Individual Movie Titles: S to Z

INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES

S - Z

Sabotage (1936) - 76 mins

Starring Sylvia Sidney, Oskar Homolka, Desmond Tester, John Loder & Joyce Barbour

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Oskar Homolka plays a London movie-theatre owner who maintains a secret life as a paid terrorist. Homolka's wife Sylvia Sidney doesn't suspect Homolka of any wrongdoing, but she's picked up enough second-hand information about her husband's activities to arouse the interest of government agent (John Loder). Posing as a grocer, Loder moves next door to the Homolkas, befriending Sidney and her precocious young brother Desmond Tester. Sensing that he's being watched, Homolka sends Tester out to deliver a reel of film. The reel contains a time bomb, but Homolka is certain that the boy will deliver his package on time and will be safely away by the time the bomb explodes. Thus begins one of Hitchcock's most electrifying suspense sequences, as the unsuspecting boy is delayed en route to his destination.

Sabotage was based on Joseph Conrad's The Secret Agent

Great Stuff from Hitch!

Sabotage Agent (1943) - 111 mins (aka The Adventures of Tartu)

Starring Robert Donat, Valerie Hobson, Walter Rilla & Glynis Johns

Directed by Harold S. Bucquet

A born British spy is dispatched to Czechoslovakia during World War II. Posing as an ineffectual milquetoast, he is hired as a chemist in a Nazi-controlled poison gas factory. Working in concert with the Underground, he spends his off-hours dismantling the Nazi operation. Then he has to figure a way to get out of Czechoslovakia as adroitly as he got in.

Fans of Robert "39 Steps" Donat will love this film

Sabotage Squad (1942) - 60 mins

Starring Bruce Bennett, Kay Harris, Edward Norris, Sidney Blackmer, Don Beddoe & John Tyrrell

Directed by Lew Landers

Released in late August of 1942, Sabotage Squad was the last of Columbia's B-budget wartime melodramas of the 1941-42 season. Edward Norris stars as Eddie Miller, a brash Broadway bookie who stumbles upon a nest of Nazi saboteurs. Technically not the hero-Bruce Bennett and Kay Harris are top-billed-Norris dominates the plotline, going through much the same "good bad guy" paces previously trod by Humphrey Bogart in the strikingly similar All Through the Night. Sidney Blackmer, who managed to show up in a number of low-budget films without ever giving the impression of "slumming," provides smooth and subtle menace as the head Nazi. Also in the cast are Columbia contractees John Tyrrell and Eddie Laughton, taking a break from their accustomed duties in the studio's westerns and "Three Stooges" comedies.

Saboteur (1942) - 108 mins

Starring Robert Cummings, Priscilla Lane, Norman Lloyd, Otto Kruger & Alan Baxter

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

When sabotage destroys part of an aircraft plant, plant worker Barry Kane is falsely blamed for the crime. Determined to clear his name, he sets out to track down the man he believes to be the actual saboteur, the mysterious Mr. Fry. He chases Fry across the western deserts to New York, where the two men confront each other atop the Statue of Liberty.

Another great Hitchcock adventure

Safari (1940) - 80 mins

Starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Madeleine Carroll, Tullio Carminati, Lynne Overman, Muriel Angelus & Billy Gilbert

Directed by Edward H. Griffith

After the death of her aviator lover, beautiful Linda Stewart (Madeleine Carroll) marries wealthy sportsman Baron de Courland (Tulio Carminati) on the rebound. When the Baron arrives in Africa for a hunting expedition, he secures the services of jungle guide Jim Logan (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) Linda and Jim fall in love, prompting the sadistic Baron to plot revenge.

Screenwriter Delmar Daves manages to inject a bit of Left Wing ideology in an early scene, which surprisingly (and happily for Daves) went unnoticed during the HUAC hearing in the late 1940s.

This is a great "companion piece" to Doug Fairbanks' other jungle adventure of the same year: Green Hell (1940) - which is also available from this website (INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section)

Safari (1956) - 90 mins

Starring Victor Mature, Janet Leigh, John Justin, Roland Culver, Liam Redford & Orlando Martins

Directed by Terence Young

This tense, uncompromising African actioner affords Victor Mature one of his best screen roles. When his family is wiped out by Mau Mau insurrectionists, white hunter Mature assembles an expedition to track down the tribal leader responsible for the massacre. The British authorities don't want Mature to foment further difficulty by seeking revenge, so they revoke his hunting license. Still, he manages to embark upon his justice-seeking safari by hiring himself out as a guide for millionaire lion hunter Roland Culver and Culver's fiancee Janet Leigh.

Safari was photographed on location by Ted Moore and directed by Terence Young, who'd later collaborate on the James Bond epic Thunderball (1965).

Excellent adventure story - fabulous color print

Check out Timbuktu (1959) - a similar Victor Mature action / adventure - available from this section of the website

Sahara (1943) - 97 mins

Starring Humphrey Bogart, Bruce Bennet, J. Carrol Naish, Lloyd Bridges & Dan Duryea

Directed by Zoltan Korda

Sergeant Joe Gunn and his tank crew pick up five British soldiers, a Frenchman and a Sudanese man with an Italian prisoner crossing the Libyan Desert to rejoin their command after the fall of Tobruk. They and the Germans are greatly in need of water. Fabulous adventure!

Saigon (1948) - 93 mins

Starring Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake, Douglas Dick, Wally Cassell & Luther Adler

Directed by Leslie Fenton

In Shanghai after WWII, veteran pilots Larry Briggs (Ladd) and Pete Rocco (Wally Cassell) are dismayed when informed that friend Mike Perry (Douglas Dick) will soon die of a terminal illness. Larry and Pete decide to keep the tragic news from Mike and spend the next weeks showing him a high time. To finance the festivities, they accept an offer of $10,000 from unscrupulous war profiteer Zlex Maris (Morris Carnovsky) in exchange for a flight to Vietnam. When departure time arrives, Maris shows up with the police in hot pursuit, so the buddies take off with his secretary, Susan Neaves (Lake), whose briefcase contains Maris' earnings of $500,000. En route to Saigon, however, the crew crash-lands in an Asian jungle. As they make their way back to civilization with a detective (Luther Adler) tailing them, Mike develops feelings for Susan, who plays along at Larry's urging. Susan, however, is actually falling for Larry and vice versa.

One of the great onscreen romantic pairings, Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake, ended with this romantic adventure film, their fourth cinematic collaboration. The others: This Gun For Hire (1942), The Glass Key (1942), The Blue Dahlia(1946), are all available from this website.

A very nice print!

Note that this film is part of a 4 DVD (8 film) Alan Ladd Collection set which can be found in the Classic Movie Combinations section of this website

Salty O'Rourke (1945) - 99 mins

Starring Alan Ladd, Gail Russell, William Demarest, Stanley Clements, Bruce Cabot & Spring Byington

Directed by Raoul Walsh

Salty owes money to Doc Baxter; he and his pal Smitty have one month to pay up. They get a race horse and a disbarred jockey, Johnny Cates, who must fake his identity to race. Johnny and Salty both fall in love with Barbara Brooks and, to get even, Johnny considers throwing the horserace.

Garnering an Academy Award nomination for best original screenplay, this is one of Alan Ladd's best films.

The Salzburg Connection (1972) - 93 mins

Starring Barry Newman, Anna Karina, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Karen Jensen & Wolfgang Preiss

Directed by Lee H. Katzin

This classy espionage thriller is based on a best-slling spy novel by Helen MacInnes. US lawyer William Mathison (Barry Newman) who is vacationing in Switzerland when he is asked by an American publishing firm to go to Salzburg, Austria, to contact a photographer who has written a book about Austrian lakes. Mathison immediately realises that something is amiss when he reaches the photographer's small Salzburg shop and finds the photographer missing, and his anxious wife Anna Bryant (Anna Karina) being protected with near-claustrophobic zeal by her brother Johann (Klaus Maria Brandeur). Johann initially suspects that Mathison is a secret agent and refuses to give him any information. Gradually, though, Mathison realises that Anna's husband has been murdered, having found a chest in an Austrian lake containing a list of Nazi collaborators from WWII. Agents from all over the world, including Russia, Israel, Germany, Austria and America, want to get hold of the chest. Mathison finds himself playing a delicate game of cat-and-mouse, in which he can trust virtually no-one.

Noted stage and screen actor/director Klaus Maria Brandauer is fabulous in his film debut while Barry Newman & Anna Karina make a likeable couple in a film which is shot on location (no sets) and boasts an interesting and compelling story.

Note: Fans of Barry Newman (as I certainly am) should check out Vanishing Point (1971) & Fear is The Key (1972) which are also available from this website

San Antonio (1945) - 109 mins

Starring Errol Flynn, Alexis Smith, S. Z. Sakali, Victor Francen, Florence Bates & Paul Kelly

Directed by David Butler

Cattleman Clay Hardin, who, on a trek south of the border, has discovered that San Antonio saloon proprietor Roy Stuart is actually a cattle rustler of major proportions. Determined to bring Stuart to justice, Clay runs into difficulties when he mistakes Jeanne Starr for being on the saloon owner's payroll. Meanwhile, Stuart's partner (and enemy) Legare uses the taut situation to benefit himself. Then Clay's longtime friend, Charlie Bell, is brutally slain and Jeanne's manager, Sacha Bozic is forced to skip town, who, unbeknownst to Clay, having witnessed the murder.

Fabulous Western!

