alive. Crowned king, Rudolph then meets Princess Flavia (Madeleine Carroll), the prince's fiancee. As they proceed to the reception, Princess Flavia is amazed how kindly the prince is now treating her. Rudolph is falling in love with her, but Michael suspects something foul and dispatches Rupert of Hentzau (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) to investigate the matter further, preparing to gain control of the throne at any cost.

Academy Award nominations for Best Art Direction (Lyle Wheeler) & Best Music Score (Alfred Newman)

The Prisoner of Zenda (1952) - 96 mins

Starring Stewart Grainger, Deborah Keer, Louis Calhearn, Jane Greer, James Mason & Lewis Stone

Directed by Richard Thorpe

English trout fisher Rudolf Rassendyll is about the only tourist not coming for the coronation of Central-European King Rudolf V at Strelsau, but happens to be a distance relative and is approached on account of their canning resemblance to stand in for the drunk king, in order to prevent his envious half-brother Michael, who arranged spiking his wine to seize the throne when the reputedly less then dutiful Rudolf stays away. The ceremony goes well, and he gets acquainted with the charming royal bride, related princess Flavia, but afterward the king is found to be abducted; he must continue the charade and once the hiding place, the castle of Zenda, is found is involved in the fight between political parties for control over Rudolf V, his the throne and his bride, for which a formidable third candidate, Michael's disloyal co-conspirator Rupert of Hentzau, was waiting in the curtains

James Mason & Stewart Grainger "square off" for a great swashbuckling finale!

Private Detective 62 (1933) (aka Man Killer) - 67 mins

Starring William Powell, Margaret Lindsay, Ruth Donnelly, Arthur Hohl & Natalie Moorhead

Directed by Michael Curtiz

Donald Free (William Powell) is a private detective whose career in on the skids. Dan Hogan (Arthur Holh) is another, less scrupulous shamus who persuades Free to help him frame Janet Reynolds (Margaret Lindsay), a wealthy woman with a taste for gambling living in Paris. Free goes along with the scheme, but things become complicated when he begins falling in love with her.

William Powell - say no more!

The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970) - 125 mins

Starring Robert Stephens, Colin Blakely, Geneviève Page, Christopher Lee, Tamara Toumanova & Clive Revill

Directed by Billy Wilder

In Billy Wilder's cinematic homage to the spirit of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, British stage luminary Robert Stephens plays Holmes, while Colin Blakely is his friend and chronicler Dr. Watson.

A bored Sherlock Holmes eagerly takes the case of enigmatic foreign beauty Gabrielle Valladon (Geneviève Page) after an attempt on her life. The search for Valladon’s missing mining engineer husband leads to Loch Ness and the legendary monster - and its a case that may have a far-reaching effect on the national security of England.

Good story - well told by Wilder

Other Sherlock Holmes films available elsewhere within this (INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES) section are A Study in Terror (1965), The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976), Sherlock Holmes in New York (1976) & Murder By Decree (1979)

Also available from within this (INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES) section are three great Rathbone/Bruce entries: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939), Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (1942) & Sherlock Holmes in Washington (1943)

Fans of Sherlock Holmes should be aware of the Rathbone / Bruce Movie Series available in the Movie Series section of this website as well as the Peter Cushing (color) TV Series in the TV Series section of this website.

The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1937) - 106 mins

Starring Errol Flynn, Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, Donald Crisp, Vincent Price & Alan Hale

Directed by Michael Curtiz

Concerns the tempestuous relationship between the middle-aged Elizabeth and the ambitious Essex. At one point, the Queen intends to marry Essex and relinquish her throne, until she realizes that his plans for advancement would ultimately prove disastrous for England. When afforded the opportunity to execute Essex for treason, she reluctantly signs his death warrant.

It is no secret that Bette Davis and Errol Flynn were at each other's throats throughout the filming: Davis felt that Flynn was unprofessional, while Flynn thought that Davis took herself too seriously. Davis had wanted Laurence Olivier to play the Earl of Essex opposite her Queen Elizabeth I. She was forced to compromise and the finished product, a lavish Technicolor costumer allowing full scope to Davis' histrionics and Flynn's derring-do, betrays little of the backstage hostilities.

Adapted by Norman Reilly Raine and Aeneas McKenzie from Maxwell Anderson's blank-verse play.

Oscar Nominations for Art Direction, Color Cinematography, Special Effects, Sound Recording and Score (Erich Wolfgang Korngold)

The Prize (1963) - 134 mins

Starring Paul Newman, Elke Sommer, Edward G. Robinson, Diane Baker, Micheline Presle & Leo G. Carroll

Directed by Mark Robson

Based on the novel by Irving Wallace, The Prize takes place in Stockholm, where several laureates gather to accept their Nobel Prizes including iconoclastic novelist Andrew Craig (Paul Newman) and physics expert Dr. Max Stratman (Edward G. Robinson). But Max is kidnapped and replaced by his wicked twin brother, Walter. Max is to be spirited behind the Iron Curtain, while Walter is to disrupt the awards ceremony with an anti-American tirade. Craig gets wind of the plot, and with the help of Swedish foreign office functionary Inger Lisa Andersson (Elke Sommer), he endeavours to rescue Max and expose the phony.

Great fun (and a great print) with Paul Newman at his wise-cracking best in Hitchcockian styled thriller

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The Prize of Arms (1962) - 105 mins

Starring Stanley Baker, Helmut Schmid, Tom Bell, John Phillips, Patrick Magee & Michael Ripper

Directed by Cliff Owen

This effective crime caper involves an attempted robbery of no one less than the U.S. Army, a heist which has its beginnings when Turpin (Stanley Baker) is drummed out of the service for his black-market activities. Chaffing at this unjust treatment and also fuelled by greed, Turpin enlists two cohorts: Swavek & Fenner (Helmut Schmid & Tom Bell) to help him carry out his revenge. After much rehearsal of his plan, the three put on uniforms and walk into an army camp just before the troops are mustered out to the Middle East during a crisis over the Suez Canal. The trio's intention is to rob the payroll ($700,000), stash the cash in a spare tire, and drive out of there.

Go Stanley … isn’t time for the robbers to get away with it!

Project Moon Base (1953) - 63 mins

Starring Donna Martell, Hayden Rorke, Ross Ford, Larry Johns, Herb Jacobs & Barbara Morrison

Directed by Richard Talmadge

In the not-too-distant future of 1970, the United States is considering building bases on the Moon, and send a female colonel and two men to investigate. One of the men turns out to be a foreign spy, and the entire operation--and the future of the free world is in danger.

Co-scripted by sci-fi novelist Robert A. Heinlein, Project Moonbase is a "feature film" cobbled together from several episodes of the unsold TV science fiction series "Ring Around the Moon."

The Proud Ones (1956) - 90 mins

Starring Robert Ryan, Virginia Mayo, Jeffrey Hunter, Robert Middleton, Walter Brennan & Arthur O'Connell

Directed by Robert D. Webb

A small Kansas town braces itself for the arrival of the first Texas trail herd. Marshal Cass Silver (Robert Ryan) expects trouble from the herd drivers, who'll be thirsty and wild after months on the trail. The town's saloon owner Honest John Barrett (Robert Middleton), anticipating a business boom, wants to remove the marshal and thus leave the town wide open. An early scuffle in the casino leaves Silver with vision problems that interfere with his duties. Thad Anderson (Jeffrey Hunte)r who came to town with a cattle drive encounters Silver, who killed Anderson's father when Thad was young. Feelings of animosity soon change as Thad begins to sense that Cass is telling the truth about his father. What follows is a plot that continues to thicken and build slowly to an explosive climax.

Great cast - great western!

One of 4 westerns which Robert Ryan made in the 1950s in which he was star - the others being Best of the Badmen (1951), Horizons West (1952) & Day of the Outlaw (1959) - all of which are available from this website

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PT 109 (1963) - 140 mins

Starring Cliff Robertson, Ty Hardin, James Gregory, Robert Culp, Grant Williams & Michael Pate

Directed by Leslie H. Martinson

When Lt. John F. Kennedy (Cliff Robertson) arrives in the South Pacific during World War II, he's keen to command his own PT boat. All he can find is a decrepit old cast-off but he scrounges a crew together and the PT 109 is soon made sea worthy. Kennedy is an able commander who quickly gains the confidence and loyalty of his men. While on patrol on a dark and moonless night, the PT boat is cut in half after being struck by a Japanese destroyer. The survivors swim to nearby islands but are in enemy territory and in constant danger of being found out.

Based on true events in the life of U.S. President John F. Kennedy. Scripted by the legendary Richard Breen (Oscar Winner for Titanic (1953) & who first achieved fame via his writing of the Pat Novak For Hire radio series)

Gorgeous wide-screen Technicolor print!

Part of a nice trio of excellent “Pacific theatre WWII” action adventure films starring Cliff Robertson and which can be found on this website: the others are Battle of the Coral Sea (1959) & Too Late the Hero (1970)

The Proud Rebel (1958) - 103 mins

Starring Alan Ladd, Olivia de Havilland, Dean Jagger, David Ladd, Cecil Kellaway & Henry Hull

Directed by Michael Curtiz

A gentler but no less resourceful Alan Ladd is cast as civil war veteran John Chandler, while the star's son David (who grew up to become a powerful Hollywood producer) plays Chandler's emotionally disturbed son David. Since suffering a traumatic shock during the war, David has not spoken a single word. With his son in tow, John wanders the frontier in search of a doctor who might cure David's muteness. Along the way, he runs afoul of sheep baron Harry Burleigh (Dean Jagger), and for a brief period is forced into indentured servitude to pay a debt to farm woman Linnet Moore (Olivia de Havilland). Falling in love with Linnet, John vows to protect her land from the covetous machinations of Burleigh and his brood.

Another great Alan Ladd vehicle!

The Public Enemy (1931) - 84 mins

Starring James Cagney, Jean Harlow, Eddie Woods, Joan Blondell & Donald Cook

Directed by William Wellman

Friends Tom and Matt go from small time to big time crime during prohibition. Tom tires of his mistress Kitty (he pushes a grapefruit into her face) and falls for Gwen who resists his advances except when it look as though he might dump her. When Matt is killed, Tom goes after the murderers.

Academy Award nominations for Best Writing & Best Original Story

Public Hero #1 (1935) - 89 mins

Starring Lionel Barrymore, Jean Arthur, Chester Morris, Joseph Calleia & Paul Stone

Directed by J. Walter Ruben

The stringent censorship imposed upon Hollywood of the mid-1930s dictated that gangsters could no longer be the "heroes" in any crime film. Public Hero No. 1 reflects this restriction. G-Man Jeff Crane (Chester Morris) poses as a crook to infiltrate the notorious Purple Gang, a band of hoodlums which preys upon other hoodlums. Orchestrating the jailbreak of the Gang's leader Sonny 'Dinkie' Black (Joseph Calleia), Crane joins him in a Dillinger-like flight across the country. The bloody denouement, which occurs in a vaudeville theatre, is likewise drawn from the Dillinger saga.

Also featured is Jean Arthur as the heroine (a comic role) and Lionel Barrymore as a drunken gang doctor

A Gangster Gem! - Chester Morris in a great role well match by Joseph Calleia.

Puppet on a Chain (1971) - 98 mins

Starring Sven-Bertil Taube, Barbara Parkins, Alexander Knox, Patrick Allen & Vladek Sheybal

Directed by Geoffrey Reeve

The headquarters of a drug-smuggling cartel is the quarry of American narcotics agent Paul Sherman (Sven-Bartil Taube). Though the cartel's activities are centered in Amsterdam, Sherman's search for the headquarters leads to an island castle owned by an offbeat religious group. Sherman and his partner Maggie (Barbara Parkins) run into serious trouble when they try to gain access to the forbidding site.

From a screenplay by Alistaiar MacLean, this detective thriller features one of the most exciting boat chases ever filmed, a scene that has been compared to the car chase in Bullitt. It is also notable for having much scenic footage of the Netherlands and of Amsterdam. A superb color print .

Note: Fans of films based on Alistair MacLean's works are well served by this INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section of this website. The movies which have come from his pen here are The Guns of Navarone (1961), The Secret Ways (1961), The Satan Bug (1965), When Eight Bells Toll (1971), Puppet on a Chain (1971),

Fear Is the Key (1972), Caravan to Vaccarès (1974), Golden Rendezvous (1977), Bear Island (1979) &

River of Death (1989)

The Purple Heart (1944) - 99 mins

Starring Dana Andrews, Richard Conte, Farley Granger, Kevin O'Shea, Don 'Red' Barry & Trudy Marshall.

Directed by Lewis Milestone

The year is 1942: eight American airmen crash-land during the Doolittle bombing raid on Tokyo and are taken prisoner. Though slated for execution, the pilots are put through a "show trial" by the military, on a charge of committing war crimes. The Japanese judges promise to be merciful if only the Americans will reveal vital US military secrets. But captain Dana Andrews speaks for the rest of his melting-pot crew-some of whom have been subjected to the most horrific of tortures--when he chooses death before dishonor.

The Purple Heart was made at a time when America was still at war with Japan, and political correctness was hardly a consideration. Its jingoism aside, the film is a first-rate piece of moviemaking, deftly directed by Lewis Milestone with the same fervor that he'd expended on his 1930 anti-war masterpiece All Quiet on the Western Front

The Purple Mask (1955) - 82 mins

Starring Tony Curtis, Colleen Miller, Gene Barry, Dan O’Herlihy, Angela Lansbury, George Dolenz & John Hoyt

Directed by H. Bruce Humberstone

France, 1803: 11 years after the Revolution, a royalist underground is led by a new 'Scarlet Pimpernel', the Purple Mask, Rene de Traviere (Tony Curtis). Rene is a foppish nobleman who doubles as the Purple Mask, a Royalist supporter who kidnaps officers of the Republic and ransoms them back to Baron de Morleve (Stefan Bekassy) for a hefty fee. He manages to elude Napoleon's minions for a time until he is forced to give himself up when the love of his life, the beautiful Laurette (Colleen Miller), is placed in danger. Even though he is facing the guillotine, Rene has a few tricks up his sleeve. The Purple Mask was based on La Chevalier au Masque, a play by Paul Armont and Jean Manouissi.

Tony Curtis made four excellent swashbucklers in the 1950s: The Prince Who Was a Thief (1951), Son of Ali Baba (1952) - both with Piper Laurie - The Black Shield of Falworth (1954) & The Purple Mask (1955) - all 4 films are available from this website.

Pursued (1947) - 101 mins

Starring Robert Mitchum, Teresa Wright, Judith Anderson, Dean Jagger & Alan Hale

Directed by Raoul Walsh

Chased by a posse to a remote cabin, Jeb (Robert Mitchum) is joined by his fearful wife Thorley (Teresa Wright), awaiting the arrival of the men tracking them, as they try to reason out what has gone wrong in their lives. Jeb can't remember anything about his early childhood except for a horrible incident in which the people around him were killed by a mysterious stranger, whose flashing spurs were all the boy saw. He was raised by Ma Callum (Judith Anderson), alongside her two children, Thorley and Adam, as one of her own. But every time Jeb seemed poised to find peace, or even simple stability in his life, lurking nearby was Grant (Dean Jagger), a one-armed stranger who seemed bent on tormenting Jeb -- Jeb doesn't know who he really is, much less who Grant is, but Grant knows enough about him and is good enough at manipulating human nature to make Jeb a target for jealousy and murder. Making Jeb's life even more complicated is the fact that he and his adopted sister Thorley fell in love with each other, while Adam (John Rodney), his adopted brother, has come to hate him. The machinations around Jeb and Thorley come home to roost in multiple shootings and murder, a deadly chase and a long-planned lynching.

Fabulous movie - one of Mitchum's best - a true western noir

Fans of Robert Mitchum's noir catalogue will be aware that this western noir has a "companion piece" namely Blood on the Moon (1948) - this title also available from this website in the INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section.

Note that Pursued (1947) & Blood on the Moon (1948) are part of a special 2 DVD (4 film) set titled

Robert Mitchum … still out West but in the Lead … - it can be found in the "B" Westerns section of this website

Pursuit (1935) - 60 mins

Starring Chester Morris, Sally Eilers, Scotty Beckett, Henry Travers & C. Henry Gordon

Directed by Edwin L. Marin

"Mitch" Mitchell is an aviator who has been hired to take a child out of California and into Mexico. He is accompanied by Maxine Rush, the secretary of the head of a private-detective agency who has been hired to care for the kid until a guardianship suit has been settled.

Excellent fun with Morris & Eilers doing a "Grant & Colbert" as they travel across country, pursued by all & sundry.

Pushover (1954) - 88 mins

Starring Fred McMurray, Kim Novak, Phil Carey, E. G. Marshall & Dorothy Malone

Directed by Richard Quine

A bank heist yields $210,000. Soon, sultry Lona McLane, girlfriend of one of the robbers, meets Paul Sheridan and has a torrid affair. When she finds out Paul's a cop, to save herself she sets out to corrupt him. He's a pushover. But it won't be easy for Paul to get his hands on the money when he's part of a complex, peeping-tom stakeout. Soon, he's in much deeper than he'd planned, amid atmospheric night scenes.

Q Planes (1939) - 82 mins

Starring Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson, Valerie Hobson, George Curson, George Merritt & Gus McNaughton

Directed by Tim Whelan

This British spy thriller concerns the theft of valuable aircraft secrets by enemy agents. Laurence Olivier plays a firebrand test pilot who falls under suspicion when several planes disappear. Ralph Richardson steals the film as a seemingly befuddled secret service operative assigned to the case. Despite its topicality (the film was made in 1939, when Europe was bracing itself against the possibility of war), Q Planes is played with the tongue-in-cheek bravado of a "Boy's Own Paper" tale.

Q Planes was released in the US as Clouds over Europe

For the 60's The Avengers TV series, Patrick Macnee in fact based his characterisation of the suave John Steed on Richardson's work in this film (Note that The Avengers TV series is available from this website - in the TV Series A-H section)

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Quantrill’s Raiders (1958) - 68 mins

Starring Steve Cochran, Diane Brewster, Leo Gordon, Gale Robbins & Myron Healey

Directed by Edward Bernds

Posing as a horse supplier for the army, Confederate Captain Alan Westcott (Steve Cochran) is ordered to infiltrate the Union lines and contact William Clarke Quantrill (Leo Gordon) to arrange a raid on the arsenal at Lawrence, Kansas. After laying their plans to attack Lawrence, Westcott learns that the arsenal is being moved out by wagon trail. He calls off the attack on Lawrence in favor of attacking the wagon train, but Quantrill pulls a treacherous double-cross and rides into Lawrence on a personal mission of bloodshed, murder and looting

Excellent Technicolor wide-screen print of this powerful western bolstered by a strong performances from Steve Cochran & Leo Gordon

The Quatermass Xperiment (1955) - 82 mins

Starring Brian Donlevy, Jack Warner, Margia Dean, Thora Hird & Gordon Jackson

Directed by Val Guest

A rocket crash-lands in England after a flight of more than 57 hours into deep space. The design of forceful, misanthropic scientist Professor Bernard Quatermass (Brian Donlevy), the Q-1 had three astronauts aboard when it left Earth, but only one of them, engineer Victor Carroon (Richard Wordsworth), is on board upon landing, and in a near-comatose state. Even more baffling, the spacesuits of the other two men are still aboard the wrecked ship and are still interlocked, as though they were in them when whatever transpired. Quatermass's investigation is complicated by the presence of Inspector Lomax (Jack Warner) of Scotland Yard, who is treating the disappearance of the two men as a potential murder case, and by Carroon's wife Judith (Margia Dean), who blames the scientist for what has happened to her husband. An on-board camera, although damaged, shows an encounter with some form of energy that invaded the ship and attacked the crew, seemingly killing the other two astronauts and rendering Carroon unconscious. Caroon's condition keeps worsening and Quatermass's medical expert, Dr. Gordon Briscoe is alarmed by the man's impossible heart- and pulse-rate, his degenerating skin and apparent changes in his bone and facial structure. Judith Carroon tries to spirit her husband out of the hospital where he's being cared for, not knowing that something horrific is happening to him. Quatermass and Briscoe soon realize that Carroon is little more than the shell of a man, masking an invading alien life form that can literally draw the life out of any living thing that it touches. The manhunt turns into a fight for survival as the creature continues to kill and mutate, threatening to release spores into the air and spread itself by the millions throughout the Earth.

Great sci-fi from 1950’s Britain!

This theatrical feature was adapted from the successful 1953 UK TV serial The Quatermass Experiment and filmed in the UK, becoming the most successful Hammer production ever (at the time).

Released in the US as The Creeping Unknown (1955)

US actor Brian Donlevy returned to the UK, two years later and again teamed with cult director Val Guest for a second Quatermass adventure, Quatermass 2 (1957).

A third Quatermass film, Quatermass and the Pit (1967) completed the trilogy, each of which was based on the corresponding trilogy of TV serials from the 1950s.

A 4^th TV serial followed in 1979 with an edited version thereof appearing theatrically as The Quatermass Conclusion (1979)

All 4 Quatermass films are available from both the INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES & SCI-FI FILMS sections.

They are also available as part of Quatermass … Complete … which comprises all four films, all three TV serials from the 1950s plus the later 4^th TV serial from 1979.

Quatermass … Complete … can be found in both the Movie Series and TV series section of this website.

Quatermass 2 (1957) - 85 mins

Starring Brian Donlevy, John Longden, Sid James, Bryan Forbes, William Franklyn & Vera Day

Directed by Val Guest

Professor Quatermass, still shook up from London's refusal to proceed with his project to colonize the Moon, is intrigued by the mysterious traces that have been showing up on his radar. Are they merely meteorites crashing down? Proceeding to the place where they should be landing he finds a destroyed village and a mysterious factory which is very similar to his designs for the Moon colony. Officially, the factory is producing synthetic food; but despite the veil of secrecy surrounding it Quatermass succeeds in finding out it harbours aliens with deadly designs on the Earth.

More great sci-fi from 1950’s Britain!

This UK filmed theatrical feature was adapted from the successful 1955 UK TV serial Quatermass II.

Released in the US as Enemy from Space (1957)

US actor Brian Donlevy had returned to the UK and again teamed with cult director Val Guest for this excellent sci-fi story. The pair had combined two years earlier for the equally impressive The Quatermass Xperiment (1955)

A third Quatermass film, Quatermass and the Pit (1967) completed the trilogy, each of which was based on the corresponding trilogy of TV serials from the 1950s.

A 4^th TV serial followed in 1979 with an edited version thereof appearing theatrically as The Quatermass Conclusion (1979)

All 4 Quatermass films are available from both the INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES & SCI-FI FILMS sections.

They are also available as part of Quatermass … Complete … which comprises all four films, all three TV serials from the 1950s plus the later 4^th TV serial from 1979.

Quatermass … Complete … can be found in both the Movie Series and TV series section of this website.

Quatermass and the Pit (1967) - 97 mins

Starring Andrew Keir, James Donald, Barbara Shelley, Julian Glover & Duncan Lamont

Directed by Roy Ward Baker

While digging a new subway line in London, a construction crew discovers first: a skeleton, then what they think is an old World War II German missile. Upon closer examination the "missile" appears to be not of this earth! In a baffling scientific discovery the missile proves to be an alien space ship, alive after 5 000 000 years. The craft is able to cause psychic disturbances in individuals genetically connected to the machine; it also prompts them to see dead Martians as ghostly entities nearby. In time, conclusions drawn from these events lead scientists to shocking conclusions about the origins of the human race.

Great UK Sci-Fi - beautiful Technicolor print!

This UK filmed theatrical feature was adapted from the successful 1959 UK TV serial Quatermass and the Pit.

Released in the US as Five Million Years to Earth (1967)

Preceded by two earlier Quatermass films which starred Brian Donlevy: The Quatermass Xperiment (1955) and Quatermass 2 (1957). Followed by The Quatermass Conclusion (1979).

All 4 Quatermass films are available from both the INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES & SCI-FI FILMS sections.

They are also available as part of Quatermass … Complete … which comprises all four films, all three TV serials from the 1950s plus the later 4^th TV serial from 1979.

Quatermass … Complete … can be found in both the Movie Series and TV series section of this website.

The Quatermass Conclusion (1979) - 102 mins

Starring John Mills, Simon MacCorkindale, Barbara Kellerman, Margaret Tyzack, Brewster Mason & Ralph Arliss

Directed by Piers Haggard

After the mysterious destruction of the new space station, young people find themselves drawn to a stone circle in England, and other locations around Earth. They believe they'll be taken to a better place by a higher power. Only Professor Quatermass (John Mills) realizes that the young people are being tricked by an alien power, who wants to "harvest" humanity. It's up to Quatermass and a young astromoner, Joe Kapp (Simon MacCorkindale) to find a way to stop the deadly plans of the aliens.

This theatrically released film represents an editing down of the 4^th Quatermass TV serial: Quatermass.

Preceded by three earlier Quatermass films: The Quatermass Xperiment (1955), Quatermass 2 (1957) & Quatermass and the Pit (1967).

All 4 Quatermass films are available from both the INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES & SCI-FI FILMS sections.

They are also available as part of Quatermass … Complete … which comprises all four films, all three TV serials from the 1950s plus the later 4^th TV serial from 1979.

Quatermass … Complete … can be found in both the Movie Series and TV series section of this website.

The Quick Gun (1964) - 87 mins

Starring Audie Murphy, Merry Anders, James Best, Ted de Corsia, Walter Sande & Rex Holman

Directed by Sidney Salkow

Clint Cooper (Audie Murphy) finally returns to his home after a long absence precipitated by his killing of a wicked rancher's son in a forced duel. Clint wants to live peacefully on his father’s ranch and be with the woman that he loves, Helen Reed (Merry Anders). While on the trail home, he encounters a ruthless outlaw gang planning a bank robbery. Because most of the townsmen have gone on a giant cattle drive, the town is defenseless. Clint and his pal do all they can to keep the outlaws at bay during a bloody battle.

Gorgeous wide-screen Technicolor print!

The Quiet Man (1952) - 125 mins

Starring John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Barry Fitzgerald, Ward Bond, Victor McLaglen & Mildred Natwick

Directed by John Ford

Irish-American boxer John Wayne, recovering from the trauma of having accidentally killed a man in the ring, arrives in the Irish village where he was born. Hoping to bury his past and settle down to a life of tranquility, Wayne has purchased the home of his birth from wealthy local widow Mildred Natwick, a transaction that has incurred the wrath of pugnacious squire Victor McLaglen, who coveted the property for himself. By and by, Wayne falls in love with McLaglen's beautiful, high-spirited sister Maureen O'Hara. Her insistence that Wayne conduct his courtship in a proper Irish manner-with puckish matchmaker Barry Fitzgerald along for the ride as "chaperone"--is but one obstacle to their future happiness: the other is McLaglen, who spitefully refuses to give his consent to his sister's marriage, or to honor the tradition of paying a dowry to Wayne. Wayne could care less about dowries, but the tradition-bound Maureen refuses to consummate her marriage until McLaglen pays up.

The Perfect Movie Experience!

Oscar Winner for Best Director & Best Color Cinematography

Oscar Nominations for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Victor McLaglen), Screenplay, Sound Recording & Art Direction.

Note: Excellent color print - much superior to commercial offerings

John Wayne: Duke - one of the most recognizable persons on the planet -a true mega-star in film. You'll find the following John Wayne movies in this INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section of this website:

Quiet Please, Murder (1942) - 70 mins

Starring George Sanders, Gail Patrick, Richard Denning, Lynne Roberts, Sidney Blackmer & Kurt Katch

Directed by John Larkin

A public library at night is the setting for this fast-moving crime caper. George Sanders is a gentleman crook specializing in selling forgeries of rare books. In the company of phony policemen, Sanders enters the library unmolested and pilfers a priceless Shakespeare folio in order to expedite his operation. The criminal's girl friend/accomplice Gail Patrick is willing to go along with the crime until Sanders begins displaying a homicidal streak. She calls in a detective (Richard Denning) to foil the criminal.

A dash of Sanders in the night!

The Quiller Memorandum (1966) - 104 mins

Starring George Segal, Alec Guinness, Max von Sydow, Senta Berger, George Sanders & Robert Helpmann

Directed by Michael Anderson

American agent, Quiller (George Segal) who is working with the British Secret Service is assigned to Berlin to ferret out a treacherous neo-Nazi gang. The last two men given this job have already been killed and the agent soon realizes he can't trust anyone, not even the people on his own side. He becomes involved in a cat & mouse game between his superior Pol (Alec Guinness) and head Oktober (Max Von Sydow).

Adapted from the 1965 spy novel The Berlin Memorandum, by Trevor Dudley-Smith under the name "Adam Hall" (with a screenplay by Harold Pinter).

Complex but rewarding!

Part of an excellent sextet of “gritty mid 60s spy films” which were seen as being realistic and ultimately the antithesis of the James Bond view of the genre: The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965), The Ipcress File (1965), Funeral in Berlin (1966), The Quiller Memorandum (1966), The Deadly Affair (1966) & Billion Dollar Brain (1967) - all of which are available from this section of the website.

They are also available in a 6 DVD set from within the Classic Movie Combinations section (under “G” for “Gritty mid 60s spy films”)

The Racers (1955) - 88 mins

Starring Kirk Douglas, Bella Darvi, Gilbert Roland, Cesar Romero, Lee J. Cobb & Katy Jurado

Directed by Henry Hathaway

Italian bus driver Gino Borgesa (Kirk Douglas) dreams of entering the Grand Prix as a world-famous race car driver. He eventually achieves his goal, racing in all the major events around the globe thanks to a dedicated philosophy of "winning is the only thing". Over time Gino manages to alienate his fellow racers and everyone else with whom he comes in contact. Only when he is on the verge of losing his sweetheart Nicole (Bella Darvi) does our hero put his priorities in order.

Adapted from a novel by Hans Ruesch.

Great Technicolor action sequences!

Race Street (1948) - 79 mins

Starring George Raft, William Bendix, Marilyn Maxwell, Frank Faylen & Harry Morgan

Directed by Edwin L. Martin

A San Francisco bookie-turned nightclub owner plays both ends against the middle in dealing with a homicide cop and going up against a protection racket responsible for his friend's death. Raft at his roughest tangles with a dame at her deadliest! Racket king Raft - and homicide ace Bendix - hunting the same killer - tricked by the same dame.

The Rack (1956) - 100 mins

Starring Paul Newman, Wendell Corey, Walter Pidgeon, Edmond O’Brien, Anne Francis & Lee Marvin

Directed by Arnold Laven

The Korean conflict of the early '50s saw widespread use of psychological torture by the North Korean communists on enemy prisoners of war. Paul Newman stars as Captain Edward W. Hall Jr., a career soldier being tried by a military court for collaborating with the enemy. As the son of a highly distinguished career officer Col. Edward W. Hall Sr. (Walter Pidgeon), and with a brother who had been killed in the war, he is especially tormented by the accusations which have been brought against him. Although reluctant to take the case, Major Sam Moulton (Wendell Corey) elicits incriminating testimony from Hall, comparing him unfavorably with soldiers like Captain John Miller (Lee Marvin), who were able to withstand similar punishment. But defending attorney Lt. Colonel Frank Wasnick (Edmond O'Brien), makes the case that this new type of torture is a new and barely understood weapon, to which some will be more innately immune than others.