Oscar Nominated for Art Direction & Music

Sanders of the River (1935) - 98 mins

Starring Leslie Banks, Paul Robeson, Nina Mae McKinney, Martin Walker & Robert Cochran

Directed by Zoltan Korda

Leslie Banks stars as the title character, a British officer who manages to keep the peace between the African tribes loyal to His Majesty and those loyal to the African king. His right-hand man, one of the tribal leaders, played by Paul Robeson, does all he can to help Banks maintain the peace, but when Banks takes a trip away from the region, all hell breaks loose. Robeson tries his best to stem the tide of revolution against the British in Sanders' absence

Fabulous jungle adventure from the pen of Edgar Wallace

Excellent print quality!

Sanders was to reappear on the big screen 30 years later in two big budget color outings starring Richard Todd: Death Drums Along the River (1963) & Coast of Skeletons (1965) - both titles are available from this section of the website

Note further that all three films are part of the Sanders Combination which can be found in the Classic Movie Combinations section of this website

The Sand Pebbles (1966) - 180 mins

Starring Steve McQueen, Richard Attenborough, Richard Crenna, Candice Bergen, Emmanuelle Arsan, Mako & Larry Gates

Directed by Robert Wise

In 1926, as China teeters on the edge of political revolution in the midst of a civil war, the USS San Pablo, is ordered to patrol the Yangtze River to represent and protect American interests. While the San Pablo may be an American ship, much of the labor is actually performed by Chinese locals willing to work for American money, while stern but inexperienced commanding officer Captain Collins (Richard Crenna) frequently drills his charges, unsure what else to do. A machinist's mate with just under a decade of navy service behind him, Jake Holman (Steve McQueen) is assigned to the San Pablo and immediately makes enemies among the crew he prefers to do his own work rather than farm it out to others, and the one Chinese man who works by his side, Po Han (Mako), is treated as an apprentice rather than a servant. Holman also falls in love with an idealistic American missionary (Candice Bergen), while his shipmate Frenchy (Richard Attenborough) falls for a Chinese girl and with marriage plans in mind kidnaps her to prevent her from being auctioned off. As Holman's methods and attitudes continue to anger his comrades, they find themselves increasingly at odds with the Chinese, especially after Frenchy's girlfriend becomes pregnant and Po Han is captured by revolutionary forces and branded a traitor.

Steve McQueen received his only Academy Award nomination for his performance in this epic-scale war drama, based on the novel by Richard McKenna. He is simply superb as the brooding loner.

Other Oscar nominations were for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Mako), Art Direction, Cinematography, Editing, Score (Jerry Goldsmith) and Sound

Sands of Iwo Jima (1949) - 105 mins

Starring John Wayne, John Agar, Adele Mara, Forrest Tucker, Wally Cassell & James Brown

Directed by Allan Dwan

Sands of Iwo Jima is a drama set during the Second World War and follows John Stryker (John Wayne), a relentlessly tough Marine sergeant as he trains a squad of naïve, rebellious recruits at a New Zealand military station in 1943. Recently left by his wife, Stryker has become exceedingly bitter and tough, leading his contemporaries to question his behavior and his men to dislike him for his harsh training methods. The wisdom of Stryker's ways, however, is demonstrated when they fight in the legendary battle of Iwo Jima.

Using footage of real WWII battles, the Sands of Iwo Jima features John Wayne's first Academy Award-nominated performance. Nominations also for Film Editing, Sound Recording & Writing

San Francisco (1936) - 115 mins

Starring Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, Jeanette MacDonald, Jack Holt, Jessie Ralph & Ted Healy

Directed by W.S. Van Dyke

The story begins on the Barbary Coast on New Year's Eve, 1906, as rakish but likeable political boss Blackie Norton (Clark Gable) hires demure young singer Mary Blake (Jeanette MacDonald) to perform at his rowdy Paradise gambling house. Local priest Father Mullin (Spencer Tracy), Blackie's best friend, disapproves of the exploitation of the lovely Mary, feeling that she's suited for classier surroundings. Jack Hurley (Jack Holt), Nob Hill socialite and Blackie's political rival, agrees with Father Mullin and offers the girl the opportunity to sing with the San Francisco Opera. Blackie, who's fallen in love with Mary but won't admit it to himself, jealously holds on to her contract, forcing Mary to walk out on him. For the rest of the film, Mary is torn between the "respectable" lifestyle offered her by Hurley and the baser creature comforts provided by Blackie. It looks for a while that Hurley has won out, but fate takes a hand in the form of the devastating San Francisco Earthquake of April 18, 1906 (a special effects tour de force for art directors Arnold Gillespie and his uncredited associate James Basevi).

One of MGM's biggest hits, remaining in almost constant reissue for the next three decades.

Oscar Winner for Best Sound. Oscar Nominated for Best Picture, Actor (Spencer Tracy), Director, Assistant Director & Writing.

An astounding achievement!

This is the first pairing of those two "mega-stars": Clark Gable & Spencer Tracy. They were to appear together on two further occasions - Test Pilot (1938) & Boom Town (1940) - which are also available from this section of the website.

San Quentin (1946) - 66 mins

Starring Lawrence Tierney, Barton MacLane, Marian Carr, Harry Shannon, Carol Forman & Joe Devlin

Directed by Gordon Douglas

Ex-con Jim Rowland (Lawrence Tierney), gone straight and returning from WWII as a hero, is more than a bit irked, as one of the founders of the Prison Welfare League (PWL), when he learns that bank robber Nick Taylor (Barton MacLane) has used the good name of the PWL to escape from San Quentin, and knocked the Warden in the head to boot. This is one founding father that isn't going to stand idly by after the good name of the PWL has been stained, especially by the likes of Barton MacLane, probably still laughing at the thought there was a Warden somewhere who would actually trust him. So Jim and his ex-con pal 'Broadway' (Joe Devlin) set out to track down Nick Taylor. They encounter Marian Carr along the way.

Fans of Lawrence Tierney should also check out his lead roles in noir thrillers:

Dillinger (1945), San Quentin (1946), The Devil Thumbs a Ride (1947), Born To Kill (1947), Bodyguard (1948) & Kill or Be Killed (1950) - all of which are available from this website

Santa Fe (1951) - 87 mins

Starring Randolph Scott, Janis Carter, Jerome Courtland, Peter M. Thompson & John Archer

Directed by Irving Pichel

Set in the years following the Civil War, the film centres on Britt Canfield, one of four ex-Confederate brothers who head West to carve out a new life. While his three siblings cast their lot on the wrong side of the law, Britt accepts a job with the Santa Fe Railroad. Inevitably, Britt is obliged to bring his wayward brothers to justice, though he knows full well that the person responsible for their downfall is gambling boss Cole Sanders. In a well-staged climax, Britt squares accounts with the evil Sanders and his hulking henchman Crake.

The creative team of producer Harry Joe Brown and star Randolph Scott turned out some of the best westerns of the 1950s, and Santa Fe is no exception.

Santa Fe Trail (1940) - 110 mins

Starring Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Raymond Massey, Ronald Reagan, Alan Hale, Van Heflin & Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams

Directed by Michael Curtiz

The story of Jeb Stewart, his romance with Kit Carson Holliday, friendship with George Custer and battles against John Brown in the days leading up to the bloody confrontation between Brown and the US Army at Harper's Ferry, Virginia and the outbreak of the American Civil War.

Before we get to the meat of the story, we are treated to a great deal of byplay between West Point graduates Jeb Stuart (Flynn) and George Armstrong Custer (Ronald Reagan), who carry on a friendly rivalry over the affections of one Kit Carson Halliday (Olivia DeHavilland). As a follow-up to Warners' Dodge City and Virginia City, Flynn again has Alan Hale and Guinn'Big Boy' Williams, his comic sidekicks from those earlier films.

Breathtaking entertainment, excitingly staged by director Michael Curtiz.

Very Nice B&W Print! (much superior to commercial offerings including that shown on TCM!)

Santiago (1956) - 93 mins

Starring Alan Ladd, Rossana Podesta, Lloyd Nolan, Chill Wills, Paul Fix & L. Q. Jones

Directed by Gordon Douglas

Set during Cuba's struggle to free itself from colonialist Spain, this exciting adventure chronicles the exploits of a tough, mercenary gun runner who learns about honour, sacrifice and caring for others when he ends up being forced to smuggle his latest weapon's cache aboard a beat up stern wheeler bound for Cuba. There he meets a beautiful freedom fighter who has been in the States trying to rally her expatriate colleagues into returning to join in the battle. It is she, with her passionate idealism and unwavering courage, who turns the gunrunner's life around.

Fabulous (& very rare) Alan Ladd adventure!

Sapphire (1959) - 92 mins

Starring Nigel Patrick, Michael Craig, Yvonne Mitchell, Paul Massie & Bernard Miles

Directed by Basil Dearden

Two Scotland Yard detectives are investigating the murder of a young black woman who had been passing for white. As timely a topic today as when made in an England rampant with racial prejudice in the 1950s, it stays just this side of an in-depth indictment of racism and bigotry as the detectives investigate the vast array of suspects: everyone from the girl's white boyfriend and his parents who feared that the association would destroy his career to the boys that the girl had spurned when she was accepted by white society.

A superbly acted and directed film with a very intelligent and well crafted screenplay - the "twist" is revealed just at the right moment and is not played for any exploitative reason but still resonates throughout the course of the film.

BAFTA winner for Best British film as well as 3 other nominations.

Saskatchewan (1954) - 87 mins

Starring Alan Ladd, Shelley Winters, J. Carrol Naish, Hugh O'Brien & Jay Silverheels

Directed by Raoul Walsh

Mountie O'Rourke and his Cree half brother Cajou are returning from a northern Canadian trapping trip when they encounter a burned wagon train and sole survivor Grace. Naive Mountie commander Benton believes it to be a Cree attack. The Sioux from across the border are trying to force the Cree into being allies in their struggle with the U.S. seventh cavalry. O'Rourke must mutiny to save the men. He must also aid Grace, in whom Marshal Smith has both official and unprovoked amorous interests.

This is a great "Mountie" adventure!

Perfect Color Print

The Satan Bug (1965) - 114 mins

Starring George Maharis, Richard Basehart, Anne Francis, Dana Andrews, John Larkin & Frank Sutton

Directed by John Sturges

Lee Barrett was until recently a security officer at Station 3, a top secret government laboratory. He was fired for insubordination but is called back to duty by General Williams when biological warfare agents are stolen from the facility. Of particular concern is the Satan Bug, a new and particularly virulent bacteriological weapon that could, if released, destroy all of mankind in a few weeks or months. The thief threatens to release the Satan Bug in a public place and Barrett races against time to stop him.

Adapted from an Alistair MacLean novel (MacLean using his pseudonym of Ian Sturt) and with a script by James "The Great Escape" Clavell, The Satan Bug is one of the best efforts in the "deadly virus at large" genre.

Note: This great adventure movie is a superb color print and is available in two formats: widescreen OR pan & scan - please specify which format you would prefer.

Note: Fans of films based on Alistair MacLean's works might like to check out The Secret Ways (1961), 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) elsewhere in the INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section of this website.

Additionally, The Alistair MacLean Collection which can be found in the Classic Movie Combinations section of this website, comprises The Satan Bug (1965), When Eight Bells Toll (1971), Puppet on a Chain (1971) & Fear Is the Key (1972) in a special 4 DVD collection.

Satan Met a Lady (1936) - 75 mins

Starring Bette Davis, Warren William, Alison Skipworth, Marie Wilson & Wini Shaw

Directed by William Dieterle

The Maltese Falcon is widely regarded as a screen classic, it wasn't the first time Hammett's novel had been brought to the screen, and this comedy drama offers a decidedly different spin on the same story. Detective Ted Shayne (Warren William) is hired by a woman named Valerie Purvis (Bette Davis) to find a woman named Mme. Barrabas (Alison Skipworth). Valerie, however, won't tell Ted what she wants from her, and as he tries to track down Barrabas, Barrabas' people come to him in search of Valerie. When Ted and Barrabas finally meet, she claims Valerie has a valuable piece of her property - a jewel-encrusted ram's horn - and she'll gladly pay Ted to return it to her. Certain Valerie hasn't been on the level with him, Ted asks his partner to trail her, but when Valerie discovers she's being watched, she kills the second detective. Unaware that she's killed Ted's partner, Valerie asks that Ted pick up a package for her from a ship arriving from Asia the next day, which Ted realizes is the precious horn that has caused all the trouble.

Satan Met a Lady is the second (of three) feature films based on The Maltese Falcon although Sam Spade is given the name Ted Shayne in this rendition!

Note : This film is part of a 2 DVD set which contains all three film versions of The Maltese Falcon - its available from the Classic Movie Combinations section of this website (under "Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon")

Satellite in the Sky (1956) - 85 mins

Starring Kieron Moore, Lois Maxwell, Donald Wolfit, Bryan Forbes & Jimmy Hanley

Directed by Paul Dickson

The story concerns the first manned space satellite, launched from England with commander Michael Hayden (Kieron Moore) at the controls. It is the mission of Hayden and his crew to test out the deadly "tritonium" bomb in outer space. Once he's left the atmosphere, Hayden discovers that he's been harboring a stowaway: reporter and anti-weapons activist Kim Hamilton (Lois Maxwell). Everyone's life is placed in peril when the bomb affixes itself to the side of the satellite. As tension mounts, the crew and Kim race against time to either remove or defuse the ticking weapon.

-NEW TITLE-

Saturn 3 (1980) - 88 mins

Starring Kirk Douglas, Farah Fawcett, Harvey Keitel, Ed Bishop & Roy Dotrice

Directed by Stanley Donen

In the distant future, single man and woman scientific team living on one of Saturn's moons to grow food for the starving Earth, have their isolation shattered when a deranged killer, masquerading as a visiting technology expert, arrives at their lonely outpost to take over their work and build a lethal creation: a super-intelligent 8-foot robot which later takes a murderous mind of its own

Scandal Sheet (1952) - 82 mins

Starring Broderick Crawford, Donna Reed, John Derek, Rosemary DeCamp, Henry O'Neill & Harry Morgan

Directed by Phil Karlson

Broderick Crawford plays tabloid editor Mark Chapman, whose burgeoning success is threatened by the arrival of his wife Charlotte (Rosemary DeCamp), whom he deserted 20 years earlier. Hoping to keep Charlotte's mouth shut, Chapman accidentally kills her. He does his best to cover his tracks, but his best is none too good, and another murder follows. Meanwhile, Chapman's star reporter Steve McCleary (John Derek) is busy investigating the still-unsolved murder of Charlotte. Though Steve holds no grudge against his boss, the same cannot be said of feature writer Julie Allison (Donna Reed), who resents Chapman's sensationalist methods. Slowly but surely, the noose tightens around Chapman's neck, thanks to the diligence of McCleary and, indirectly, the inquiries of Julie.

The distinctive stamp of action-film director Phil Karlson is very much in evidence in this excellent noir!

Scandal Sheet was based on a novel by former newspaperman Samuel Fuller, an excellent film director in his own right (including Hell and High Water which is also available from this website)

Fans of Broderick Crawford might like to check out his other starring roles in nourish dramas: All the King's Men (1949), The Mob (1951), & New York Confidential (1955) which are also available from this website.

Scaramouche (1952) - 115 mins

Starring Stewart Granger, Eleanor Parker, Janet Leigh, Mel Ferrer, Henry Wilcoxon & Nina Foch

Directed by George Sidney

This delightful adaptation of Rafael Sabatini's swashbuckling novel stars Stewart Granger as Andre Moreau, an 18th-century French nobleman who is publicly humiliated by the Marquis de Maynes (Mel Ferrer). Challenged to a sword duel by the Marquis, Andre, who knows nothing about fencing, runs away, taking refuge with a theatrical troupe. He hides behind the personality of Scaramouche, a zany clown, and in his spare time romances Lenore (Eleanor Parker). Seeking revenge against de Maynes, Andre takes fencing lessons from swordmaster Doutreval (John Dehner). It isn't long before Andre has developed a reputation as the finest swordsman in France--which, as intended, arouses the ire of de Maynes.

The two opponents face off in a deserted theater; the ensuing sword duel, running nearly seven minutes, is one of the best ever committed to film.

Scarface (1932) - 93 mins

Starring Paul Muni, Ann Dvorak, Karen Morley, Osgood Perkins & George Raft

Directed by Howard Hawks

Big Louis Costillo, last of the old-style gang leaders is slain, and his former bodyguard Tony Camonte is taken into custody. Since Costillo's body has never been found, the police have to release him, though they strongly suspect Johnny Lovo paid Tony to remove Big Louis. Tony begins taking over the rackets in town with violent enforcement, and he becomes a threat to Johnny and the other bosses unless they work for Tony. Meanwhile, Tony's sister wants to be more independent, but finds it difficult to escape from her brother's overprotective grasp. The dissatisfaction of the other bosses and the relentless pursuit of the police push Tony towards a major confrontation.

The Scarlet Coat (1955) - 101 mins

Starring Cornel Wilde, Michael Wilding, George Sanders, Anne Francis & Robert Douglas

Directed by John Sturges

The infamous Benedict Arnold affair is the basis of the lively MGM costumer. Arnold is played with suitably subtle menace by Robert Douglas, while his principal co-conspirator, Major John Andre, is essayed by Michael Wilding. The largely speculative storyline concerns the efforts of one Major John Boulton (Cornel Wilde), a colonial counterspy, to foil Arnold's plans. Thanks to some deft scriptwriting, the much-abused Major Andre emerges as the most sympathetic character in the film, if only because he is willing to face the consequences for his actions. Less sympathetic is George Sanders in another of his patented "cad" roles, while Anne Francis is the spunky heroine.

Sumptuous wide-screen color!

The Scarlet Empress (1934) - 104 mins

Starring Marlene Dietrich, John Lodge, Sam Jaffe, Louise Dresser & C. Aubrey Smith

Directed by Josef von Sternberg

Dietrich plays the German-born Catherine, who is required to marry Russia's mad Grand Duke Peter (Sam Jaffe). As if her joke of a marriage isn't torment enough, Catherine must endure the excesses of her new mother-in-law, Empress Elizabeth (Louise Dresser). Eventually, Catherine finds solace and romancein the form of Count Alexei (John Lodge). But even this balm is denied her when the ambitious Alexei begins wooing the much-older Elizabeth. When the old Empress dies, Catherine ascends to the Russian throne, knowing full well that her addled husband would kill her at the slightest provocation. Soon her power outstrips Peter's, and the opportunistic Alexei now comes back into her life.

A film version of the life of Russia's Catherine the Great.

The fascinating and alluring Marlene Dietrich! - 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), Manpower (1941), The Spoilers (1942), Pittsburgh (1942) & Golden Earrings (1947)

The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934) - 97 mins

Starring Leslie Howard, Merle Oberon, Raymond Massey, Nigel Bruce, Bramwell Fletcher & Anthony Bushell

Directed by Harold Young

This film from director Harold Young is the second big-screen adaptation of Baroness Emmuska Orczy's 1905 novel The Scarlet Pimpernel. Leslie Howard stars as Sir Percy Blakeney, a British aristocrat who rescues innocent victims of the French Revolution under the guise of The Scarlet Pimpernel while maintaining the identity of a foppish dandy by day. Even his wife, Lady Marguerite Blakeney (Merle Oberon), is unaware of Percy's heroic alter-ego as he and his band of likeminded masked men save countless people from the guillotine.