Paul Newman in just his 3^rd film role (after The Silver Chalice (1954) and 1956’s Somebody Up There Likes Me) is superlative in a challenging role surrounded by a distinguished cast (again Lee Marvin is a stand-out as Capt. John R. Miller)

The Racket (1951) - 88 mins

Starring Robert Mitchum, Lizabeth Scott, Robert Ryan, William Talman, Ray Collins & Joyce Mackenzie

Directed by John Cromwell

Racketeer Robert Ryan has managed to get several government and law-enforcement higher-ups in his pocket. But Ryan can't touch the incorruptible police officer Robert Mitchum, who refuses all attempts at bribery. Ryan pulls strings to get Mitchum transferred to a series of undesirable precincts, but Mitchum will not be dissuaded. The battle of wills between cop and criminal comes to a head when mob-connected nightclub singer Lizabeth Scott turns on her former protector Ryan.

The Racket was based on a play by Bartlett Cormack. The Broadway version of The Racket starred Edward G. Robinson as the racketeer; the 1928 film version featured Louis Wolheim in the Robinson role and Thomas Meighan as the upright cop. Both the silent and sound versions of the property were personally produced by Howard Hughes

Radar Secret Service (1950) - 59 mins

Starring John Howard, Adele Jergens, Tom Neal, Ralph Byrd, Sod Melton, Tom Neal, Tristram Coffin & Pierre Watkin

Directed by Sam Newfield

John Howard and Ralph "Dick Tracy" Byrd star as Bill and Static, a pair of secret service operatives, in search of stolen uranium ore who use radar to track down the atomic bandits.

Not unlike Kirk Allyn's interesting Republic serial of the previous year: Radar Patrol vs. Spy King, this film relies on the new found fascination with that WWII discovery: radar (and gives it more abilities then it deserves!)

A good fast moving story with lots of familiar faces doing "what they do best": its John "Bulldog Drummond" Howard & Ralph "Dick Tracy" Byrd up against Tom "Bruce Gentry" Neal & Tris "King of the Rocketmen" Coffin with fun support from Sid "Captain Midnight's TV Ikky" Melton.

Ralph Byrd even mentions Dick Tracy in one of the early scenes!

Note that all of the above titles are available elsewhere in this website

Raffles (1930) - 72 mins

Starring Ronald Colman, Kay Francis, Bramwell Fletcher, Frances Dade, Alison Skipworth & David Torrence

Directed by George Fitzmaurice

The third in a succession of film adaptations of author E.W. Hornung's novel Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman, this version was the first to also be produced in sound. Ronald Colman stars as A.J. Raffles, an utterly unflappable British gentleman cricket player who by night is secretly a thief known in the press as The Amateur Cracksman and causing apoplectic fits at Scotland Yard. Raffles has fallen in love with society girl Gwen Manders (Kay Francis) and intends to give up his criminal pursuits, but first he must help an indebted pal, Bunny (Bramwell Fletcher) by stealing a valuable necklace owned by Lady Melrose (Alison Skipworth) at a weekend soiree. Suspecting that Raffles and the Cracksman are one and the same, Inspector McKenzie (David Torrence) is a guest at the same party, with a keen eye peeled at Raffles. In the meantime, rival crook Crawshaw also has designs on the necklace, setting himself as an unfortunately perfect scapegoat.

Oscar Nominated for Best Sound, Recording

Remade with almost equal skill nine years later with David Niven in the lead - see below

There is also a Raffles TV series - available from within the TV Series section of this website and a comprehensive collection of Raffles radio mysteries - available from the Radio Shows on MP3 CD section of this website

Raffles (1939) - 72 mins

Starring David Niven, Olivia de Havilland, Dame May Whitty, Dudley Walton, E. E. Clive & Lionel Pape

Directed by Sam Wood

The fourth cinematic version of the novel Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman by E.W. Hornung, this romantic caper is a virtual remake of the 1930 version (above). David Niven stars as A.J. Raffles, a famed cricket player of English society's upper crust. Secretly, however, Raffles is a skilled cat burglar known as "The Amateur Cracksman" to Scotland Yard, which has been unable to catch him. Known for returning the items he's filched, Raffles is about to give up a life of crime because he's fallen for Gwen (Olivia de Havilland), a rich society girl. But first Gwen's brother, Bunny (Douglas Walton), needs help to extricate himself from a gambling debt that will be satisfied nicely by the valuable necklace owned by royal Lady Melrose (May Whitty). At a party thrown by Melrose, a rival thief and a Inspector McKenzie (Dudley Digges) stand in Raffles' way, although the nimble and perturbed master criminal has a master plan that will result in the least possible harm coming to all involved.

Note that Raffles butler Barraclough is payed by E. E. Clive who also played Bulldog Drummond's butler 'Tenny' Tennison in that fabulous Paramount series of Bulldo Drummond films (which are also available from this website - in the Movie Series section)

A remake of Raffles (1930) which starred Ronald Colman - see above

Rage at Dawn (1955) - 87 mins

Starring Randolph Scott, Forrest Tucker, Mala Powers, J. Carrol Naish & Edgar Buchanan

Directed by Tim Whelan

Terrorizing 1866 Indiana, the Reno brothers use the town of Seymour as a safe haven, paying off three crooked town officials. Sent in to clean up the gang is Peterson Detective Agency operative James Barlow, who poses as an outlaw to gain the confidence of the officials and the Renos. Complicating matters are Barlow's feelings for the Reno sister, Laura, who reluctantly keeps house for the boys out of family loyalty. Events heat up and rage surfaces as Barlow sets up the gang in a dawn train robbery.

Good Technicolor print in Wide Screen - much better than those prints commercially available

Raiders of the Desert (1941) - 60 mins

Starring Richard Arlen, Andy Devine, Linda Hayes, Maria Montez, Lewis Howard & Turban Bey

Directed by John Rawlins

Dick Manning and Andy McCoy are two American adventurers who jump ship in a Middle Eastern port before saving a local English dignitary from being stabbed. Things deteriorate from there and soon they wind up in the middle of a civil war between the modernising force of British rule and the local tribesmen lead by the brutal Hassen Mohammed.

This is a fun movie with Richard Arlen and Andy Devine making a wonderful team who are often engaged in some excellent comedic moments (when not involved the assorted punch-ups, gun & sword fights etc). A good script, a great cast (including Mari Montez!) and nicely exotic locales make this a very diverting adventure film.

Another fabulous teaming of Richard Arlen & Andy Devine - they also combined to great effect in The Devil’s Pipeline (1940), Mutiny in the Arctic (1941) & A Dangerous Game (1941) - all of which are available from this website

Raiders of the Seven Seas (1953) - 88 mins

Starring John Payne, Donna Reed, Gerald Mohr, Lon Chaney Jr., Anthony Caruso & Henry Brandon

Directed by Sidney Salkow

Legendary pirate Barbarossa, aka Redbeard, (John Payne) captures a Spanish galleon almost single-handedly and claims haughty Contessa Alida (Donna Reed) as his own property. Engaged to marry naval officer Alfredo (Gerald Mohr), Alida despises Barbarossa, but she changes her mind when she finds out that Alfredo is a lot less than what he seems.

An excellent swashbuckling finale ensues when Barbarossa leads an attack on Havana.

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Raid on Rommel (1971) - 99 mins

Starring Richard Burton, John Colicos, Clinton Greyn, Wolfgang Preiss, Danielle De Metz & Christopher Cary

Directed by Henry Hathaway

The British fleet is en-route to North Africa to engage the Germans, and the best port for them to use is Tobruk. But the Nazis, under the command of Gen. Erwin Rommel (Wolfgang Preiss) have occupied Tobruk, and fortified it with devastating heavy artillery which would prevent a British landing. The original scheme for sabotaging the guns, by using British commandos planted behind the lines as prisoners of war, has gone awry. Posing as a Nazi officer, the man who was to lead the attack, Captain Alex Foster (Richard Burton) arrives at the rendezvous point, but all he finds are genuine prisoners of war - all of them sick - and accompanied by their medics who are pacifists. A great many British lives hang in the balance, and a failure here could affect the outcome of the entire Second World War.

Somehow, he must make use of these unlikely recruits to carry out the raid.

Big Scale (Technicolor & Wide-Screen) entertainment from Henry Hathaway

Richard Burton had previously gone up against Rommel in The Desert Rats (1953) - in this latter case Rommel was played by James Mason. Mason had previously played Rommel in The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel (1951) - both of these films are available from this website.

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Rain of Fire (1977) - 106 mins

Starring Kirk Douglas, Simon Ward, Agostina Belli, Anthony Quayle, Virginia McKenna & Alexander Knox

Directed by Alberto De Martino

Robert Caine (Kirk Douglas) is a wealthy and powerful industrialist and engineer who develops nuclear power plants. A true believer in nuclear energy, he plans to make nuclear generation commonplace around the world. He is about to retire and turn over the running of his corporations to his son, Angel Caine (Simon Ward) when he begins having disturbing dreams. In one of these, the vision of the Apocalypse as spoken of in the Biblical book of Revelations comes to life in a horrifying way. After this, he begins to notice that his son is behaving in ways which identify him with the Antichrist.

A disturbing (& enthralling) thriller!

Perhaps more better known by its UK titles Holocaust 2000 (1977) - also known as The Chosen (1977)

First of two nice thrillers filmed back-to-back by Kirk Douglas - the other being The Fury (1978) - which is also available from this website.

The Rake's Progress (1945) (aka Notorious Gentleman) - 110 mins

Starring Rex Harrison, Lilli Palmer, Godfrey Tearle, Griffith Jones & Margaret Johnston

Directed by Sidney Gilliat

Rex Harrison stars in this stylish British drama that caused problems with U.S. censors, who forced the film to be trimmed due to what was considered graphically amoral and sexual content for its time. Harrison is Vivian Kenway, an unrepentant cad who embarks on a campaign of irresponsible behavior after being ejected from Oxford. Among his many sins are seducing Jill Duncan (Jean Kent), the wife of his best friend Sandy (Griffith Jones), marrying a rich Austrian Jew, Rikki Krausner (Lilli Palmer), for her money, and dallying with the secretary (Margaret Johnson) of his father, Colonel Kenway (Godfrey Tearle). The feckless Vivian's actions cause no small amount of collateral damage to his loved ones.

Fabulous British production with no expense spared - from the renown writing team of Sidney Gilliat & Frank Launder.

The Rake's Progress (1945) was released in the U.S. under the title Notorious Gentleman.

Ramrod (1947) - 95 mins

Starring Joel McCrea, Veronica Lake, Don DeFore, Donald Crisp, Preston Foster, Charles Ruggles & Lloyd Bridges

Directed by André De Toth

Connie Dickason (Veronica Lake) is a strong-willed daughter of Ben Dickason (Charles Ruggles), a ranch owner who has become the toady of a powerful local cattleman, Frank Ivey (Preston Foster), whom Ben once wanted Connie to marry. Connie instead married a sheep rancher and inherited his spread. With her husband out of the picture, Connie becomes determined to run the ranch despite the opposition of Ivey and her father. She hires recovering alcoholic Dave Nash (Joel McCrea) as foreman and a crew of Ivey's enemies. Ivey fights back with violence and destruction, but Dave is determined to counter him legally... a feeling not shared by his associates. Connie's boast that, as a woman, she doesn't need guns proves justified, but plenty of gunplay results.

From the novel by Luke Short - he also wrote Blood on the Moon (1948), Station West (1948), Coroner Creek (1948), Albuquerque (1948), Ambush (1950), Ride the Man Down (1952) & Hell’s Outpost (1954) - all of which are available from this website

Rancho Notorious (1952) - 89 mins

Starring Marlene Dietrich, Arthur Kennedy, Mel Ferrer, Gloria Henry, William Frawley & Lisa Ferraday

Directed by Fritz Lang

Frontiersman Vern Haskell (Arthur Kennedy) wanders throughout the West in search of the man who robbed and murdered his fiancée. He is told that he'll probably find the culprit at Chuck-a-Luck, a combination horse ranch and criminal hideout overseen by saloon chanteuse Altar Keane (Marlene Dietrich). To gain entrance to Chuck-a-Luck, Haskell poses as an escaped prisoner. Keane warns him that the ranch has only one rule: "Don't ask questions." Haskell is compelled to keep up his charade when the dirty denizens of Chuck-a-Luck plan a big bank holdup, but this has the result of exposing the killer of his girl.

A Howard Hughes production which is helmed by the legendary Fritz ‘Metropolis’ Lang - and they didn’t get along.

The fascinating and alluring Marlene Dietrich! - the movies starring this amazing woman and which are available from this website are:

Ransom! (1956) - 109 mins

Starring Glenn Ford, Donna Reed, Leslie Nielsen, Juano Hernandez & Robert Keith

Directed by Alex Segal

Based on the Richard Maibaum-Cyril Hume TV play Fearful Decision, the film stars Glenn Ford as self-made industrialist David Stannard. When his son is kidnapped and held for 500,000 dollars ransom, Stannard at first sets about to cooperate with the abductors and to raise the necessary funds. Somewhere along the line, however, Stannard's outrage erupts and boils over. Buying air time on a local TV station, he pulls out the half-million dollars, then informs the kidnappers that they'll never get their hands on a single penny. He further threatens to use the money as a reward for the kidnappers' capture, dead or alive, should any harm befall his son. Despite the protests of his wife, Edith (Donna Reed), and the admonishments of his friends, family, business associates and even the police, Stannard sticks fast to his decision but will he live to regret it?

Great movie - much better than Mel Gibson's remake

The Raven (1935) - 61 mins

Starring Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Lester Matthews, Irene Ware & Inez Courtney

Directed by Lew Landers

When a local judge brings his beautiful daughter for brain surgery, Dr. Richard Vollin (Bela Lugosi) falls in love with her and is spurned by the judge when he asks for her hand in marriage. To extract revenge, Vollin invites the judge, his daughter, and her new fiance over for dinner. Before he can enact some gruesome procedures on them, enter Edmond Bateman (Boris Karloff), a prison escapee who wants Vollin to do some much-needed plastic surgery on his face. Vollin obliges, but instead of making him handsome, he deforms Karloff and subjects him to his will. Now the evil Vollin can get back to vengeance.

From the famous Edgar Allan Poe poem

The dream teaming of Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff adds enormously to this excellent chiller.

Remade as The Raven (1963) with Vincent Price, Peter Lorre & (again) Boris Karloff - also available from this website (see below)

The Raven (1963) - 86 mins

Starring Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff, Hazel Court, & Jack Nicholson

Directed by Roger Corman

Melancholy magician Dr. Erasmus Craven (Vincent Price) has recently relinquished his membership in the Brotherhood of Sorcerers after the apparent death of his wife Lenore (Hazel Court). He is surprisingly paid a visit by a foul-mouthed talking raven, claiming to be small-time wizard Dr. Adolphus Bedlo (Peter Lorre). After some persuasion, Craven returns Bedlo to human form, reversing a spell placed by the evil Dr. Scarabus (Boris Karloff), Craven's chief rival. After learning that a woman bearing a strong likeness to Lenore was seen in the Scarabus’ company, Craven accompanies Bedlo to Scarabus' castle, where the resulting battle of wills escalates into all-out magical warfare between the two embittered sorcerers.

An early role for Hollywood legion Jack Nicholson as Bedlo's straight-arrow son.

Cult director Roger Corman used Edgar Allan Poe's most famous poem as a springboard for this pulpy, flamboyant adaptation which was scripted by Richard Matheson.

Previously filmed as The Raven (1935) with Bela Lugosi & (again) Boris Karloff - also available from this website (see above)

He also lead the cast in some nice sci-fi films: The Fly (1958), Return of the Fly (1959), Master of the World (1961), The Last Man on Earth (1964) & War-Gods of the Deep (1965)

Not forgetting his only western as star: The Baron of Arizona (1950) - his favorite film.