In perhaps the most famous adaptation of the classic book, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Leslie Howard seems so perfectly cast as the title character.

Howard was to (sort of) assay the role again in 1941's Pimpernel Smith - a clever updating which he also directed and tells of a espectacled and seemingly mild-mannered Professor Smith, who under cover of darkness transforms into a tireless defender of democracy against the Nazis in WWII.

Pimpernel Smith (1941) is also available from this website.

Scarlet Street (1945) - 103 mins

Starring Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennett, Dan Duryea, Margaret Lindsay & Rosalind Ivan

Directed by Fritz Lang

Fritz Lang brings his eye for the bleak to this grim but brilliant noir (done before in a 1931 French film, LA CHIENNE, which featured Michel Simon and director Jean Renoir). Robinson, a cashier for a large New York city clothing retailer, spends his spare time painting. At a company banquet held in his honor for two decades of employment, he is characterized as one of those faceless people who make things tick but never receive their due, except at dinners like this. When Robinson leaves the party, he finds Bennett being attacked in the street. He fends off the mugger by using his umbrella as a saber and takes Bennett to have a quiet drink at a bar. Robinson finds this young woman fascinating and can't bear to tell her what he really does for a living, so he lies about it and lets her think he is a renowned artist. Robinson is married to Ivan, a shrewish woman who heckles him unmercifully for his lack of ambition. It isn't long before he thinks he is in love with Bennett, who continues to lead him on and doesn't make him aware of her relationship with Duryea, a hoodlum living on the edge of legality. Since they reckon that Robinson is a good mark, Bennett and Duryea conspire to have him rent a studio where he can meet Bennett for their trysts. Robinson does that and hauls several of his art works to the studio. Duryea brings in a professional critic, Barker, to look at the work; he is impressed. The cost of maintaining the separate residence is cutting into Robinson's savings, and he is at a loss to figure how to pay for his passion. Duryea removes Robinson's name from the art and puts Bennett's signature on the work. Robinson is annoyed at this, but when the pictures are acknowledged to be the work of a talented person, Robinson takes solace in the fact that someone appreciates him. Robinson begins to embezzle cash from his company, then learns that Ivan's first husband, long thought dead, is actually still alive. That means he can divorce Ivan and marry Bennett. When he races to the studio to tell Bennett the good news, he finds her and Duryea in each other's arms. He watches surreptitiously until Duryea exits, then walks in and has a confrontation with Bennett. When she taunts him with the news that he's been a patsy all along, he does something he (even more, perhaps, than Duryea) will regret the rest of his days.

One of the quintesstial expressions of the noir sensibility, SCARLET STREET does not flinch from the harsher aspects of its sordid story. Robinson, Bennett and Duryea are all in splendid form, and the incredible visuals entrap the feckless Robinson long before plot circumstances do. The paintings for the film were done by John Decker, the artist who palled around with such luminaries as Errol Flynn, John Barrymore, and W.C. Fields.

Note: Very nice print - much better than those commercially available

Scotland Yard Inspector (1952) - 73 mins

Starring Cesar Romero, Lois Maxwell, Bernadette O'Farrell, Geoffrey Keen & Campbell Singer

Directed by Sam Newfield

Suave American journalist Phil O'Dell's girlfriend Heather suspects that the tragic accident that killed her brother, Danny was really murder. Everyone at the time, including Scotland Yard, do not believe her and so Heather enlists Phil's help to get to the bottom to why Danny was murdered and who was behind it.

Cesar Romero does a fine Humphrey Bogart type private investigator in this tight noir film.

Originally titled Lady in the Fog

Scott of the Antarctic (1948) - 111 mins

Starring John Mills, Diana Churchill, Harold Warrender, Anne Firth, Derek Bond, James Robertson Justice & Kenneth More

Directed by Charles Frend

The true story of the British explorer Robert Falcon Scott and his ill-fated 1911 expedition to try to be the first man to discover the South Pole - only to find that the murderously cold weather and a rival team of Norwegian explorers conspire to defeat him.

Fabulously gritty & realistic adventure with John Mills outstanding in the title role!

Excellent color print

Sea Devils (1953) - 91 mins

Starring Rock Hudson, Yvonne De Carlo, Maxwell Reed, Denis O'Dea & Bryan Forbes

Directed Raoul Walsh

Gilliatt (Rock Hudson), a fisherman-turned-smuggler on the isle of Guernsey, agrees to transport a beautiful woman to the French coast in the year 1800. She tells him she hopes to rescue her brother from the guillotine. Gilliatt finds himself falling in love and so feels betrayed when he later learns this woman is a countess helping Napoleon plan an invasion of England. In reality, however, the "countess" is an English agent working to thwart this invasion. When Gilliatt finds this out, he returns to France to rescue the woman who's true purpose has been discovered by the French

Adapated from Victor Hugo's Toilers of the Ses

Excellent color print - shot on location and directed with verve by Raoul Walsh.

Rock's other good actioners from this period were Bengal Brigade (1954) & Captain Lightfoot (1955) - both of which are also available from this website.

The Sea Hawk (1940) - 127 mins

Starring Errol Flynn, Brenda Marshall, Claude Rains, Donald Crisp & Alan Hale

Directed by Michael Curtiz

Geoffrey Thorpe is an adventurous and dashing pirate, who feels that he should pirate the Spanish ships for the good of England. In one such battle, he overtakes a Spanish ship and when he comes aboard he finds Dona Maria, a beautiful Spanish royal. He is overwhelmed by her beauty, but she will have nothing to do with him because of his pirating ways. When the ship reaches England, Queen Elizabeth sends Thorpe on a mission and in the process, he becomes a prisoner of the Spaniards. Thorpe escapes and returns to England to uncover some deadly secrets. Exciting duels follow as Thorpe must expose the evil and win Dona Maria's heart.

A very entertaining swashbuckler with a wonderful score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold

Sealed Cargo (1951) - 90 mins

Starring Dana Andrews, Carla Balenda, Claude rains, Philip Dorn & Skip Homeier

Directed by Alfred L. Werker

Dana Andrews stars as Pat Bannon, a Newfoundland fishing-boat captain during WW II. Coming to the rescue of an endangered vessel, Bannon finds himself in the middle of a nest of Nazi spies. Reasoning that he'll never be able to alert the authorities, Bannon takes it upon himself to scuttle an impending large-scale German submarine attack. Claude Rains is the personification of cultured evil as the head Nazi naval officer, while Carla Balenda co-stars as an innocent bystander who may well lose her life as a result of Bannon's planned heroics.

Based on The Gaunt Woman, a novel by Edmund Gilligan.

Sea of Sand (1958) - 97 mins

Starring Richard Attenborough, Michael Craig, Barry Foster, John Gregson & Ray McAnally

Directed by Guy Green

John Gregson plays Captain Williams, a martinet mine expert who vows to whip a lackadaisical patrol into shape. This brings Williams in conflict with patrol leader Captain Cotton (Michael Craig), but also earns him the respect of hard-bitten trooper Brody (Richard Attenborough). The wisdom of Williams' no-nonsense approach is demonstrated when the patrol is besieged by the highly disciplined members of the German Afrika Korps.

BAFTA nominations for Best Picture and Actor (Michael Craig)

The film was produced by Robert S. Baker and Monty Berman, best known as the creative forces behind the TV series The Saint.

The Sea Wolf (1941) - 90 mins

Starring Edward G. Robinson, Ida Lupino, John Garfield & Alexander Knox

Directed by Michael Curtiz

Humphrey van Weyden, a writer, and fugitives Ruth Webster and George Leach have been given refuge aboard the sealer "Ghost," captained by the cruel Wolf Larsen. The crew mutinies against Larsen's many crimes, and though van Weyden, Ruth, and George try to escape Larsen's clutches, they find themselves drawn inexorably back to him as the "Ghost" sails toward disaster.

A highly regarded sea-faring classic, from the pen of legendary short story writer, Jack London

Second Chance (1953) - 82 mins

Starring Robert Mitchum, Linda Darnell, Jack Palance, Roy Roberts & Dan Seymour

Directed by Rudolph Maté

Even without its 3D & stereophonic sound gimmickry, Second Chance is a crackling good suspenser. Robert Mitchum plays Russ Lambert, a prizefighter who heads to South America to forget a recent tragedy in the ring. Here he meets Clare Shepard (Linda Darnell), who is likewise running away - not from her bitter memories, but from her boyfriend, a vicious gangster. Also newly arrived in South America is Cappy Gordon (Jack Palance), the cold-blooded triggerman for Clare's ex-beau.

Filmed on location at RKO Radio's Mexican facilities, Second Chance takes a while getting started, then rapidly builds to a heart-pounding finale.

Note: This is a pretty good color print!

Secret Agent of Japan (1942) - 72 mins

Starring Preston Foster, Lynn Bari, Noel Madison, Victor Sen Yung, Janis Carter & Steven Geray

Directed by Irving Pichel

Roy Bonnell (Preston Foster) is the cynical American owner of Shanghai nightclub. On the lam from a criminal charge in the US, Bonnell prefers to keep a low profile, especially in political matters. His long-dormant patriotism is revived when he finds out that Japanese spies are buying up property in Shanghai and are mistreating the local citizens. Teaming up with glamorous British secret agent Kay Murdock (Lynn Bari), Bonnell turns spy himself, secretly reporting Axis activities to the British government-even though he's putting his own life on the line by doing so.

This movie went into production the night of 8 December 1941, one day after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. 20th-Century/Fox head Darryl Zanuck wanted his studio to be the first to deal with the Japanese sneak attack on film. Within a matter of weeks, the film was in theatres where it became a box office smash!