All of the above are available from this website.

Raw Deal (1948) - 79 mins

Starring Dennis O'Keefe, Claire Trevor, Marsha Hunt, John Ireland & Raymond Burr

Directed by Anthony Mann

Joe Sullivan is itching to get out of prison. He's taken the rap for Rick, who owes him $50 Grand. Rick sets up an escape for Joe, knowing that Joe will be caught escaping and be shot or locked away forever. But with the help of his love-struck girl Pat and his sympathetic legal caseworker Ann, Joe gets further than he's supposed to, and we are posed with two very important questions: Is Joe really the cold and heartless criminal he appears to be, or is there a heart of gold under that gritty exterior? And does Joe belong with the tough, street-wise Pat, or with the prim, moralizing Ann?

A fabulous Anthony Mann noir with the hulking visage of Raymond Burr as a sado-masochistic pyromaniac!

Raw Wind in Eden (1958) - 93 mins

Starring Jeff Chandler, Esther Williams, Rossana Podestà & Carlos Thompson

Directed by Richard Wilson

While working in Rome, Laura succumbs to the charms of international playboy Wally, agreeing to join him on a chartered plane flight across the Mediterranean. When the plane crashes, Laura and Wally are rescued by mysterious loner Moore. Chafing at the thought of remaining on Moore's sparsely populated island, Wally finds the wreckage of a yacht. While he repairs the vessel in hopes of returning to the mainland, Laura and Moore draw ever closer, leading to a potentially explosive situation.

Why not check other action / adventure films from Jeff Chandler which are also available from this website: East of Sumatra (1953) & Yankee Pasha (1954)

The Razor's Edge (1946) - 145 mins

Starring Tyrone Power, Gene Tierney, John Payne, Anne Baxter, Clifton Webb & Herbert Marshall

Directed by Edmund Goulding

After several years' service with the Marines in World War II, Tyrone Power made his much anticipated return to the screen in The Razor's Edge. Power is appropriately cast as disillusioned World War I vet Larry Darrell, who returns from hostilities questioning his old values. To find himself, Larry joins several other members of the Lost Generation in Paris. He is disillusioned once more when the society woman whom he loves, Isabel Bradley (Gene Tierney), marries another for wealth and position. She returns to Larry's life to break up his romance with unstable, alcoholic Sophie MacDonald (Anne Baxter in a powerhouse Oscar-winning performance). After Sophie's death, Larry determines that the life offered him by Isabel is not to his liking, and continues seeking his true place in the scheme of things.

The Razor's Edge was based on the novel by W. Somerset Maugham, who appears onscreen in the form of Herbert Marshall. The film re-teamed Tierney and Webb two years after their appearance together in Laura (1944) - which is also available from this website

The Razor's Edge garnered an Oscar win for Anne Baxter and nominations for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Clifton Webb) and B&W Art Direction.

Reach for the Sky (1956) - 135 mins

Starring Kenneth Moore, Muriel Pavlov, Lyndon Brook, Lee Patterson & Alexander Knox

Directed by Lewis Gilbert

The true story of airman Douglas Bader who overcame the loss of both legs in a 1931 flying accident to become a successful fighter pilot and wing leader during World War II.

A great adventure yarn with Kenneth Moore delivering a commendable performance in this excellent British WWII story.

The Real Glory (1939) - 96 mins

Starring Gary Cooper, David Niven, Andrea Leeds, Reginald Owen, Broderick Crawford & Kay Johnson

Directed by Henry Hathaway

Set during the turn-of-the-century Moro uprising in the Philippines, The Real Glory stars Gary Cooper as an American Marine doctor and David Niven and Broderick Crawford as a pair of rowdy mercenaries. While staving off the insurgent Moros, Cooper must also combat a cholera outbreak. Once this matter is disposed of, Cooper joins Niven and Crawford in attempting to blow up a dam built by the Moros to cut off the American fort's water supply.

Coop: forever the great adventurer (& cowboy) - these Gary Cooper titles are available from this website:

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Reap the Wild Wind (1942) - 123 mins

Starring John Wayne, Ray Milland, Paulette Goddard, Raymond Massey, Robert Preston & Susan Hayward

Directed by Cecil B. DeMille

It’s the mid 1900’s, around Key West, Florida, where piracy reigns unchecked and steam engines are beginning to replace tall ships. Jack Stuart (John Wayne) is a sea captain who crashes his vessel on the shoals of Key West. Loxi Claiborne (Paulette Goddard), the manager of a salvage firm, arrives on the scene, but discovers that her rival in the salvage business, King Cutler (Raymond Massey) has reached Stuart first and lashed him to the mast, and is proceeding to ransack the ship with the aid of his partner-in-crime, younger brother Dan Cutler (Robert Preston). The Cutlers have built up quite a reputation for reaching wrecks ahead of competitors - to such a degree that some suspect them of making under-the-table deals with dishonest captains. While the men continue to ransack the ship, Loxi nurses Jack back to health, and the two fall in love; meanwhile, Jack worries openly that he'll lose the privilege of piloting his company's newest steamship. To ensure that this doesn't happen, Loxi offers to travel to Charleston, South Carolina and convince investigators that pirates were responsible for what happened to Jack. Subsequently, the company attorney, Stephen Tolliver (Ray Milland) must go to Florida with Jack's commission papers, and investigate the circumstances of the incident prior to giving the papers to the captain.

In the process, Jack and Stephen become intense rivals for Loxi's affections…

Oscar Winner for Best Special Effects. Oscar Nominations for Color Art Direction & Color Cinematography

John Wayne: Duke - one of the most recognizable persons on the planet -a true mega-star in film. You'll find the following John Wayne movies in this INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section of this website:

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Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1938) - 80 mins

Starring Shirley Temple, Randolph Scott, Jack Haley, Gloria Stuart & William Demarest

Directed by Allan Dwan

Unable to land a radio contract for himself and his niece Rebecca Winstead (Temple), fly-by-night vaudevillian Henry Kipper (William Demarest) leaves the girl in the care of her aunt, Miranda Wilkins (Helen Westley), who runs a little farm with the help of hired hands Homer (Slim Summerville) and Aloysius (Bill Robinson). Miranda has an intense dislike for "show folks", but her next-door neighbor Anthony Kent (Randolph Scott), a talent scout for a major radio network, sees great possibilities in the talented Rebecca and secretly arranges an audition. In short order, Rebecca becomes the biggest sensation on the airwaves, whereupon the mercenary Kipper returns out of nowhere and demands that Miranda return the girl to his care.

First of two films that Shirley Temple did with Randolph Scott - the other being Susannah of the Mounties (1939) - also available from this website

Rebel in Town (1956) - 80 mins

Starring John Payne, Ruth Roman, J. Carrol Naish, Ben Cooper, John Smith & Ben Johnson

Directed by Alfred L. Werker

While the title character Wesley Mason is played by John Smith, top billing goes to John Payne as ex-Union officer John Willoughby. When Willoughby's young son (Bobby Clark) snaps his cap pistol at Confederate veteran Wesley Mason (John Smith), Wesley instinctively whirls around and shoots the boy dead. Despite the fact that he and his offspring are fugitive bank robbers, Wesley's father Bedloe Mason (J. Carroll Naish) insists that his son turn himself over to authorities. Instead, Wesley escapes. Into the mix is Willoughby's wife Nora (Ruth Roman) who struggles valiantly to bring the crisis to a nonviolent resolution.

A nicely turned & gritty western with John Payne presenting a character not too dissimilar to that of Vint Bonner - the role he played in The Restless Gun TV Series (which is available from the TV Series section of this website)

The Reckless Moment (1949) - 82 mins

Starring James Mason, Joan Bennett, Geraldine Brooks, Henry O'Neill & Shepperd Strudwick

Directed by Max Ophüls

A blend of melodrama and film noir, The Reckless Moment stars Joan Bennett as Lucia Harper, a suburban housewife whose husband is away on business. Her daughter, Bea (Geraldine Brooks), an aspiring artist, has fallen for Ted Darby (Shepperd Strudwick), a shady older man from Los Angeles who claims to be an ex-art dealer. One night, after a secret rendezvous in the Harpers' boathouse that turns into an argument, Bea accidentally kills Darby. When Lucia discovers his body in the morning, she panics and dumps it in the lagoon instead of contacting the police, who would surely charge her daughter with murder. Her problems only increase when a suave Irish gangster named Donnelly (James Mason) shows up with a package of love letters from Bea to Darby, and blackmail on his mind.

"The star of The Reckless Moment, however, is the great Max Ophuls. He creates richly textured surroundings ranging from shabby seaside respectability to the grungy sidewalks of nearby Los Angeles. This splendidly nuanced work has emerged as one of the standouts of the noir cycle, its ironies so understated that their oppressive weight isn't felt until long after the film has un-spooled".

The Red Badge of Courage (1951) - 69 mins

Starring Audie Murphy, Bill Mauldin, Douglas Dick, Royal Dano, John Dierkes & Arthur Hunnicutt

Directed by John Huston

Based on the novel by Stephen Crane, the film stars real-life war hero Audie Murphy as a Civil War soldier who must redeem himself in his own eyes after an act of cowardice. When he finally gets his opportunity, he realizes that he is no less frightened than before; it is simply that he has learned to push on in spite of that fear. A comparative newcomer to films, Murphy acquits himself magnificently in the difficult title role; equally impressive are political cartoonist Bill Mauldin as "The Loud Soldier," John Dierkes as "The Tall Soldier" and Royal Dano as "The Tattered Man." When Red Badge of Courage tested poorly in preview, the studio sliced it down to 69 minutes and added a narrator (James Whitmore) to clarify the more obscure plot passages - but its still a film of enormous power!

Trev was forced to read the book in school - but Audie was his hero and so tracking down the film after all the years was a necessity - John Huston is an added bonus!

Red Ball Express (1952) - 83 mins

Starring Jeff Chandler, Alex Nicol, Charles Drake, Judith Braun, Sidney Poitier & Hugh O'Brian

Directed by Budd Boetticher

Deals with the little-known activities of the U.S. Army Transportation Corps during WW II. It so happened that many of the Corps' most courageous drivers were black men, who otherwise would have been denied an opportunity for combat duty. Sidney Poitier plays Corporal Andrew Robinson, who resents his second-class-citizen status and chafes at the orders issued by his white commanding officer Lt. Chick Campbell (Jeff Chandler). Meanwhile, Campbell has his own cross to bear in the form of relentlessly hostile sergeant Ernest Kalek (Alex Nicol). All differences are forgotten in the climactic euphoria of providing ammunition for General Patton's tanks during the Allied push to Paris in 1944.

Yep that’s the legendary director Budd Boetticher - he went on to direct a critically acclaimed set of Randolph Scott westerns - all of which are available from the Randolph Scott section of this wesbite

The Red Beret (aka Paratrooper) (1953) - 88 mins

Starring Alan Ladd, Leo Genn, Susan Stephen, Harry Andrews, Donald Houston & Anthony Bushell

Directed by Terence Young

After causing the needless death of another officer during a near-miss air disaster, a distraught army officer resigns from the military. Still, the American wants to serve in the war effort and so, calling himself a Canadian, enlists in the British military to train as a paratrooper. Revealing nothing about his past, he proves himself obedient and exceptionally skilled. This rouses the suspicion of his commanding officer who starts investigating the trooper. Meanwhile a dangerous mission to North Africa beckons

Excellent Alan Ladd action / adventure film

Now an excellent print - previous purchasers can contact Trev for a gratis upgrade!

The Red Danube (1949) - 119 mins

Starring Walter Pidgeon, Ethel Barrymore, Peter Lawford, Angela Lansbury, Janet Leigh, Louis Calhern & Francis L. Sullivan

Directed by George Sidney

Shortly after the end of World War II, British Colonel Michael 'Hooky' Nicobar is assigned to a unit in the British Zone of Vienna. His duty is to aid the Soviet authorities to repatriate citizens of the Soviet Union, many of whom prefer not to return to their home country. Billeted in the convent run by Mother Auxilia, Nicobar, and his military aides Major John 'Twingo' McPhimister and Audrey Quail, become involved in the plight of a young ballerina who is trying to avoid being returned to Moscow. Nicobar's sense of duty is tested as he sees first hand the plight of the people he is helping return to the Soviet Union; his lack of religious faith is also shaken by his contact with the Mother Superior.

Oscar Nominated for Art Direction (B&W)

Red Dust (1932) - 83 mins

Starring Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Gene Raymond, Mary Astor & Donald Crisp

Directed by Victor Fleming (uncredited)

Conditions are spartan on Dennis Carson's Indochina rubber plantation during a dusty dry monsoon. The latest boat upriver brings Carson an unwelcome guest: Vantine (Jean Harlow), a floozy from Saigon, hoping to evade the police by a stay upcountry. But Carson, initially uninterested, soon succumbs to Vantine's ostentatious charms until the arrival of surveyor Gary Willis (Gene Raymond), ill with malaria, and his refined but sensuous wife Barbara (Mary Astor). Now the rains begin, and passion flows ….

Gable & Harlow - what a teaming!

Red Dust was remade more than two decades later. Titled Mogambo, it again had Clark Gable in the lead, but this time with Ava Gardner and Grace Kelly in the Harlow and Astor roles, respectively. Mogambo (1954) is also available from this website

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The Redhead From Wyoming (1953) - 77 mins

Starring Maureen O’Hara, Alex Nicol, William Bishop, Robert Strauss & Alexander Scourby

Directed by Lee Sholem

A range war is brewing between entrenched cattle barons and new settlers in Wyoming, with cattle king Reece Duncan (Alexander Scourby) being opposed by ambitious gambler Jim Averell (William Bishop). Jim has imported his old flame, the shapely saloon queen Kate Maxwell (Maureen O’Hara), and sets her up as an alternative cattle buyer. As matters build toward violence, Kate finds she's being taken advantage of. But her only potential ally in staving off carnage is seemingly mild-mannered Sheriff Stan Blaine (Alex Nicol) ...who distrusts her.

Nicely turned Technicolor western

The Red House (1947) - 100 mins

Starring Edward G. Robertson, Lon McCallister, Judith Anderson, Rory Calhoun & Julie London

Directed by Delmer Daves

Pete and Ellen have reared Meg as their own, ever since she was a baby and her parents took off. Now a teen, Meg convinces her friend Nath to come help with chores on the farm: Pete isn't getting around on his wooden leg like he used to. When Nath insists on using a short cut home through the woods, Pete gets quite agitated and warns him of screams in the night, of terrors associated with the red house. Curious, Meg and Nath ignore his warnings and begin exploring. Meg begins falling in love with Nath, but his girlfriend Tibby has other plans for him. Meanwhile they all get closer to real danger and the dark secret of the red house.

Red Mountain (1951) - 84 mins

Starring Alan Ladd, Lizabeth Scott, Arthur Kennedy, John Ireland & Jeff Corey

Directed by William Dieterle

The rugged Colorado Territory provides the setting for this epic Civil War-era western chronicle of a Southern rebel who sets off to join Captain Quantrill's raiders. Along the way, the rebel kills a Union supporter who had stolen the rebel's land. Unfortunately, he leaves a different Confederate to shoulder the blame. Fortunately, just before the falsely-accused is to get lynched, the rebel dashes up to save him. Not realizing his savior is also the one who got him into the fix, the grateful man takes the rebel to his isolated cabin to hide. There the rebel meets his new friend's fiancée and complications set in.

Its Alan Ladd again in a fine color western

Red Planet Mars (1952) - 87 mins

Starring Peter Graves, Andrea King, Herbert Berghof, Walter Sande, Marvin Miller & Morris Ankrum

Directed by Harry Horner

A husband-and-wife scientist team Chris & Linda Cronyn (Peter Graves & Andrea King) are experimenting with a "hydrogen tube" invention which was obtained from a missing Nazi scientist) when they get signals back from what appears to be Mars. The culture-shock of that event is serious enough, and the couple and their family are suddenly thrust into the spotlight. But then they begin to translate the increasingly complex messages (which started out as mathematical equations) that they receive back, and find that Mars is a perfect world, a true Utopia, and that the messages are quoting Scripture!

A cult classic!

Red River (1948) - 133 mins

Starring John Wayne, Montgomery Clift, Joanne Dru, Walter Brennan, Coleen Gray & Harry Carey

Directed by Howard Hawks

John Wayne is Thomas Dunson, a frontiersman who, with his longtime partner Nadine Groot (Walter Brennan), leaves a westbound wagon train in 1851 to make his future as a rancher in Texas. Doing so forces him to abandon Fen (Colleen Gray), his fiancee and when she is killed in an Indian raid a short time later, it taints any good that Dunson might find in the future he carves out for himself, destroying any joy he might derive from life. The sole survivor of the raid is Matthew Garth, a young orphan who is unusually handy with a gun for one his age and already knows how to channel his grief and horror at what he's seen. Dunson informally adopts Matt as his son, and over the next 14 years he builds up one of the largest ranches in the entire state of Texas. And all of it is worth nothing, a result of the economic ruin wrought on the state in the aftermath of the Civil War. Matthew (Montgomery Clift), now back from the war and doing some of his own adventuring, finds a darker, more taciturn Dunson than he's ever known. With Matthew now returned, Dunson decides to move his herd, nearly 10,000 head of cattle, to Missouri, where there is a market for beef, over 1000 miles away through territory controlled by border gangs hundreds of men strong that have stopped every cattle drive up to now, and Indians who have picked off what the gangs missed.

Fabulous "tough" western!

Oscar Nominations for Best Film Editing (Christian Nyby) & Best Writing (Borden Chase)

John Wayne: Duke - one of the most recognizable persons on the planet -a true mega-star in film. You'll find the following John Wayne movies in this INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section of this website:

Red Skies of Montana (1952) - 99 mins

Starring Richard Widmark, Constance Smith, Jeffrey Hunter, Richard Boone & Warren Stevens

Directed by Joseph M. Newman

Richard Widmark plays a firefighter for the US Forestry Service, a brave man who nevertheless does not believe in taking foolish risks. Widmark is branded a coward by a rookie fireman (Jeffrey Hunter) who holds Widmark responsible for the forest-fire death of the rookie's father. All passions are swept aside when a particularly brutal fire strands Widmark and his men in the middle of unprotected forest.

This great adventure film adeptly the blends personal lives of the men and women involved, excellent firefighting action, and the suspense created by Richard Widmark's flashbacks of his near fatal event. Jeffrey Hunter plays the vengeful son of one of Widmark's slain team; and Richard Boone adds dimension as the stern, professional commander of the unit.

The Reformer and the Redhead (1950) - 90 mins

Starring June Allyson, Dick Powell, David Wayne, Cecil Kellaway & Ray Collins

Directed by Melvin Frank & Norman Panama

MGM's The Reformer and the Redhead was the first directorial collaboration of longtime screenwriting partners Norman Panama and Melvin Frank. The reformer is Andrew Rockton Hale (Dick Powell), a mayoral candidate. Hale butts heads with a corrupt political machine, which has recently ordered the firings of several innocent city employees, including zookeeper Kevin Maguire (Cecil Kellaway). The redhead in the case is Maguire's daughter Kathleen (June Allyson), who joins Hale's election team, only to turn on him after a series of misunderstandings.

Dick Powell and June Allyson had been married for five years when they filmed this the first of two romantic-comedy-dramas in 1950. The other is Right Cross (1950) which is also available from this website (below).

Note that both films are part of the Dick Powell "Drama" Combination and the Dick & June Romantic-Comedy Combination - both combinations can be found in the Classic Movie Combinations section of this website

Remember Last Night? (1935) - 81 mins

Starring Edward Arnold, Robert Young, Constance Cummings, George Meeker & Reginald Denny

Directed by James Whale

During a wild cocktail party at the Long Island estate of Tony and Carlotta Milburn (Robert Young & Constance Cummings), one of the guests is murdered. It does not help at all that the revellers were too drunk to remember exactly what happened - nor is it beneficial to the case that Detective Danny Harrison (Edward Arnold) is a personal friend of all the suspects. In addition, no one but Harrison seems willing to take the case seriously, though of course eventually Tony and Carlotta are obliged to do a bit of sleuthing on their own.

In the wake of The Thin Man, every studio in Hollywood scrambled to churn out sophisticated mystery-comedies wherein murders are solved by a wealthy, attractive, fun-loving young couple. Universal’s Remember Last Night?, adapted from Adam Hobhouse's novel Hangover Murders, is one of the best of these Thin Man derivations.

Wonderful direction from the maestro, James Whale

Look fast for an unbilled E.E. Clive (Bulldog Drummond’s ‘Tenny’) provides some great black-humor moments as a police photographer who prefers to "artfully" arrange the corpses.

Legendary director James Whale helmed some memorable films in his brief career:

Rendezvous (1935) - 94 mins

Starring William Powell, Rosalind Russell, Binnie Barnes, Lionel Atwill & Cesar Romero

Directed by William K. Howard

William ‘Bill’ Gordon (William Powell) is a newspaper puzzle editor who becomes a Lieutenant in 1917 when he enlists to fight in the WWI. Before shipping out, Bill meets and becomes attracted to Joel Carter (Rosalind Russell), the niece of John Carter (Samuel Hinds), the Assistant Secretary of War. When Joel learns about Bill's former occupation, she arranges for his transfer to the War Department, where he is put to work code breaking for Major Brennan (Lionel Atwill). When Brennan is murdered as the result of a German-Russian spy ring's machinations, Bill investigates the spies and an attractive secret agent (Bonnie Barnes), which jeopardizes his newfound romance with Joel.

This espionage thriller with romantic comedy touches was loosely based on the book American Black Chamber by the real-life head of the U.S. Secret Service during World War I, Herbert O. Yardley.

Renegades (1946) - 87 mins

Starring Willard Parker, Evelyn Keyes, Larry Parks, Edgar Buchanan, Jim Bannon & Forrest Tucker

Directed by George Sherman

Hannah Brockway (Evelyn Keyes) is the daughter of prosperous insurance man Nathan Brockway - the leading citizen of Prairie Dog. She is engaged to be married to Dr. Sam Martin (Willard Parker), but she meets and falls in love with Ben Dembrow (Larry Parks), the youngest son of outlaw leader Kirk Dembrow (Edgar Buchanan). Ben, unwilling to lead the life of his father and two brothers, Frank and Cash (Forrest Tucker & Jim Bannon), has taken a new name, and he and Hannah are married. But the suspicions of the townspeople hound him and he is tried for a crime he did not commit. His father and brothers rescue him from the courtroom at gunpoint, and the disillusioned Ben joins his family, taking Hannah with him. Months of fleeing from the law, and the approaching birth of a child impels Hannah to send for Martin, who has never stopped loving her.

Excellent Technicolor western

The Return of Frank James (1940) - 92 mins

Starring Henry Fonda, Gene Tierney, Jackie Cooper, Henry Hull, John Carradine & Charles Tannen

Directed by Fritz Lang

This Technicolor sequel to Jesse James (1939) does without the services of the earlier film's star Tyrone Power, who after all was shot dead by that "dirty little coward" Bob Ford (John Carradine). Repeating his portrayal of western outlaw Frank James is Henry Fonda who has retired from his life of crime to become a peaceful farmer, though he has never given up his search for the treacherous Ford. The killer and his cohorts are eventually rounded up, but are pardoned due to political intervention. That's when Frank slaps on six-guns once more to seek his own form of justice. Featured in the cast is Henry Hull as Major Rufus Cobb, a crusading newspaperman and Jackie Cooper is Clem, the headstrong young sprout whom Frank has taken under his wing. Making her screen debut is Gene Tierney as Eleanor Stone a reporter from the East who wants to tell Frank's true story to the world.

Great Western … Great Director!

The equally powerful prequel Jesse James (1939) with Tyrone Power as Jesse and Henry Fonda as Frank James in another Technicolor extravaganza is also available from this INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section of the website

Return of the Bad Men (1948) - 90 mins

Starring Randolph Scott, Robert Ryan, Anne Jeffreys, George 'Gabby' Hayes & Lex Barker

Directed by Ray Enright

Randolph Scott plays US Marshal Vance, assigned to rid the Oklahoma Territory of outlaws. This proves to be quite a challenge, inasmuch as virtually every frontier bad man has converged upon the territory. Led by the surly Sundance Kid (Robert Ryan), the rogue's gallery includes the Younger Brothers (Steve Brodie, Richard Powers, Robert Bray), the Daltons (Lex Barker, Walter Reed, Michael Harvey) and Billy the Kid (Dean White).

This genesis of this film can be traced to the success of 1947's Badman's Territory. RKO Radio decided to assemble another western about famous outlaws and this film was the result. The film posted a huge profit, spawning yet another famous outlaws western from RKO, 1951's Best of the Badmen - both of these films are available from this (INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES) section of the website

Return of the Fly (1959) - 80 mins

Starring Vincent Price, Brett Halsey, David Frankham, John Sutton, Dan Seymour & Jack Daly

Directed by Edward Bernds

Vincent Price returns as Francois Delambre, the brother of Andre Delambre, who died as a result of his experiments with a matter transmitting device in The Fly (1958). It is now a dozen years later, and Andre's son, Philippe (Brett Halsey), has just laid his mother to rest, having witnessed the final years of her life blighted by the memory of Andre's horrid death. He convinces Francois to tell him what happened and of the device that destroyed his parents' happy life together. Philippe vows to perfect the matter transmitter, so that all of the heartache and sacrifice by his parents will not have been in vain. He employs as his assistant a scientist friend, Alan Hinds (David Frankham), who, unbeknownst to him, has shady business connections and a dark secret in his own past. The same disaster that befell Philippe's father now appears likely to happen again, this time to Philippe!

Preceded by The Fly (1958) - again with Vincent Price & Curse of the Fly (1965) - with Brian Donlevy. Both of which are available from this website

He also lead the cast in some nice sci-fi films: The Fly (1958), Return of the Fly (1959), Master of the World (1961), The Last Man on Earth (1964) & War-Gods of the Deep (1965)

Not forgetting his only western as star: The Baron of Arizona (1950) - his favorite film.

All of the above are available from this website.

Reunion in France (1942) - 104 mins

Starring John Wayne, Joan Crawford, Philip Dorn, Reginald Owen, Albert Bassermann & John Carradine

Directed by Jules Dassin

Joan Crawford stars as Frenchwoman Michele de la Becque, who comes to believe that her fiancé, wealthy munitions manufacturer Robert Cortot (Philip Dorn) is a Nazi collaborator. When her suspicions are apparently corroborated, Michelle falls in love with Pat Talbot (John Wayne), a downed American aviator stranded in occupied Paris. But then Michelle begins to think that she may wrong about Cortot - further, Talbot has been marked for death by the Gestapo

John Wayne: Duke - one of the most recognizable persons on the planet -a true mega-star in film. You'll find the following John Wayne movies in this INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section of this website:

Revenge of the Creature (1955) - 82 mins

Starring John Agar, Lori Nelson, John Bromfield, Nestor Paiva & Robert Williams

Directed by Jack Arnold

Revenge of the Creature is, the sequel to Universal's and like its predecessor, the film was lensed in 3-D (though released "flat" in most theatres). Two Oceanographers Joe Hayes & George Johnson (John Bromfield & Robert Williams) capture the Creature (from the Black Lagoon) and put him on display at Florida's Ocean Harbor Park. Here the hapless Gill-Man is taught a few words of English by compassionate ichthyologists Professor Clete Ferguson (John Agar) and Helen Dobson (Lori Nelson). Eventually, however, the creature reverts to type, kills one of his captors and goes on a rampage, abducting Helen in the process.

Director Jack Arnold returned to helm this sequel to his fabulously successful The Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954). A follow-up third outing, The Creature Walks Among Us (1956) wasn’t directed by Arnold but still registered considerable attention at the box-office (both are available from this website)

Jack Arnold reigns supreme as one of the great directors of 50s science fiction features. His films are distinguished by moody black and white cinematography, solid acting, smart, thoughtful scripts, snappy pacing, a genuine heartfelt enthusiasm for the genre, and plenty of eerie atmosphere. His films which can be found in this section of the website are: It Came From Outer Space (1953), The Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954), Revenge of the Creature (1955), This Island Earth (1955) - with Joseph M. Newman, Tarantula (1955), The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957), The Space Children (1958) & Monster on Campus (1958)

Rhapsody in Blue (1945) - 135 mins

Starring Robert Alda, Joan Leslie, Alexis Smith, Charles Coburn & Julie Bishop

Directed by Irving Rapper

The film traces rise of George Gershwin (Alan Alda) from a "song plugger" for a Manhattan music publishing company to the heights of international fame and fortune. Gershwin's first big hit is "Swanee," introduced on Broadway by Al Jolson (who plays himself). In collaboration with his lyricist brother Ira (Herbert Rudley), George pens hit after hit in show after show. Impresario Max Dreyfus (Charles Coburn) is happy with this, but George's kindly old music teacher Professor Franck (Albert Basserman) wants his prize pupil to aspire to something more artistic. Gershwin responds with "Rhapsody in Blue", which debuts at Aeolian Hall in 1924 under the baton of bandleader Paul Whiteman (also playing himself). As his fame and workload grows, George finds he has no time at all for romance: the two (fictional) ladies in his life are musical comedy star Julie Adams (Joan Leslie) and socialite Christine Gilbert (Alexis Smith) - both of whom eventually realize that they'll always have to play second fiddle to Gershwin's muse. Gershwin continues to compose such masterpieces as "An American in Paris", "Cuban Overture", "Concerto in F" and the 1935 folk opera Porgy and Bess. He will not allow himself to rest on his laurels, ruthlessly pushing himself to top all his previous accomplishments. Finally, the strain proves too great and he dies of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1937, at the age of 39.

“There's slightly more fancy than fact in this lavish film biography of legendary American composer George Gershwin, but oh! That music!” (Reviewer, Hal Erickson)

Oscar Nominated for Best Music & Sound Recording

The Riddle of the Sands (1979) - 102 mins

Starring Michael York, Simon MacCorkindale, Jenny Agutter, Alan Badel & Wolf Kahler

Directed by Tony Maylam

In the early years of the 20th Century, two British yachtsmen Arthur Davies (Simon MacCorkindale) & Charles Carruthers (Michael York) stumble upon a German plot to invade the east coast of England in a flotilla of specially designed barges. They set out to thwart this terrible scheme, but must outwit not only the cream of the German Navy, but the feared Kaiser Wilhelm himself.

Eskine Childers' novel is considered to be the prototype of the modern spy thriller and a template for Ian Fleming's later forays with James Bond

Perfect Wide-screen Technicolor print!

Note that this film along with Rogue Male (1976), The Thirty Nine Steps (1978) & The Lady Vanishes (1979) are available in a 4 DVD set titled British Espionage from within the Classic Movie Combinations section of the website

Ride a Crooked Trail (1958) - 87 mins

Starring Audie Murphy, Gia Scala, Walter Matthau, Henry Silva, Joanna Moore & Leo Gordon

Directed by Jesse Hibbs

After robbing a bank, gunslinger Joe Maybe (Audie Murphy) is forced to assume the identity of his pursuer, a famous US Marshal, when he stumbles into a town and is confronted by the local judge Kyle (Walter Matthau). Joe now must retain the charade even though he has already drawn up plans to rob the town's bank with his cohort Sam Teeler (Henry Silva). The dilemma deepens when Joe falls in love with Teeler's ex-girlfriend, Tessa Milotte (Gia Scala), and begins entertaining notions of reforming.