As always Lynn Bari steals the show although this time she does have her hands full with Preston Foster.

Note: Why not check out Preston Foster's "Bill Crane" Crime Club movie series - its in the Movies Series N-Z section (under "P" for "Preston")

Secret Beyond the Door (1948) - 98 mins

Starring Joan Bennett, Michael Redgrave, Anne Revere & Barbara O'Neil

Directed by Fritz Lang.

In this Freudian version of the Bluebeard tale, a young, trust-funded New Yorker goes to Mexico on vacation before marrying an old friend whom she considers a safe choice for a husband. However, there she finds her dream man - a handsome, mysterious stranger who spots her in a crowd. In a matter of days they marry, honeymoon and move to his mansion, to which he has added a wing full of rooms where famous murders took place. She discovers many secrets about the house and her husband, but what she really wants to know is what is in the room her husband always keeps locked.

The Secret Fury (1950) - 85 mins

Starring Claudette Colbert, Robert Ryan, Jane Cowl, Paul Kelly & Philip Ober

Directed by Mel Ferrer

During the ceremony marrying Ellen and David, a stranger stands up when that phrase "if anyone knows why these two may not be joined" is spoken. The stranger announces that Ellen is already married. Ellen however insists she is not, and the strain of proving she is telling the truth pushes her mind towards a breakdown and results in the death of the man she has supposedly already married (among others.) Ellen is charged with this death. But David believes in her innocence and sets out to uncover the conspiracy and the reason behind it.

One of this film's highlights is the portrayal of blowsy Leah by Vivian Vance (the immortal Ethel Mertz on "I Love Lucy"). She contributes a winning turn as a chambermaid suborned to play a minor part in a nefarious scheme.

Secret Mission (1942) - 94 mins

Starring James Mason, Hugh Williams, Carla Lehmann, Roland Culver & Michael Wilding

Directed by Harold French

This suspenseful World War II drama follows four Allied intelligence officers (three British, one French) as they sneak into Occupied France to spy on the Nazi defense. Two pose as champagne merchants and pretend to be friends of von Ribbentrop, a high-ranking German officer. Although this ruse helps them to gain entry into enemy Headquarters, where the soldiers uncover strategic information, they are quickly discovered to be impostors.

Well paced British WWII drama

One of a trilogy of WWII UK films in which Mason played the "good" guy - the other two are Candlelight in Algeria (1944) and Hotel Reserve (1944) - which are also available from this website

Secret of the Incas (1954) - 100 mins

Starring Charlton Heston, Robert Young, Nicole Maurey, Thomas Mitchell, Glenda Farrell & Michael Pate

Directed by Jerry Hopper

Before Indiana Jones there was Harry Steele (Charlton Heston), an idealistic archaeologist determined to return an ancient Incan mask to the society from which it came. A greedy con-artist (Robert Young) has other ideas, though, and the two men race to fund an expedition to find the treasure, which has reportedly been buried by Spanish conquistadores somewhere in Machu Picchu. The con-artist (Young) seduces a beautiful tourist in order to reach his goal, leaving Steele (Heston) to locate the site through more honorable means.

A great adventure yarn which is often seen as a forerunner to the Indiana Jones adventures of the 80's. Like Indy, Chuck does wear a leather jacket and his hat is similar although a little deeper (holds more water?) than the one made famous by Harrison Ford.

Secret Service Investigator (1948) - 60 mins

Starring Lloyd Bridges, Lynne Roberts, George Zucco, June Storey Trevor Bardette & John Kellogg

Directed by R.G. Springsteen

An especially good casts helps lift Republic's Secret Service Investigator well above the norm. Lloyd Bridges plays disillusioned ex-GI Steve Mallory, who falls in with a gang of wily crooks. Convincing Mallory that they're U.S. secret service agents, the villains persuade our hero to help them in a phony rare-coin scheme. When he realizes he's being flim-flammed, Mallory risks his neck by agreeing to work as a double agent for the real Feds.

The film is effortlessly stolen by George Zucco as Otto Dagoff, the erudite but slimy head of the fake-coin racket. In case there's any question that Secret Service Investigator is a Republic film, the presence of Roy Barcroft as one of the heavies should remove all doubt.

Secret Service Investigator (1948) precedes an Trapped (1949), a similar story (dealing counterfeit plates) and again starring Lloyd Bridges in a leading role - also available from this website

The Secret Ways (1961) - 112 mins

Starring Richard Widmark, Sonja Ziemann, Charles Régnier, Senta Berger, Walter Rilla & Stefan Schnabel

Directed by Phil Karlson

Vienna, 1956. After Soviet tanks crush the Hungarian uprising, soldier-of-fortune Mike Reynolds (Richard Widmark) is hired to help a threatened Hungarian scientist (Prof. Jansci) escape from Budapest to the West. He and Julia, the professor's daughter, cross the border posing as journalists, but they encounter a problem. The staunch freedom fighter doesn't want to go!

Excellent actioner which accurately conveys the dark atmosphere of Cold War Hungary

One of the very first films to come from a novel by prolific action writer: Alistair MacLean - and the only one to be shot in B&W!

Note: Fans of films based on Alistair MacLean's works might like to check out 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) elsewhere in the INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section of this website.

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Send for Paul Temple (1946) - 80 mins

Starring Anthony Hulme, Joy Shelton, Tamara Desni, Jack Raine & Beatrice Varley

Directed by John Argyle

In this detective drama, Scotland Yard enlists the aide of Paul Temple (Anthony Hulme), novelist and amateur sleuth, to help them solve a puzzling murder committed by diamond thieves. Temple is assisted by woman reporter Steve (Joy Shelton), who’s brother was killed by the gang.

Based on the first ever Paul Temple radio play of the same name, which was broadcast to great acclaim in 1938. The film was also scripted by Francis Durbridge who wrote all of the Paul Temple radio plays

Excellent Print

Note that this film is also part of the Paul Temple movies series which is available from within the Movie Series section of this website.

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

The Set-Up (1949) - 72 mins

Starring Robert Ryan, Audrey Totter, George Tobias, Alan Baxter & James Edwards

Directed by Robert Wise

Over-the-hill boxer Bill 'Stoker' Thompson insists he can still win, though his sexy wife Julie pleads with him to quit. But his manager Tiny is so confident he will lose, he takes money for a "dive" from tough gambler Little Boy...without bothering to tell Stoker. Tension builds as Stoker hopes to "take" Tiger Nelson, unaware of what will happen to him if he does.

This is one of the top fight films ever made, along with Raging Bull and Body and Soul. It is reportedly the role Robert Ryan, the college boxing whiz liked the best, and the one he probably gave his best performance in. It is the only boxing film developed from a poem. It was fleshed out into a screenplay by boxing aficionado Art Cohn. The director, Robert Wise, wanted to use the ring for a metaphor about the corrupt world, using the innocence of a boxer against those in the business who tried to make him take a dive. Wise captured the mood of the smoked-filled arena, the fans' reactions, and the dirtiness of the boxing world. The dark streets of Los Angeles, the brutality of the sport, and the seedy hotels where the struggling boxers reside, were photographed in a gritty manner, giving the film its noir look.

The Set-Up was one of the few films ever made in which narrative time and screen time are the same -72 minutes. Wise brought in former boxing professional John Indrisano to make sure the choreographed fight scenes were realistic. Wise, striving for realism above all, visited the boxing places around the Long Beach area, basing the boxing fans chosen for the film on the same type of people he saw while attending those matches.

Seven Days in May (1964) - 118 mins

Starring Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Frederic March, Ava Gardner, Edmond O'Brien & Martin Balsam

Directed by John Frankenheimer

Adapted by Rod Serling from the best-selling novel by Fletcher Knebel and Charles Waldo Bailey II, Seven Days in May was allegedly inspired by the far-right ramblings of one General Edwin Walker. Burt Lancaster plays General James M. Scott, who, convinced that liberal President Jordan Lyman (Fredric March) is soft on America's enemies, plots a military takeover of the United States. Every effort made by President Lyman to find concrete evidence of General Scott's scheme is scuttled by political protocol, human error and accidental death. Ultimately, Lyman must rely upon the man who first uncovered the plot: Scott's best friend, Colonel "Jiggs" Casey (Kirk Douglas). John Frankenheimer's terse direction and Ellsworth Fredericks' stark black and white photography add considerably to the this absolute ripper of a film (my son's favourite)

Oscar Nominated for Best Supporting Actor (Edmond O'Brien) & Art Direction (B&W)

Burt Lancaster also made a number of other 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), Birdman of Alcatraz (1962) & The Train (1964).

Then, of course there were his fabulous adventure films: The Flame and the Arrow (1950), Ten Tall Men (1951), The Crimson Pirate (1952), South Sea Woman (1953) & His Majesty O'Keefe (1954).

All of the above are available from this website

And how about a Lancaster film that includes elements of the above, namely a gritty & powerful action/adventure outing? - check out Rope of Sand (1949) - which is also available from this website

Seven Days to Noon (1950) - 94 mins

Starring Barry Jones, André Morell, Hugh Cross, Sheila Manahan, Olive Sloane & Joan Hickson

Directed by John & Roy Boulting

Barry Jones stars as an idealistic British professor working on atomic research. Upset by the apocalyptic ramifications of his work, Jones constructs his own bomb and threatens to blow up London within one week. His terms: Stop the atomic research or suffer the consequences. As London is evacuated, the authorities close in on Jones, using a rather sophisticated form of psychological warfare to trap the unhinged scientist.

Excellent "nail-biter" - well made and well acted with a somewhat prescient look at a topic which was to be the basis of a great many films to follow

Oscar winner for Best Writing, as well as BAFTA nominated for Best British Film

711 Ocean Drive (1950) - 102 mins

Starring Edmond O'Brien, Joanne Dru, Otto Kruger, Barry Kelley, Dorothy Patrick & Don Porter

Directed by Joseph M. Newman

Edmond O'Brien plays a telephone repairman whose electronic savvy earns him a job with a bookmaking concern. O'Brien's bookie boss Barry Kelley wants to get instant results from the nation's racetracks, and to this end O'Brien illicitly plugs into several communication centers. The wealthier O'Brien becomes, the more scruples he sheds. Eventually he runs afoul of the Big Boss of an Eastern bookie syndicate (Otto Kruger) and attempts to escape with his life culminating in a slam-bang finale at Boulder Dam.

711 Ocean Drive was made to cash in on a then-current national newspaper expose of bookmaking operations.

A great noir and further, a great "companion-piece" to O'Brien's other (more famous) 1950 release D.O.A. (also available from this website - and in an excellent print!)

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 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 Parachute Battalion (1941), Obliging Young Lady (1942), Powder Town (1942) & The Amazing Mrs. Holliday (1943) - all of which are available from this website.

Seven Men from Now (1956) - 78 mins

Starring Randolph Scott, Gail Russell, Lee Marvin, Walter Reed, John Larch & Don 'Red' Barry

Directed by Budd Boetticher

Ex-sheriff Ben Stride tracks the seven men who held up a Wells Fargo office and killed his wife. Stride is tormented by the fact that his own failure to keep his job was the cause of his wife's working in the express office and thus he is partly responsible for her death. Stride encounters a married couple heading west for California and helps them. Along the way they are joined by two others, Masters and Clete, who know that Stride is after the express-office robbers. They plan to let Stride lead them to the bandits, then make away with the loot themselves. But they aren't the only ones carrying a secret.

The first and one of the best of the Randolph Scott / Budd Boetticher / Burt Kennedy collaborations,

Often considered to be best of the best of Randolph Scott's westerns, his role was originally slated for John Wayne.

My all-time favourite western! - it grabs you by the throat, right from the start, then doesn't let go, not even for a moment. Seventy eight minutes later: you're exhausted!

Seven Miles From Alcatraz (1942) - 62 mins

Starring James Craig, Bonita Granville, Frank Jenks, Cliff Edwards, George Cleveland & John Banner

Directed by Edward Dmytryk

Champ & Jimbo (James Craig & Frank Jenks) are cynical Alcatraz inmates who manage to escape from the "rock" and then take refuge in the lighthouse maintained by Captain Porter (George Cleveland) and his pretty daughter Anne (Bonita Granville). Though concerned only about their own plight at first, Champ and Jimbo alter their getaway plans to foil a nest of Nazi spies who are using the lighthouse as their rendezvous.

Well directed by Edward Dmytryk (his first for RKO Radio)

The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976) - 113 mins

Starring Nicol Williamson, Robert Duvall, Alan Arkin, Laurence Olivier, Vanessa Redgrave & Charles Gray

Directed by Herbert Ross

Sherlock Holmes' chronicler, Doctor Watson (Robert Duvall) is concerned that The Great Detective's drug dependency - a 7% solution of cocaine regularly taken by Sherlock Holmes (Nicol Williamson) - is getting out of hand and suggests a cure under the auspices of Viennese psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud (Alan Arkin). While undergoing treatment, Holmes comes to the realization that his archival Professor Moriarty (Laurence Olivier) is not the Napoleon of Crime, but instead a somewhat pathetic philanderer. Not yet completely cured, Holmes recharges his deductive batteries by undertaking a tricky conspiracy case involving another ex-addict, beautiful actress Lola Devereaux (Vanessa Redgrave).

Noted Director Nicholas Meyer based his screenplay for this Sherlock Holmes adventure on his own best-selling novel.

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

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.

Seven Seas to Calais (1962) - 102 mins

Starring Rod Taylor, Keith Michell, Edy Vessel, Terence Hill & Anthony Dawson

Directed by Rudolph Maté

Set during the time of the brilliant Queen Elizabeth I of England, this adventure tale is loosely based on the exploits of Sir Francis Drake (Rod Taylor). He was one of the Queen's leading commanders in the battles with Spain over the gold of the New World. Drake is shown wearing several hats, so to speak. He is a pirate who has no problems about raiding Spanish gold arsenals. He is a military commander who plans and executes naval battles with the Spanish armada - and wins. He is a diplomat who knows how to manoeuvre in courtly circles whence he learns of a Spanish-backed plan to assassinate the Queen.

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) & 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 two TV series: Hong Kong (1960-61) and Bearcats! (1971)

Seven Sinners (1940) - 87 mins

Starring Marlene Dietrich, John Wayne, Albert Dekker, Broderick Crawford, Anna Lee & Mischa Auer

Directed by Tay Garnett

Set in the South Seas, Seven Sinners stars Marlene Dietrich as cabaret singer Bijou Blanche whose reputation as a troublemaker has gotten her kicked out of one port of call after another. Once more causing a riot, Bijou takes refuge on the first ship out, together with her underhanded cohorts 'Little Ned' Finnegan (Broderick Crawford) and Sasha Mencken (Mischa Auer). During her next stopover at the Seven Sinners Cafe, Bijou meets handsome Naval officer Lt. Dan Brent (John Wayne). He falls in love with her, much to the consternation of island governor Harvey Henderson, who knows that any romantic entanglement with Bijou invariably results in dissension, disarray and brawls. Henderson tells her to lay off Brent or she'll be deported. But Bijou insists upon performing one last song for Brent...and sure as shootin', a battle royal ensues.

The two stars reteamed for The Spoilers (1942) & Pittsburgh (1942) - both of which are available from this website

The fascinating and alluring Marlene Dietrich! - films 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), Manpower (1941), The Spoilers (1942), Pittsburgh (1942) & Golden Earrings (1947)

7th Cavalry (1956) - 75 mins

Starring Randolph Scott, Barbara Hale, Jay C. Flippen, Frank Faylen & Leo Gordon.

Directed by Joseph H. Lewis

Returning to Fort Lincoln, Captain Benson learns of Custer's defeat at the Little Big Horn. At the inquiry as Custer's Officers blame Custer for the defeat, Benson tries to defend him. But Benson was suspiciously absent at the time of the battle and is now despised by the troops. So when an order to retrieve the bodies from the battlefield arrives, Benson volunteers for the dangerous mission of returning back into Indian territory

The Seventh Cross (1944) - 110 mins

Starring Spencer Tracy, Signe hasso, Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy & Agnes Moorehead

Directed by Fred Zinnemann

Fred Zinnemann directed this World War II drama, considered one of the best anti-Nazi dramas produced by Hollywood during the war years. The story concerns seven prisoners in a Nazi concentration camp who manage to elude the guards and the Gestapo. The commandant, in a rage over their escape, nails crosses to seven trees, planning to crucify each of the prisoners as they are captured. Gradually six of the prisoners are discovered by the Gestapo and crucified. The one remaining escapee, George Heisler (Spencer Tracy), has become embittered and cynical after his years in the concentration camp. But as an assortment of friends and strangers help him elude the Gestapo, Heisler heads for neutral Holland, his faith in mankind restored.

Jessica Tandy had her first screen appearance as Liesel Roeder, the wife of Paul Roeder (Hume Cronyn, Tandy's real life husband), one of the friends who helps Heisler make his way to freedom

Hume Cronyn was Oscar nominated his role here (Supporting Actor)

The 7th Dawn (1964) - 123 mins

Starring William Holden, Susannah York, Capucine, Tetsuro Tamba, Michael Goodliffe & Allan Cuthbertson

Directed by Lewis Gilbert

William Holden plays Ferris, an American soldier who led troops in Malaya during World War II. After the end of the war, Ferris opts to stay in Malaya to seek his fortune. He invests in land there and does quite well, but soon his new life with his girlfriend, a local girl named Dhana (Capucine), is disrupted by local politics. Candace (Susannah York), the daughter of Malaya's British governor, is infatuated with Ferris, which puts a crimp in his relationship with Dhana. And one of his old buddies from the war, Ng (Tetsuro Tamba), reemerges with some disturbing news - following the war, he spent several years in the Soviet Union and is now working with Communist-backed guerilla forces. Ferris doesn't want to help the British capture his old friend, but his friend seems to have no such scruples about framing his buddy Ferris.

The Seventh Dawn was adapted from the novel The Durian Tree by Michael Koen and was BAFTA nominated for Best Color Cinematography

Seven Thunders (1957) (aka The Beasts of Marseilles) - 100 mins

Starring Stephen Boyd, James Robertson Justice, Kathleen Harrison, Tony Wright, Anna Gaylor & Eugene Deckers

Directed by Hugo Fregonese

Set in 1943, the film stars Stephen Boyd and Tony Wright as escaped POWs Dave and Jim. Hiding out in Marseilles, the two protagonists battle over the affections of local girl Lise (Anna Gaylor). Dave and Jim plan an elaborate breakout for the other POWs sequestered in the French port city. After an engaging opening, the film relies upon serial-like thrills and hairbreadth escapes to keep the action flowing. Stealing the show from the nominal stars are those grand old British troupers James Robertson Justice and Kathleen Harrison.

It was released in the US as The Beasts of Marseilles.