Gorgeous Wide-Screen Technicolor Print!

Ride Clear of Diablo (1954) - 80 mins

Starring Audie Murphy, Susa Cabot, Dan Duryea, Abbe Lane & Russell Johnson

Directed by Jesse Hibbs

Notorious gunslinger Whitey Kincaid (Dan Duryea) is hired by sinister forces to kill Clay O'Mara (Audie Murphy), who is out to avenge the murders of his father and brother. Instead, Kincaid befriends O’Mara, and helps him track down his family's killers. What follows is a classic shootout – who will survive?

Great role for Duryea as the snide, smirking Kincaid.

Ride Lonesome (1959) - 73 mins

Starring Randolph Scott, Karen Steele, Pernell Roberts, James Best, Lee Van Cleef & James Coburn

Directed by Budd Boetticher

A wanted murderer, Billy John, is captured by Ben Brigade, a bounty hunter, who intends to take him to Santa Cruz to be hanged. Brigade stops at a staging post, where he saves the manager's wife from an Indian attack, and enlists the help of two outlaws to continue his journey more safely. However, the Indian attacks persist, the outlaws plan to take Billy for themselves, tempted by the offer of amnesty for his captor, and Billy's brother Frank is in hot pursuit to rescue him. But Brigade has plans of his own.

Another wonderful western from the Scott / Boetticher / Kennedy combination

Riders to the Stars (1954) - 81 mins

Starring William Lundigan, Herbert Marshall, Richard Carlson, Martha Hyer & Dawn Adama

Directed by Richard Carlson

In this wonderful sci-fi adventure, a team of scientists is studying meteors and is baffled by how and why they are often destroyed when they enter the Earth's atmosphere. They have previously determined that they require metal from these meteors if they are to build spacecraft that can withstand the rigors of space travel and to that end they specially recruit 12 scientists and ask them to undergo a series of tests. The men don't quite know exactly what they are being tested for but in the end, three are selected to go into space, Richard Stanton (William Lundigan), Jerry Lockwood (Richard Carlson), and Walter Gordon (Robert Karnes). Their mission, in a specially designed spaceship, is to capture a meteor and bring it back to earth safe and sound. Third billed, Richard Carlson who is famous for other classic sci-fi films in It Came From Outer Space (1953) and Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954), also directed whilst noted sci-fi scribe Curt Siodmak wrote the screenplay from an Ivan Tors story.

Very nice Technicolor print

William Lundigan and Producer Ivan Tors were to combine again for another sci-fi outing: the 1959-60 TV series Men Into Space

Ride the High Country (1962) - 94 mins

Starring Joel McCrea, Randolph Scott, Mariette Hartley, Ron Starr & Edgar Buchanan

Directed by Sam Peckinpah

The time is the early 1900s, when the Old West was slowly and stubbornly giving way to the new. McCrea plays Steve Judd, an ex-lawman living on the fringes of poverty but maintaining his dignity and honesty. Hired to escort a gold shipment from the wide-open mining town of Coarse Gold, he engages his old pal Gil Westrum (Scott) to help him. But Gil hasn't Steve's integrity, and he and his young saddle pal Heck Longtree (Ronald Starr) hope to talk Steve into helping them steal the gold.

Sam Peckinpah's feature film directorial debut was intended as the cinematic swan song for both Randolph Scott and Joel McCrea and this western serves as an excellent valedictory for both men. A final shoot-out that allows Steve and Gil to reconcile their differences and pave the way for the film's elegiac finale.

Ride the Man Down (1952) - 90 mins

Starring Rod Cameron, Brian Donlevy, Ella Raines, Forrest Tucker, Barbara Britton & Chill Wills

Directed by Joseph Kane

Will Ballard (Rod Cameron) is the longtime foreman of the Hatcher ranch, a spread renowned for its size and the wealth it contains. When owner Phil Evarts dies suddenly, the speculation in the territory is that Hatcher will be broken up, especially since it was Evarts' determination coupled with Ballard's skills as a foreman and gunman that held it together - but Ballard decides that the ranch is worth saving, even though the only help he really has is one top hand (Chill Wills) and a couple of young brothers picked up on the trail. He figures it's worth saving for what it is, and also for Evarts' daughter, Celia (Ella Raines), who is engaged to marry neighboring rancher Sam Danfelser (Forrest Tucker). Ballard and Sam were once friends, but as the foreman discovers, there's been bad blood brewing on the other side of the friendship for a long time, mostly out of Sam's jealousy - not only is Ballard a better rider and a better gun, but he's a better man than he is, and he can't abide the fact that Celia knows this deep in her heart, even though she and Sam are engaged. Then there's Bide Marriner (Brian Donlevy), a local "operator" who'd love to get a range war started and grab up some land and cattle, and immediately uses friends and intermediaries, plus a few hired guns, to start spreading the word, convincing the neighboring ranchers that Hatcher land is free and open. And then there's Lottie Priest, whom Ballard figured to marry soon - is she more interested in what her greedy father can make from the breakup of Hatcher? Caught in the middle of it all is the county sheriff, Joe Kneen (J. Carrol Naish), who'd like to stay civil with all of those involved but soon finds out that he's going to have to choose sides, and that he's too good a man for that to be the "easy" choice.

There's a lot of back-shooting in Ride the Man Down, as well as some brilliantly and cleverly designed action sequences, and a level of duplicity in the characters that makes this picture play at time almost more like a film noir of the period.

Fabulous Republic Trucolor production

From the novel by Luke Short - he also wrote Ramrod (1947), Blood on the Moon (1948), Station West (1948), Coroner Creek (1948), Albuquerque (1948), Ambush (1950) & Hell’s Outpost (1954) - all of which are available from this website

Rod Cameron also made a couple of nice half hour adventure TV series: Coronado 9 & State Trooper

- both of these excellent shows can be found in the TV Series section of this website

Ride the Pink Horse (1947) - 101 mins

Starring Robert Montgomery, Wanda Hendrix, Thomas Gomez, Andrea King, Fred Clark & Art Smith

Directed by Robert Montgomery

In the border town of San Pablo, preparing for an annual 'Mexican Fiesta,' arrives Gagin: tough, mysterious and laconic. His mission: to find the equally mysterious Frank Hugo, evidently for revenge; or is it blackmail? FBI agent Retz is also after the elusive Hugo. Everyone in town is enigmatic, especially Pila, a mystical teenager who follows Gagin around and has premonitions of his death. Also involved are a classic femme fatale and an antique carousel with a pink horse.

Riding Shotgun (1954) - 73 mins

Starring Randolph Scott, Wayne Morris, Joan Weldon, Joe Sawyer, James Millican & Charles Bronson

Directed by André De Toth

Larry Delong has taken a job as a shotgun rider on the stagecoach because he's after a ruthless stagecoach hold-up gang who killed his sister and young boy. Larry wants to kill the gang leader Dan Marady and he figures the best way to do it is ride as a decoy to smoke him out. The gang realizes that Larry is on the stage heading for Deep Water and decide to lead him into a trap.

Riffraff (1947) - 80 mins

Starring Pat O'Brien, Anne Jeffreys, Walter Slezak, Percy Kilbride & Jerome Cowan

Directed by Ted Tetzlaff

A plane takes off from Peru (in a long no-dialogue scene) in a storm with two passengers; it lands in Panama with one. The missing man had valuable oil-location maps; everyone who is after them must deal with Dan Hammer, combination private eye, agent, and con man, who can "fix" anything for a fee. Nightclub singer Maxine is on Dan's side, or is she? In retrospectives of film noir, Riffraff usually gets overlooked. While its genre is international intrigue and its touch on the light side, its conventions and, especially, its look, bring it to the fringes of the noir cycle. Also Pat O'Brien, as usual, delivers a charismatic performance in the central role of Canal Zone operative-for-hire.

Rififi (1955) - 122 mins

Starring Jean Servais, Carl Möhner, Robert Manuel, Janine Darcey, Pierre Grasset & Robert Hossein

Directed by Jules Dassin

A landmark caper film about the planning and execution of a nighttime robbery at a swanky English jewelry shop in the Rue de Rivoli. The story concerns a collection of thieves who band together to commit a seemingly impossible robbery. The gang consists of a tough, straight-talker Tony Stephanois (Jean Servais); a young man under Tony's tutelage Jo le Suedois (Carl Mohner); a happy-go-lucky Italian Mario Farrati (Robert Manuel); and a safecracker, Cesar. The set piece of the film is an intricate 28-minute sequence that depicts the robbery in detail all filmed silently without dialogue or music. After the success of the robbery, the gang barely has time to celebrate when a rival gangster, Pierre Gruuter (Marcel Lupovici), decides that he wants a cut of the take. When Tony's gang refuses to cooperate, Pierre kidnaps Jo's son, and the gang has to get tough with their nemesis.

Also known by its French title: Du rififi chez les hommes (1955)

Note: This film is in French (spoken) language with English subtitles.

Jules Dassin also directed what is considered to be a spoof of this film almost a decade later: Topkapi (1964) which is also available from this website.

Right Cross (1950) - 90 mins

Starring June Allyson, Dick Powell, Ricardo Montalban, Lionel Barrymore, Teresa Celli & Tom Powers

Directed by John Sturges

Dick Powell stars as cynical sportswriter Rick Gavery and June Allyson as boxing manager Pat O'Malley who is filling in for her incapacitated father (Lionel Barrymore). Pat is grooming prizefighter Johnny Monterez (Ricardo Montalban) for the championship, but Johnny holds a grudge against the world because he feels that his Mexican heritage has made him an outcast. Gradually, Pat falls in love with the tempestuous Monterez, while Gavery, who's always carried a torch for Pat, observes from the sidelines.

Marilyn Monroe appears unbilled in the opening scene as Dick Powell's dinner companion.

Powell and June Allyson had been married for five years when they filmed this the second of two romantic-comedy-dramas in 1950. The other is The Reformer and the Redhead (1950) which is also available from this website (above).

Note that both films are part of the Dick Powell "Drama" Combination and the Dick & June Romantic-Comedy Combination - both combinations can be found in the Classic Movie Combinations section of this website

Ring of Fear (1954) - 93 mins

Starring Clyde Beatty, Mickey Spillane, Pat O'Brien, Sean McClory & Marian Carr

Directed by James Edward Grant

Ring of Fear boasts a script co-written by character actor Paul Fix and a cast which includes the likes of animal trainer Clyde Beatty and pulp-fiction novelist Mickey Spillane. The story takes place in Beatty's travelling circus, where a homicidal maniac named Dublin (Sean McClory) is doing his best to wreck the show. It's all because Dublin is in love with Valerie (Marian Carr), the wife of aerialist Armond St. Denis. Since the police don't know who's behind all the trouble, they call in crime expert Spillane (cast as himself).

A must for "circus-film" lovers!

-NEW TITLE-

Rio Bravo (1959) - 141 mins

Starring John Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, Angie Dickinson, Walter Brennan, Ward Bond & John Russell

Directed by Howard Hawks

In Texas during the late 1860s, County Sheriff John T. Chance (John Wayne) is holding Joe Burdette (Claude Akins), a worthless, drunken thug, for the murder of an unarmed man in a saloon fight - the problem is that Joe is the brother of wealthy land baron Nathan Burdette (John Russell), who owns a big piece of the county and can buy all the hired guns he needs. His men cut the town off to prevent Chance from getting Joe into more secure surroundings, and then the hired guns come in, waiting around for their chance to break Joe out of jail. With Chance having to wait for the United States marshal to show up, in six days, his options are pretty limited - his only help from Stumpy (Walter Brennan), a toothless, cantankerous old deputy with a bad leg who guards the jail, and Dude (Dean Martin), his former deputy, who's spent the last two years stumbling around in a drunken stupor. Chance's friend, trail boss Pat Wheeler (Ward Bond), arrives at the outset of the siege and tries to help, offering his newest employee, a callow-looking young gunman named Colorado Ryan (Ricky Nelson), who politely turns him down, saying he prefers to mind his own business. In the midst of all of this tension, Feathers (Angie Dickinson), a dance hall entertainer, arrives in town and nearly gets locked up by Chance for cheating at cards. Meanwhile Chance and Burdette keep raising the ante on each other whilst Colorado has a decision to make …

Fabulous & legendary - one of the very best westerns ever?

Scripted by Leigh Brackett who also wrote El Dorado (1966) - having struck pay dirt with the Rio Bravo (1959), director Howard Hawks more or less remade the picture again with El Dorado (1966)

John Wayne: Duke - one of the most recognizable persons on the planet -a true mega-star in film. You'll find the following John Wayne movies in this INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section of this website:

Rio Grande (1950) - 105 mins

Starring John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Ben Johnson, Harry Carey Jr., Victor McLaglen & Chill Wills

Directed by John Ford

The third of John Ford's "Cavalry Trilogy", Rio Grande stars John Wayne as Lt. Col. Kirby Yorke whose devotion to duty has cost him his marriage to his beloved Kathleen (Maureen O'Hara). Yorke gets word that his son, Jeff has been dropped as a cadet from West Point, and that he lied about his age to enlist in the cavalry, in an effort to redeem himself. By chance, the boy is then assigned to his father's post. Once more, as a function of his duty as a cavalry officer, Yorke must sacrifice his love of family as he cannot show any preferential treatment to the boy, or exhibit any sign of love and affection. But Jeff is too strong to be injured by his father's actions, and already enough of a man that he is befriended by two older recruits, troopers Tyree (Ben Johnson) and Boone (Harry Carey Jr.), who watch out for him while taking him in as a virtual equal. Yorke's resolve is further tested when his estranged wife, Kathleen, arrives at the post, the better to look after her son and possibly to buy back the boy's enlistment, which Yorke, as commanding officer in a remote post with a critical shortage of men, can't and won't permit. After an attack by the Apaches, Yorke orders the post's women and children to be moved to safety, and Jeff is assigned as part of the troop conducting the caravan, despite his wish to participate in the planned action against the Apaches.

Another great Ford / Wayne western!

The superb "Cavalry Trilogy", directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne consisted of Fort Apache (1948), followed by She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949) & Rio Grande (1950) - all of which are available from this website, separately in this (INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES) section or in a nicely presented 3 film set from within the Classic Movie Combinations section

John Wayne: Duke - one of the most recognizable persons on the planet -a true mega-star in film. You'll find the following John Wayne movies in this INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section of this website:

The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond (1960) - 101 mins

Starring Ray Danton, Karen Steele, Elaine Stewart, Simon Oakland & Warren Oates

Directed by Budd Boetticher

Jack Diamond (Ray Danton) and his sickly brother Eddie (Warren Oates) arrive in prohibition New York as jewellery thieves. After a spell in jail, Jack with the cold ambition hits on the idea of stealing from thieves himself, and sets about getting close to gangster boss Arnold Rothstein (Robert Lowery) to move in on his booze, girls, gambling, and drugs operations.

"Legsie" gets his name because he was a dancer, but he gets his reputation because he double-crosses anyone. He is a psychopath who works his way up the body count to the top of his own network of rackets. Along the way he meets and marries his wife Alice Schiffer (Karen Steele) and survives three attempts on his life that send him to the hospital each time.