The Seventh Veil (1945) - 95 mins

Starring James Mason, Ann Todd, Herbert Lom, Hugh McDermott & Albert Lieven

Directed by Compton Bennett

One dark summer night, Francesca Cunningham, a once world famed pianist, escapes from her hospital room and tries to commit suicide by jumping off a local bridge. She is rescued and taken back to the hospital and undergoes psychological treatment by Dr. Larsen. Larsen, desperately wants to know the events and persons who drove her to this state and help her. He makes Francesca talk about her past - a past with a controlling guardian, Nicholas, no friends, kept apart from the man she loved and forced to practice the piano 5-6 hours a day.

Academy Award winner for Best Original Screenplay.

The second in a great trilogy of James Mason noirs - preceded by The Man in Grey (1943) & followed by Odd Man Out (1947)

All 3 films are available from this website.

The Seventh Victim (1943) - 71 mins

Starring Tom Conway, Jean Brooks, Isabel Jewell, Kim Hunter, Evelyn Brent & Hugh Beaumont

Directed by Mark Robson

Mary Gibson, a naive orphan, goes to Manhattan to find her missing sister Jacqueline. Her investigation leads her to Jacqueline's secret husband, and also to a strange cult of Diabolists who are also hunting Jacqueline - an unsettling and genuinely eerie Film Noir.

The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958) - 88 mins

Starring Kerwin Mathews, Kathryn Grant, Richard Eyer, Torin Thatcher & Alec Mango

Directed by Nathan Juran

Whilst Sinbad is on his way to Baghdad, transporting the Princess Parisa, who is to become his bride and secure peace between her kingdom and his, the ship encounters the isle of Colossa. Sinbad and his men are attacked by a gigantic, bestial one-eyed Cyclops, and are saved only when the mysterious magician Sokurah appears and uses a magic lamp to protect Sinbad's men. But in the process of escaping harm, Sokurah loses the lamp to the Cyclops. He desperately wants to retrieve it and tries to persuade Sinbad to put about and return to Colossa - but the captain won't jeopardize the safety of the princess or the success of his mission, and the Caliph of Baghdad feels the same way, even after Sokurah amazes the court by conjuring up a snake-woman. It is only when the princess is shrunk by an evil spell, the breaking of which requires the shell from the egg of the giant Roc - which resides on Colossa - that Sokurah can get his expedition mounted, with Sinbad in command.

The first of special-effects wizard Ray Harryhausen's three Sinbad epics.

Followed by The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1974) and Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1979) - both of which are available from this website. Other Sinbad films available include Douglas Fairbanks Jr.'s Sinbad the Sailor (1947) & Son of Sinbad (1955)

Seven Ways From Sundown (1960) - 96 mins

Starring Audie Murphy, Barry Sullivan, Venetia Stevenson, John McIntire, Kenneth Tobey & Mary Field

Directed by Harry Keller

Young "Seven Ways From Sundown" Jones is a talented but novice Texas Ranger who is in the process of learning the tricks of the trade from veteran Ranger Sergeant Hennessey (John McIntire). The two are currently hunting down the flamboyant outlaw Jim Flood (Barry Sullivan), crafty enough not only to elude them, but to take a surprise offensive against them as well. In the end, it will take all of "Seven's" abilities to capture the wanted criminal.

A nicely turned Audie Murphy western to welcome-in the new decade.

Shadow of a Doubt (1943) - 108 mins

Starring Teresa Wright, Joseph Cotton, Macdonald Carey Henry Travers, Patricia Collinge & Hume Cronyn

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Teresa Wright plays Charlie, a small-town high-schooler who enjoys a symbiotic relationship with her favorite uncle, also named Charlie (Joseph Cotten). When young Charlie "wills" that old Charlie pay a visit to her family, her wish comes true. Uncle Charlie is his usual charming self, but he seems a bit secretive and reserved at times. Too, his manner of speaking is curiously unsettling, especially when he brings up the subject of rich widows, whom he characterizes as "swine." When a pair of detectives (MacDonald Carey and Wallace Ford), posing as magazine writers, arrive in town and begin asking questions about Uncle Charlie, young Charlie's curiosity is aroused.

Thornton Wilder, Sally Benson, and Alma Reville (Mrs. Hitchcock) based their screenplay on a story by Gordon McDowell, who in turn was inspired by real-life "Merry Widow Murderer" Earle Leonard Nelson. The casting, from stars to bit players, is impeccable; Hume Cronyn, makes his film debut as a wimpy murder-mystery aficionado. Filmed on location in Santa Rosa, California, The Shadow of a Doubt was Alfred Hitchcock's favorite film.

Shadow on the Wall (1950) - 84 mins

Starring Ann Southern, Zachary Scott, Gigi Perreau, Nancy Davis, Kristine Miller & John McIntire

Directed by Pat Jackson

Angered that her sister Celia has stolen her fiance, Dell Faring kills her and allows Celia's husband David, knocked out in an argument with Celia, to take the blame and end up on death row. Later Dell, finding out that David's young daughter Susan was witness to the crime and is undergoing psychiatric treatment, plans to eliminate her before her memory returns. Quite tense at times, especially in the last scene, Shadow on the Wall represents one of the few unsympathetic performances by the otherwise likable Ann "Maisie" Southern.

Great noir!

Shakedown (1950) - 80 mins

Starring Howard Duff, Brian Donlevy, Peggy Dow, Lawrence Tierney & Bruce Bennett

Directed by Joseph Pevney

Two-bit photographer Howard Duff wins a big newspaper assignment by romancing his lady boss (Peggy Dow). Duff is sent to take a picture of criminal Brian Donlevy, who doesn't like to be captured on celluloid. Donlevy takes a liking to Duff and asks him to frame one of the crook's less cooperative henchmen (Lawrence Tierney). Duff plays both sides of the fence, informing the henchman that his boss had planned to frame him.

A very dangerous game!

Howard Duff also did another nice thriller in 1950: Spy Hunt - its also available from this website - see below

Quality Note: Not the greatest of prints but still good enough to not interfere with the enjoyment of this neat thriller

Other Howard Duff films of which Trev is a huge fan and which are available from this website are Illegal Entry (1949) & Spaceways (1953).

Shane (1953) - 118 mins

Starring Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur, Van Heflin, Brandon De Wilde, Jack Palance & Emile Meyer

Directed by George Stevens

The simple story of a Wyoming range war is elevated to near-mythical status in producer/director George Stevens' Western classic Shane. Alan Ladd plays the title character, a mysterious drifter who rides into a tiny homesteading community and accepts the hospitality of a farming family. Patriarch Joe Starrett (Van Heflin) is impressed by the way Shane handles himself when facing down the hostile minions of land baron Emile Meyer, though he has trouble placing his complete trust in the stranger, as his Marion (Jean Arthur) is attracted to Shane in spite of herself, and his son Joey (Brandon De Wilde) flat-out idolizes Shane. When Meyer is unable to drive off the homesteaders by sheer brute strength, he engages the services of black-clad, wholly evil hired gun Jack Wilson (Jack Palance). Shane knows that a showdown with Wilson is inevitable; he also knows that, unintentionally, he has become a disruptive element in the Starrett family. The manner in which he handles both these problems segues into the now-legendary "Come back, Shane" finale. Cinematographer Loyal Griggs imbues this no-frills tale with the outer trappings of an epic, forever framing the action in relation to the unspoiled land surrounding it. A.B. Guthrie Jr.'s screenplay, adapted from the Jack Schaefer novel, avoids the standard good guy/bad guy clichés: both homesteaders and cattlemen are shown as three-dimensional human beings, flaws and all, and even ostensible villain Emile Meyer comes off reasonable and logical when elucidating his dislike of the "newcomers" who threaten to divest him of his wide open spaces.

An out and out classic!

Oscar Winner for Best Cinematography. Oscar Nominations for Best Picture, Director, Screenplay & Best Supporting Actor (both Brandon De Wilde & Jack Palance)

Shanghai Express (1932) - 80 mins

Starring Marlene Dietrich, Clive Brook, Anna May Wong, Warner Oland, Gustav von Seyffertitz & Eugene Pallette

Directed by Josef von Sternberg

Marlene Dietrich (as Shanghai Lily, aka Magdalen) certainly has her hands full with more men than she can count in this exotic far-Eastern adventure. Among her fellow passengers on the Shanghai Express are her disillusioned former fiance, stalwart British medical corps officer Clive Brook; overfervent missionary Lawrence Grant; dope smuggler Gustav von Seyffertitz; and mysterious Eurasian businessman Warner Oland. As the train chugs through the more treacherous passages of war-torn China, Oland reveals himself as the leader of a rebel group, who plans to hold the passengers hostage to secure the release of his imprisoned followers.

A grand train film!

"It took more than one man to change my name to Shanghai Lily," purrs Marlene Dietrich

Oscar Winner for Best Cinematography, Oscar Nominations for Best Picture & Director.

The Shanghai Story (1954) - 90 mins

Starring Edmond O'Brien, Ruth Roman, Richard Jaeckel, Barry Kelley, Whit Bissell & Basil Ruysdael

Directed by Frank Lloyd

Produced and directed by the prestigious Frank Lloyd, The Shanghai Story was promoted as a "class" production by the bread-and-butter firm of Republic Pictures. The film takes place in the eponymous far-eastern metropolis, where Communist police chief Colonel Zorek hopes to trap an American spy. Zorek rounds up the usual suspects and sequesters them in a seedy hotel. Could the spy be Dan Maynard, a cynical doctor? Is it munitions profiteer Ricki Dolmine? Perhaps it's two-fisted mercenary seaman Knuckles Greer? Maybe it's the mysterious Rita King?

True to form, this Republic A-picture resolves its problems with a final reel of good old B-flick action and violence.

Quality Note: Not the greatest of prints but still good enough to not interfere with the enjoyment of this neat thriller - besides it stars Edmond O'Brien!