Oscar Nominated for Costume Design (B&W)

Beautifully photographed by Lucien “The Wild Bunch” Ballard

Yep that Budd Boetticher - the same guy who directed Randolph Scott in that incredible set of late 1950s westerns - in fact The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond was released between Ride Lonesome & Comanche Station

River of Death (1989) - 107 mins

Starring Micahel dudikoff, Robert Vaughan, Donald Pleasance, Herbert Lom, L. Q. Jones & Sarah Maur Thorp

Directed by Steve Carver

This jungle adventure features an extremely complicated plot that involves a megalomaniacal Nazi doctor who continues to perform inhuman experiments in the Amazon jungle and helms the Lost City of the Nazis, a mecca for war criminals and new followers. He is pursued by three vengeful people: a former colleague whom he double-crossed near the end of the war, a young woman who saw him murder her father, and an angry American physician, whose daughter the doctor kidnapped after they came to the jungle to help the ailing Indians who are dying from a mysterious disease. In addition to coping with each other, the searchers must also deal with the usual Amazon dangers, including ferocious cannibals, before they can make it to the hidden city and get their revenge.

The plot is an adaptation of an Alistair McLean novel.

Yep - this one's got everything

Fear Is the Key (1972), Caravan to Vaccarès (1974), Golden Rendezvous (1977), Bear Island (1979) &

River of Death (1989)

River of No Return (1954) - 91 mins

Starring Robert Mitchum, Marilyn Monroe, Rory Calhoun, Tommy Rettig & Murvyn Vye

Directed by Otto Preminger

Director Otto Preminger's only western, River of No Return is set in Canada during the 19th century Gold Rush. Farmer Matt Calder (Robert Mitchum) is released from prison after serving a sentence for shooting a man in the back to protect a friend. He arrives in a small town to retrieve his young son, Mark (Tommy Rettig), who has befriended a sultry saloon singer, Kay (Marilyn Monroe). Matt is also friendly with Kay, and thanks her profusely for looking after Mark, but distrusts her paramour, Harry Weston (Rory Calhoun) - a gambler of shady morals. Matt and Mark return to their rural homestead, but soon glimpse Kay and Harry on a sinking raft, apparently en route to make good on a gold claim; Matt rescues the two of them, but doesn't count on Harry doing an about face, beating him up, and stealing his horse and gun; Kay stays behind to look after Matt. Meanwhile, the Indians go on the warpath, and the defenseless trio decides to seek refuge by fleeing the farm and sailing down the river on a raft.

Exceptional western/adventure shot at fabulous locations: gorgeous Technicolor & Cinemascope print

Roadblock (1951) - 73 mins

Starring Charles McGraw, Joan Dixon, Lowell Gilmore & Milburn Stone

Directed by Harold Danils

An L.A. insurance detective starts to get involved with a girl he is increasingly attracted to, even though he sees her as a chiseller. She makes it clear that her tastes are too expensive for him, so he sets about getting a lot of money quickly if illegally. Perhaps too late, she starts to find that she is content with him just the way he is.

It's good yarn and well worth seeing. Better than your average B film and a good example of the Film Noir genre. The outdoor footage gives a good impression of LA circa 1950. Ends with a thrilling police car chase on the LA river and the villain ? - we'll you'll have to see it yourself.

Road House (1948) - 95 mins

Starring Ida Lupino, Cornel Wilde, Celeste Holm & Richard Widmark

Directed by Jean Negulesco

Jefty, owner of a roadhouse in a backwoods town, hires sultry, tough-talking torch singer Lily Stevens against the advice of his manager Pete Morgan. Jefty is smitten with Lily, who in turn exerts her charms on the more resistant Pete. When Pete finally falls for her and she turns down Jefty's marriage proposal, they must face Jefty's murderous jealousy and his twisted plots to punish the two.

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The Road to Denver (1955) - 90 mins

Starring John Payne, Mona Freeman, Lee J. Cobb, Ray Middleton, Skip Homeier, Andy Clyde & Lee Van Cleef

Directed by Joseph Kane

Brothers Bill & Sam Mayhew (John Payne & Skip Homeier) spilt up when Bill, tired of pulling the headstrong younger Sam out of his various scrapes, heads off to Denver alone. Here he takes a job as a stagecoach driver for livery stable owner John Sutton (Ray Middleton). Meanwhile, Sam falls in with crooked saloonkeeper Jim Donovan (Lee J. Cobb), the secret head of an outlaw gang. Inevitably, Bill and Sam find themselves on opposite ends of the law - not to mention rivals for the affections of Sutton's daughter Elizabeth (Mona Freeman).

Andy Clyde, who hadn't been seen in a big-budget film in years, steals the show as the comic stable-hand, Whipsaw Ellis

Excellent Trucolor print of this classy Republic production!

The Road to Reno (1938) - 72 mins

Starring Randolph Scott, Hope Hampton, Glenda Farrell, Alan Marshal & David Oliver

Directed by S. Sylvan Simon

In this lively musical western, a cowboy Steve Fortness (Randolph Scott) learns that his wife is heading to Reno for a quickie divorce. And before long he finds himself in competition with a suave Easterner who has fallen in love with her. Further Fortness is dismayed and embarrassed when the city-slicker easily out rides him during a bronco-riding exhibition. Will he win back his wife in this climate of intense competition?

A nicely restored B&W print

Road to Singapore (1940) - 85 mins

Starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour, Charles Coburn & Anthony Quinn

Directed by Victor Schertzinger

Joshua ‘Josh’ Mallon V (Bing Crosby) is the irresponsible son of shipping magnate Joshua Mallon IV (Charles Coburn). Though the elder Mallon wants his son to enter the family business and marry longtime fiancee Gloria Wycott (Judith Barrett), Josh would rather pal around with his carefree sailor buddy Ace Lannigan (Bob Hope). On the eve of his wedding, Josh escapes with Ace to Singapore, where the two of them cook up a get-rich-quick scheme involving a highly unreliable spot remover. The boys' friendship is strained when they both fall in love with cabaret dancer Mima (Dorothy Lamour), who is on the lam from her jealous partner Caesar (Anthony Quinn). Hiding out from the authorities, the three protagonists wind up in the midst of a native ceremony, where Ace and Mima rescue Josh from a hasty marriage to a local temptress. When Gloria shows up to drag Josh back to the altar, Mima nobly gives him up, pretending to be in love with Ace. Eventually, however, big-hearted Ace realizes that Mima belongs with Josh, and thus concocts another scheme to lure his pal back to the Far East.

An awful lot of fun, especially when Bob and Bing team up on the novelty number "Captain Custard".

The story goes that such stars as Fred MacMurray, Jack Oakie and Burns & Allen had turned down The Road to Singapore before the leading roles went to Bing Crosby and Bob Hope - the first of seven “Road” films - all starring Bob & Bing - all 7 “Road” films can be found in the Movie Series section of this website

The Roaring Twenties (1939) - 104 mins

Starring James Cagney, Priscilla Lane, Humphrey Bogart, Gladys George, Jeffrey Lynn & Frank McHugh

Directed by Raoul Walsh

Based upon an idea by Broadway columnist Mark Hellinger, The Roaring Twenties opens during World War I as Eddie Bartlett, Lloyd Hart and George Hally discuss what they will do when the war is over. Bartlett wants to go back to repairing cabs, and Hart yearns to be a lawyer, but it becomes clear that Hally has less reputable plans in mind for himself. Come the end of the war, things are not as easy for veterans like Bartlett as they should be. He is unable to get his old job back and ends up driving a cab for little money. One night he is asked to deliver a package (which turns out to be whisky) to an address that turns out to be a speakeasy. This starts him on a life of crime, as he gets deeper involved as a bootlegger. Things are not made easy by a rival bootlegger who turns out to be Hally. The two join forces and prosper. Hart shares in their prosperity, as Bartlett engages him to take care of his legal matters.

Fabulous in everyway - a Warner Bros tour de force - Cagney & Bogie: dynamite!

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Robbers’ Roost (1955) - 83 mins

Starring George Montgomery, Richard Boone, Sylvia Findley, Bruce Bennett, Peter Graves & Warren Stevens

Directed by Sidney Salkow

Jim ‘Tex’ Wall (George Montgomery), who is searching for the last of the three men who raped and killed his wife, joins a gang of cattle rustlers led by Hank Hays (Richard Boone). Both Hays' outlaws and a rival gang headed by Heesman (Peter Graves), have been hired as ranch hands by the disabled ‘Bull’ Herrick (Bruce Bennett), who owns a large cattle ranch and wants to get his large herd to market. He theorizes that the two gangs will be kept busy watching each other and neither will rustle his cattle. Helen Herrick (Sylvia Findley) has little faith in her brother's contrived plan, and hates and distrusts both groups. She begins to soften toward Jim, but abruptly changes when she sees a reward poster which says he has killed two men!

Excellent Eastmancolor print!

Robbery (1967) - 110 mins

Starring Stanley Baker, Joanna Pettet, James Booth, Frank Findlay, Barry Foster & George Sewell

Directed by Peter Yates

Opening with an extended jewel theft sequence followed by a action-packed (and very well staged) car chase, Robbery details the events before, during, and immediately following the infamous heist. Paul Clifton (Stanley Baker, who also produced) is the main thief who comes up with the idea to steal three million dollars from the overnight mail train that runs from Glasgow to London. While gathering together a crew of thieves, he helps currency expert Robinson (Frank Finlay) break out of jail. The gang successfully holds up the train, takes the money, and retreats to an empty field to divide it up. When Robinson calls his wife on the phone, Inspector George Langdon (James Booth) from Scotland Yard traces the call and arrests them. As the legend goes, one of them manages to escape with the money.

Based on the true story of the 1963 British Royal Mail Robbery, this late '60s British caper film was directed by Peter Yates a year before he made the action classic Bullitt in the States.

Possible Stanley Baker's best ever role - is he really playing Ronnie Biggs here?

Fabulous color print!

Robbery Under Arms (1957) - 99 mins

Starring Peter Finch, David McCallum, Ronald Lewis, Laurence Naismith & Jill Ireland

Directed by Jack Lee

Two brothers, Jim and Dick Marsten follow in their father's footsteps by leaving home to seek adventure as gunfighters in Australia in the late 19th century. They become outlaws in the roving band led by stylish "bushranger" Captain Starlight, who leads them on a series of escapades robbing banks and rustling cattle. Though they find the excitement and romance they craved, the Marstens soon become disillusioned with a life on the run and begin to wish that they could resume the mantle of honest, hard-working citizens. Unfortunately, events transpire to put the entire Starlight gang on notice as the law closes in.

Many of Britain's top players and technicians travelled half-way across the world to film this Australian classic of daring adventure in its authentic locales. The result is an outdoor film of rare sweep and power which stirringly and convincingly recreates the roaring pioneer days when life was lived close to Nature - and even closer to danger. In a superb cast, Peter Finch gives one of his strongest performances as Captain Starlight, the notorious robber whose most potent weapons were a polite phrase and a disarming smile.

Director Jack Lee & star Peter Finch had combined together a year earlier in another Australian adventure: A Town Like Alice (1956) - which is also available from this website

Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1964) - 110 mins

Starring Paul Mantee, Victor Lundin & Adam West

Directed by Byron Haskin

Spaceship commander, Commander Christopher ‘Kit’ Draper (Paul Mantee) is in a similar situation to the original Robinson Crusoe - but rather than being stranded on an island, he is on a hostile planet, Mars! It all happens when Draper, Colonel Dan McReady (Adam West) and Mona, a monkey look as if they are going to collide with a meteor. Draper and the chimp are able to eject themselves from the vessel, but McReady is not so lucky. The two survivors safely land on Mars and figure out how to breathe, drink, and eat on the inhospitable planet. After some time, Draper crosses paths with a human, Friday (Victor Lundin), who has recently escaped slavery on an alien planet. As the two find a means of communication, they become friends. They soon work together to survive the incredible odds, including an alien attack and meteorological phenomena.

Filmed on location in California's Death Valley, this impressive feature (spun from Daniel DeFoe's legendary tale) owes much to cinematographer Winton C. Hoch and special effects master Lawrence W. Butler.

Rockets Galore (1957) - 94 mins

Starring Jeannie Carson, Donald Sinden, Roland Culver, Catherine Lacey, Noel Purcell, Ian Hunter, Gordon Jackson, Jameson Clark & Jean Cadell

Directed by Michael Relph

The small but resourceful Outer Hebrides island of Todday, introduced in the 1949 Ealing comedy Whisky Galore!, made a return visit (in color) to movie screens in 1957's Rockets Galore. In the first film, the good people of Todday faced up to the appalling dilemma of a whisky shortage. Now we're in the space age, and Todday has been targeted as the location for a rocket-launching site. Banding together as before, the islanders do their best to sabotage the project under the unsuspecting noses of the blinkered British military.

Originally released in the U.S. as Mad Little Island (1957)

The prequel Whisky Galore! (1949) is also available from this website

Rocketship X-M (1950) - 77 mins

Starring Lloyd Bridges, Osa Massen, John Emery, Noah Beery Jr., Hugh O'Brian & Morris Ankrum

Directed by Kurt Neumann

Sometime in the future, the first manned space flight to the moon finds Dr. Karl Eckstrom (John Emery) in charge of the expedition, with Col. Floyd Graham (Lloyd Bridges), Dr. Lisa Van Horn (Osa Massen), Harry Chamberlain (Hugh O'Brian) and Maj. William Corrigan (Noah Beery Jr.) in the crew. Blown off its course by a meteor shower, Rocketship X-M misses the moon and lands on Mars instead (the Mars scenes were tinted orange). During an exploratory expedition, the crew finds evidence of a once-mighty civilization, evidently destroyed by atomic warfare. A savage band of surviving Martians attack the earthlings, killing two and wounding a third. The survivors head back to the ship, but run out of fuel before reaching Earth.

Rocketship X M is an intelligent and well told sci-fi story - produced for $94,000, Rocketship X-M reportedly grossed over a million dollars!

Rock Island Trail (1950) - 90 mins

Starring Forrest Tucker, Adele Mara, Lorna Gray, Bruce Cabot, Grant Withers & Roy Barcroft

Directed by Joseph Kane

A saga of pioneer railroading stars Forrest Tucker as Reed Loomis, a visionary railman who dreams of the day that trains will run from coast to coast. During his own efforts to make this dream come true, Loomis must face the formidable opposition of steamboat operator Kirby Morrow (Bruce Cabot). Another ongoing problem is lack of funds: fortunately, Loomis is in love with Constance Strong (Adele Mara), who happens to be a banker's daughter. Longtime Republic leading-lady Adrian Booth plays Aleeta, an Indian princess who has a yen for Loomis.

The film's climax is an all-out action orgy in the grand Republic tradition.

Rock Island Trail is proof enough that Republic could turn out an "A" western as well as any of the "majors."

Forrest Tucker reunited with Adele Mara, director Joseph Kane and writer James Edward Grant for another grand Republic production Californa Passage later in 1950. Then a few years later came another excellent "A" western from Republic: Jubilee Trail (1954) again with Joseph Kane directing Forrest Tucker

Both Californa Passage (1950) & Jubilee Trail (1954) are also available from this website.

Rocky Mountain (1950) - 83 mins

Starring Errol Flynn, Patrice Wymore, Scott Forbes, Guinn Williams & Dickie Jones

Directed by William Keighley

A Confederate troop, led by Captain Lafe Barstow, is prowling the far ranges of California and Nevada in a last desperate attempt to build up an army in the West for the faltering Confederacy. The patrol saves a stagecoach, with Johanna Carter as one of the passengers, from an Indian attack, and is marooned on a rocky mountain.

Patrice Wymore met Errol Flynn on the set and she became his 3rd wife.

Rocky Mountain Mystery (1935) - 83 mins (aka The Fighting Westerner)

Starring Randolph Scott, Charles 'Chic' Sale, Mrs. Leslie Carter, Willie Fung & Ann Sheridan

Directed by Charles Barton

Lawman Larry Sutton (Randolph Scott) is assigned to solve a series of murders occurring at a radium mine. Among the suspects is mine owner Mrs. Adolph Borg (played by legendary Broadway star Leslie Carter in a rare film appearance). Hoping to beat Sutton to the solution is local sheriff Tex Murdock (played by veteran vaudevillian Chic Sale). The key to the mystery would seem to be a sinister Chinese gent named Ling Yat (Willie Fung), but is he all that he seems?

A remake of the Golden Dreams (1922), Rocky Mountain Mystery was reissued as The Fighting Westerner.

Like Wagon Wheels (1934) below, this western was adapted from a Zane Grey story.

Rogue Cop (1954) - 92 mins

Starring Robert Taylor, Janet Leigh, George Raft, Steve Forrest, Anne Francis, Alan Hale Jr & Vincent Edwards

Directed by Roy Rowland

Detective Chris Kelvaney has a brother, Eddie, who also is a policeman. He witnessed a murderer running away from the scene of the crime. Chris has contacts with the gangster Beaumonte, who is willing to pay $15,000 if Eddie withdraws his testimony. But Eddie is an honorable cop and refuses. Beaumonte makes sure that Eddie is killed. After his death, Kelvaney starts to track down his brother's killer. One of the very few MGM film noirs.

Rogue Male (1976) - 104 mins

Starring Peter O'Toole, John Standing, Alistair Sim, Harold Pinter, Michael Byrne & Mark McManus

Directed by Clive Donner

Early in 1939 Sir Robert Thorndyke takes aim at Adolph Hitler with a high powered rifle, but the shot misses its mark. Captured and tortured by the Gestapo and left for dead, Sir Robert makes his way back to England where he discovers the Gestapo has followed him. Knowing that his government would turn him over to German authorities, Sir Robert goes underground in his battle with his pursuers.

Note that this is a very good print - much better than the edited, poor print versions available commercially

The second film adaptation of Geoffrey Household's tense novel "Rogue Male."

Originally filmed by Fritz Lang as Man Hunt (1941) starring Walter Pigeon - also available from this website

Both films are available in interesting combinations from within the Classic Movie Combinations section of this website: British Espionage Combination & Man Hunt / Rogue Male Combination.

Note that this film along with The Thirty Nine Steps (1978), The Lady Vanishes (1979) & The Riddle of the Sands (1979) are available in a 4 DVD set titled British Espionage from within the Classic Movie Combinations section of the website

Geoffrey Household also wrote the excellent Rough Shoot - filmed as Rough Shoot (1953) aka Shoot First (1953) - which is available from this website (under the former title).

Rogues of Sherwood Forest (1950) - 79 mins

Starring John Derek, Diana Lynn, George Macready, Alan Hale & Paul Cavanagh

Directed by Phil Karlson

John Derek is the son of legendary Robin Hood. When King John (George Macready) revives his old cycle of taxation and repression, Robin Jr. summons forth his father's Merry Men and inaugurates a rebel movement. Aiding the younger Robin in his fight for rights is Lady Marianne (Diana Lynn). Prominent among the Merry Men is Little John, played by Alan Hale Sr., who'd previously essayed the same role in the 1922 and 1938 filmizations of Robin Hood.

Gordon Douglas's 1950 dip into the Son of Robin Hood formula turns out to be one of the most spirited and lively of all the swashbuckling Columbia pieces of matinée fodder of their 40s/50s heyday. John Derek's energetic acrobatics, Diana Lynn's fetching and proactive Lady Maryanne, and George Macready's really vicious King John make this film a red-blooded and fast-moving programmer compulsively watchable during its entire 80 minutes.

Attractively lensed in Technicolor, Rogues of Sherwood Forest has an expensive and ambitious look to it.

Fabulous escapism - John Derek appeared in a similar role in the following years Mask of the Avenger (1951) - which is available from within the section of the website

Rogues' Regiment (1948) - 86 mins

Starring Dick Powell, Marta Toren, Vincent Price, Stephen McNally & Edgar Barrier

Directed by Robert Florey

After World War II, ex-soldiers trickle into French Saigon to join the Foreign Legion, among are Nazi war criminal Carl Reicher. American secret agent Whit Corbett joins the Legion in order to track down Reicher in French Indo-China. Hampering his search is a native uprising and Mark Van Ratten, an erudite art collector who sidelines in gunrunning.

Nice action scenes include anti-guerrilla jungle warfare.

Note that this film is part of the Dick Powell "Drama" Combination which can be found in the Classic Movie Combinations section of this website

Rome Express (1932) - 87 mins

Starring Conrad Veidt, Esther Ralston, Hugh Williams, Donald Calthrop, Joan Barry, Cedric Hardwicke & Finlay Currie

Directed by Walter Forde

The British thriller, in which a motley collection of passengers interact on a train, that spawned such films as The Lady Vanishes and Night Train To Munich. The passengers include a Hollywood star (Ralston in the first of two British movies), her publicist (Currie, with an American accent), a phoney philanthropist (Hardwicke), a golf-club bore (Harker, most amusing) and two crooks (Veidt and Williams) pursuing another who has double-crossed them over a valuable painting.

The enjoyable film moves as rapidly as the locomotive.

Rome Express enabled director Walter Forde to graduate from inexpensive regional comedies to prestige British productions. The film was also an obvious inspiration for such later intrigue-on-the-rails epics as The Lady Vanishes (1938) and Night Train to Munich (1940). Rome Express was remade in 1948 as Sleeping Car to Trieste.

All of these films are available from this website

The Roots of Heaven (1958) - 121 mins

Starring Errol Flynn, Juliette Greco, Trevor Howard, Eddie Albert, Orson Welles, Paul Lukas & Herbert Lom

Directed by John Huston

Romain Gary's best-selling novel The Roots of Heaven was adapted to film in Cinemascope and DeLuxe Color by producer Darryl F. Zanuck. Though billed third, Trevor Howard plays the central character, an idealist who has gone into Africa in hopes of saving the elephants from extinction. At first regarded as a crank, Howard shows he's not kidding by taking a shot at the posterior of a pompous news commentator (Orson Welles). As Howard's crusade gains momentum, several opportunists go along with him, among them a disgraced British military officer (Errol Flynn) hoping to redeem himself.

The Roots of Heaven represented the last truly worthwhile screen appearance by Errol Flynn, who died less than a year after filming his Roots death scene. The film itself was shot on location in French Equatorial Africa - apparently a gruelling experience for its stars and its director (the legendary John Huston).

"Our Errol" is superb in this film: really proving what a great actor he was!

Gorgeous Wide-Screen Tecnicolor Print!

Rope of Sand (1949) - 104 mins

Starring Burt Lancaster, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Peter Lorre, Corinne Calvert & Sam Jaffe

Directed by William Dieterle

Two years ago, hunting guide Mike Davis was with a client who trespassed on diamond company land and found a rich lode; Paul Vogel, sadistic commandant of company police, beat Mike nearly to death but failed to learn the location. Now Mike is back in Diamantstad, South African desert, and manager Martingale has a better idea: he hires delectable adventuress Suzanne to ferret out Mike's secret. But she soon finds she's playing with fire.

Golden Globe nominated for Screenplay, this classic adventure film has a fabulous Franz Waxman score and

reunites three of the cast from Casablanca (1942) in strong roles: Paul Henreid, Claude Rains & Peter Lorre.

This film provides Lancaster with a gritty adventure role - one that seems to sit well in his catalogue of films offered on this website: effectively straddling to straddle his noir/ dramas and his high-spirited action/adventure films

Burt Lancaster ran the gamut of film genres. He made a number of powerful dramas & gritty noirs: The Killers (1946), Brute Force (1947), Desert Fury (1947), I Walk Alone (1948), Criss Cross (1949), Jim Thorpe -- All-American (1951), From Here to Eternity (1953), Sweet Smell of Success (1957), Run Silent Run Deep (1958), The Devil’s Disciple (1959), Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), Seven Days in May (1964) & The Train (1964)

Then, of course there were his fabulous adventure films: Rope of Sand (1949), The Flame and the Arrow (1950), Ten Tall Men (1951), The Crimson Pirate (1952), South Sea Woman (1953) & His Majesty O'Keefe (1954).

Burt was also “out West” with Vengeance Valley (1951), Apache (1954) & Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957)

All of the above are available from this website

Rough Shoot (1953) aka Shoot First - 88 mins

Starring Joel McCrea, Evelyn Keyes, Herbert Lom, Roland Culver, Marius Goring & Frank Lawton

Directed by Robert Parrish

U.S. Army Lt. Colonel Robert Taine (Joel McCrea) and his wife Cecily (Evelyn Keyes) live in a village in England. While hunting on some land he has recently purchased, he shoots a load of buckshot at a man he thinks is a poacher but, upon examination, he discovers the man is dead and believes, at first, he has killed him. With the police and the Secret Service chasing him, he trails a suspect to London and this leads him to an Iron-Curtain espionage gang and an exciting finale at Madame Tussaud's wax museum.

A UK production which is well helmed by accomplished USA director Robert Parrish (Cry Danger (1951), The Mob (1951) & Assignment: Paris (1952) - which are available from this website), Rough Shoot is also distinguished by a great script with wry humour woven into a plot that twists and turns - there's a neat portrayal by Herbert Lom and its nice to see Joel McCrea back in a trenchcoat just like he wore in the superlative Foreign Correspondent (1940) - which is also available from this website.

Rough Shoot was scripted by Eric Ambler from a novel by Geoffrey Household - yep, this one's got it all:

Geoffrey Household also wrote the superlative Rogue Male - filmed as Man Hunt (1941) and as Rogue Male (1976): both of which are available from this website.

Eric Amber wrote the novels on which the following film were based: Journey Into Fear (1943), Background to Danger (1943), Hotel Reserve (1944), The Way Ahead (1944), The Mask of Dimitrios (1944), The October Man (1947) & Topkapi (1964) - all of which are available from this website.

Note that this is not a Joel McCrea western - despite the fact that Big Joel appeared in westerns almost exclusively from 1945, there is one exception: this - Rough Shoot (1953) - and its great!

Royal Flash (1975) - 102 mins

Starring Malcolm McDowell, Florinda Bolkan, Oliver Reed, Tom Bell, Joss Ackland & Christopher Cazenove

Directed by Richard Lester

Novelist George MacDonald Fraser penned the script for this swashbuckling, picaresque adventure tale. The story is based on one of the books in his "Harry Flashman" series, loose sequels to "Tom Brown's Schooldays" that followed that story's central bully character through his checkered post-graduate military career. Malcolm McDowell plays Captain Harry Flashman, a cowardly, lascivious poseur who desperately seeks entry into high European society. Recognizing an opportunity to advance their own sinister political agendas, scheming Otto Von Bismarck (Oliver Reed) and Rudi Von Sternberg (Alan Bates) convince Flashman to masquerade as a Prussian noble and marry a beautiful duchess (Britt Ekland), a flawed plan to which Flashman agrees. Inevitably, the transparent ruse is discovered, and Flashman is forced to try to escape across 19th century Europe, narrowly missing one disaster after another and experiencing first-hand some of history's most momentous events. Baroque settings and tongue-in-cheek characterizations abound in another fabulous British production starring the irrepressible Malcolm McDowell.

Another interesting film from Malcolm McDowell - preceded by If.... (1968) & Oh Lucky Man! (1973) - and then followed by Britannia Hospital (1982). These three films are often considered the “trilogy of Mick Price”, largely due to the presence in all three of lead Malcolm McDowell playing the same role Mick Travis

Ruggles of Red Gap (1935) - 90 mins

Starring Charles Laughton, Mary Boland, Charles Ruggles, Zasu Pitts, Mary Boland & Roland Young

Directed by Leo McCarey

Its Paris, circa 1908 and Ruggles (Charles Laughton) is the ultra-obedient manservant to the bibulous Earl of Burnstead (Roland Young). During one of the Earl's nocturnal forays, nouveau riche American cattle baron Egbert Floud (Charles Ruggles) wins Ruggles in a poker game. Terrified at the prospect of being bundled off to the Wild West, Ruggles' resolve is weakened somewhat when he and the raucous but ingratiating Egbert spend a wild night on the town. Back in the frontier "boom town" of Red Gap, a misunderstanding obliges Egbert's social-climbing wife Effie (Mary Boland) to pass off Ruggles as an aristocratic British army officer, immediately arousing the suspicions of priggish social arbiter Charles Belknap-Jackson. The longer he spends in America, the more Ruggles grows to like the concept of democracy and self-determination.

Previously filmed in 1918 and 1923, Harry Leon Wilson's novel achieved movie classic status when it was remade this time by Leo McCarey in 1935. It was filmed for a fourth time in 1950 as the Bob Hope-Lucille Ball musical Fancy Pants.

Oscar Nomination for Best Picture!

Run For the Sun (1956) - 99 mins

Starring Richard Widmark, Trevor Howard, Jane Greer, Peter Van Eyck, Carlos Henning & Juan Garcia

Directed by Roy Boulting

Shot on location in Mexico, Run for the Sun is based on Richard Connell's classic suspense novel The Most Dangerous Game. Trevor Howard stars as Browne, a British traitor, hiding in the Mexican jungle with his wartime Nazi compatriots, Van Anders (Peter Van Eyck) and Jan (Carlos Henning). Mike Latimer (Richard Widmark) and Katy Conners (Jane Greer) are aboard a plane which is forced to land in Browne's domain and are captured by the villains. Browne offers his captives an hour's head-start to freedom, then sets his hunting dogs on the hapless pair.

Wonderful adventure yarn!

A remake of the adventure classic The Most Dangerous Game (1932) which is also available from this website

Both films are excellent prints - much superior than those commercially available

Run Silent Run Deep (1958) - 93 mins

Starring Clark Gable, Burt Lancaster, Jack Warden, Brad Dexter, Don Rickles & Nick Cravat

Directed by Robert Wise

The contrasting acting styles of Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster serve to increase the already high tension level of the WW2 drama. Gable plays submarine commander "Rich" Richardson, who assumes command of the USS Nerka. Because his previous sub was sunk by the Japanese under highly suspect circumstances, Richardson inspires nothing but animosity from his new crew. Particularly hostile is executive officer Lt. Jim Bledsoe (Burt Lancaster), who'd assumed that he was next in line to command the Nerka. Obsessed with tracking down the Japanese destroyer that sank his old sub, Richardson drives his crew mercilessly, and even disobeys direct orders from his own higher-ups. The Nerka manages to blast the Japanese vessel out of the waters, but in so doing the sub is placed in dire peril in enemy waters. In his desperate efforts to save the Nerka, Richardson at long last wins the respect of Bledsoe and the rest of the crew.

Rightly considered to be the best submarine film ever made!

Featured in the cast are Burt Lancaster's old circus partner Nick Cravat, and, in his unbilled movie debut, Don Rickles.

Burt was also “out West” with Vengeance Valley (1951), Apache (1954) & Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957)

All of the above are available from this website

Ruthless (1948) - 104 mins

Starring Zachary Scott, Louis Hayward, Diana Lynn, Sydney Greenstreet & Lucille Bremer

Directed by Edgar G. Ulmer

Told in flashback, this is the story of the rise and fall of unscrupulous financier Horace Vendig. Hiding behind a veneer of respectability, Vendig steps on and rolls over anyone who stands in his way, including his lifelong friend Vic Lambdin, utilities executive Buck Mansfield and various and sundry women, among them Susan Duane and Christine Mansfield. Poor Diana Lynn is subjected to Vendig's cruelties twice, in the dual role of Martha Burnside and Mallory Flagg.

It is a tribute to the acting skills of Zachary Scott that he makes his despicable character somehow likeable and, in the end, rather pathetic. Based on a novel by Dayton Stoddart, Ruthless, like many Eagle-Lion films of its period, was top-heavy with loaned-out Warner Bros. contract players. It was also one of the few big-budgeted projects helmed by "cult" director Edgar G. Ulmer

Considered by some to be a "sequel" to Citizen Kane