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The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw (1958) - 103 mins

Starring Kenneth More, Jayne Mansfield, Henry Hull, Bruce Cabot, William Campbell & Sid James

Directed by Raoul Walsh

Kenneth More portrays British gunsmith Jonathan Tibbs, who travels to the American West. After winning a rigged poker game, More is appointed sheriff of Fractured Jaw, a wide-open town where law officers are plugged and planted on a regular basis. He befriends hard-bitten saloon gal Kate (Jayne Mansfield), who doesn't give the gentlemanly Tibbs much chance of survival. Using his wits, and blessed with a generous amount of raw luck, Sheriff Tibbs escapes death at every turn, finally becoming the "blood brother" of a previous hostile Sioux tribe. With the help of his Native American friends, Tibbs brings law and order to Fractured Jaw.

Fabulous fun - lushly protographed and with seasoned director Walsh extracting the most out of this unlike duo!

Sherlock Holmes in New York (1976) - 100 mins

Starring Roger Moore, John Huston, Patrick Macnee, Charlotte Rampling, David Huddleston, Signe Hasso, Gig Young & Leon Ames

Directed by Boris Sagal

A topnotch TV movie starring Roger Moore (very effective as Holmes) and Patrick MacNee (an intelligent, compassionate Watson). The Great Detective travels to the Big Apple of the 1890s to thwart arch-villain Moriarty (played by legendary director John Huston) who plans to devalue the world's gold supply. Holmes is also reunited with his lost love Irene Adler (Charlotte Rampling), whose honesty - or lack of it - is just as much in doubt as it had been in Doyle's Scandal in Bohemia. The film combines the razor-sharp deductions of Holmes with the deeper, darker aspects of his character. Sherlock Holmes in New York underwent numerous script and concept changes while the producers awaited the availability of Roger Moore, who in the mid-1970s was being kept busy as James Bond. But the time & effort was worth it.

Roger Moore made some interesting films in and around his James Bond tour of duty: Crossplot (1969), The Man Who Haunted Himself (1970), Sherlock Holmes in New York (1976), Shout at the Devil (1976), ffolkes (1979) & The Naked Face (1984) - all of which are available from this website

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

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949) - 103 mins

Starring John Wayne, Joanne Dru, John Agar, Ben Johnson, Harry Carey Jr., Victor McLaglen & George O'Brien

Directed by John Ford

In this second of John Ford's "Cavalry Trilogy", John Wayne stars as Capt. Nathan Cutting Brittles.

In his last days before his compulsory retirement, Brittles must face the possibility of a full-scale attack from the Arapahos, fomented by the recent defeat of Custer and by double-dealing Indian agents. After a series of minor victories and major frustrations, Brittles decides to ride into the Arapaho camp, there to smoke a pipe of peace with his old friend, Chief Pony That Walks.

Oscar Winner for Color Cinematography

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

Shield For Murder (1954) - 82 mins

Starring Edmond O'Brien, Marla English, John Agar, Emile Meyer, Carolyn Jones & Claude Akins

Directed by Edmond O'Brien & Howard W. Koch

A vicious cop (Edmond O'Brien) kills a drug runner and steals $25,000 from the corpse ostensibly to pay for a new model home for his girlfriend. Later he tells his chiefs that he did it because he had to, but as no one was there to witness the killing, they are forced to take his word for it. But there is a witness and the seeds of "situations tumbling out of control" so prevalent in noir begin to take root.

An absolutely sensational noir with O'Brien to the fore in this his first of only two directorial efforts.

Ship of Fools (1965) - 149 mins

Starring Vivien Leigh, Simone Signoret, José Ferrer, Lee Marvin, Oskar Werner, Michael Dunn, Heinz Ruhmann, George Segal & Elizabeth Ashley

Directed by Stanley Kramer

It begins on the deck of an ocean liner travelling from Vera Cruz to Bremerhaven. The time is the 1930s, so close and yet so far from war. The cross-section of humanity on board includes ship's doctor Oscar Werner, Spanish political activist Simone Signoret, aging coquette Vivien Leigh, hedonistic baseball player Lee Marvin, philosophical Jew Heinz Ruhmann, a smattering of pro- and anti-Hitlerites and young lovers George Segal and Elizabeth Ashley.

Yes it’s a movie with everything carried along by a magnificent cast and well directed by Stanley Kramer

Ship of Fools was adapted by Abby Mann from the novel by Katharine Ann Porter

Oscar wins for B&W Cinematography and Art Direction - also nominations for Best Picture, Screenplay, Costume Design, Actress (Simone Signoret) & Supporting Actor (both Michael Dunn & Oskar Werner)

Shoot First (1953) - See Rough Shoot (1953) elsewhere in this website

Shoot-Out at Medicine Bend (1957) - 87 mins

Starring Randolph Scott, James Craig, Angie Dickinson, Dani Crayne & James Garner

Directed by Richard L. Bare

A cavalry troop is wiped out in a Sioux massacre because they were sold faulty ammunition and were unable to defend themselves. Buck Devlin, whose brother commanded the ill-fated troop, musters out of the service with pals John and Wilbur and vows to find the men responsible for the crime.

This was Scott's last outing with Warner Brothers and being shot in B&W, it sat on the shelf before being released as B western - a fate that it didn't deserve particularly as it provides a chance to see early big-screen work of James Garner and Angie Dickinson

Shout at the Devil (1976) - 120 mins

Starring Lee Marvin, Roger Moore, Barbara Parkins, Ian Holm, Reinhard Kolldehoff, Gernot Endemann & George Coulouris

Directed by Peter R. Hunt

"Colonel" Flynn O'Flynn (Lee Marvin), an American adventurer living in Portuguese African territory, manages to dupe naive Englishman Sebastian Oldsmith (Roger Moore) into a series of illicit raids into German East African territory just prior to the First World War. On the first raid - an ivory hunting expedition - they are chased by local German Commissioner, Herman Fleischer (Reinhard Kolldehoff) into the arms of German battleship "The Blücher" which rams and sinks their Dhow. Their second raid involves an attempt to steal the German tax revenue from Fleischer …

A great adventure with Marvin & Moore a great team - based upon the novel by Wilbur Smith

Well directed by Peter Hunt who was to direct Marvin a few years later in that fabulous "snow epic" Death Hunt (1981) - which is also available from this website.

The Sicilian Clan (aka Le clan des Siciliens) (1969) - 120 mins

Starring Jean Gabin, Alain Delon, Lino Ventura, Irina Demick, Amedeo Nazzari & Philippe Baronnet

Directed by Henri Verneuil

Roger Santet (Alain Delon) is a convicted murderer sprung from prison by the Sicilian clan headed by the aging Vittorio Manalese (Jean Gabin). They conspire to steal a large cache of jewels from an exhibit in Rome. As they are preparing for the heist, the mobster's American friend Tony Nicosia (Amedeo Nazzarri) suggests that a better way to get the jewels would be to hijack the transport plane while it is en route to New York. The dogged inspector Le Goff (Lino Ventura) is using all the available resources to thwart their plans.

THE Classic heist film!

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

Fans of Alain Delon might like to also check out his two Borsalino gangster flicks: Borsalino (1970) & Borsalino and Co. (1974) which are available elsewhere in this website

Side Street (1949) - 83 mins

Starring Farley Grainger, Cathy O'Donnell, James Craig, Paul Kelly, Jean Hagen & Charles McGraw

Directed by Anthony Mann

Joe Norson, a poor letter carrier with a sweet, pregnant wife, yields to momentary temptation and steals $30,000 belonging to a pair of ruthless blackmailers who won't stop at murder. After a few days of soul-searching, Joe offers to return the money, only to find that the "friend" he left it with has absconded. Now every move Joe makes plunges him deeper into trouble, as he's pursued and pursuing through the shadowy, sinister side of New York.

The Silent Enemy (1958) - 112 mins

Starring Laurence Harvey, Dawn Adams, Michael Craig, John Clements, Sid James & Nigel Stock

Directed by William Fairchild

This is the true story of young Lieutenant Crabb (Laurence Harvey), who in 1941 arrives in Gibraltar to learn the rudiments of deep-sea diving. Crabb isn't interested in recreation, however; there's a war on, and it is common knowledge that a band of Italian frogmen have been sabotaging the British naval forces. Without official permission, Crabb and a band of hardy volunteers take on the task of scuttling the enemy's guerilla activities.

The Silent Enemy is based on Commander Crabb, a book by Marshall Pugh.

Laurence Harvey: say no more - great action/adventure film

Silver River (1948) - 110 mins

Starring Errol Flynn, Ann Sheridan, Thomas Mitchell, Bruce Bennet, Tom D'Andrea & Barton MacLane

Directed by Raoul Walsh

After being handed a dishonorable discharge during the Civil War, Mike McComb (Errol Flynn) becomes a professional gambler and follows a path of ruthless action to get what he wants. After moving out West and making a killing prospecting silver, McComb becomes a wealthy and powerful man, and he finds himself infatuated with beautiful Georgia Moore (Ann Sheridan). However, Georgia is married to Stanley Moore (Bruce Bennett), who works for McComb, so he arranges for Stanley to be given a dangerous assignment; Stanley is killed, and McComb sweeps the widowed Georgia off her feet. Georgia weds McComb, but in time she finds out the ugly truth about her second husband, leaving him behind. Devastated, McComb sets out to mend his ways and win Georgia back by serving more noble purposes.

Silver River was the seventh Flynn vehicle directed by Raoul Walsh

The Silver Streak (1934) - 73 mins

Starring Sally Blane, Charles Starrett, Hardie Albright, William Farnum & Irving Pichel

Directed by Thomas Atkins

Charles Starrett is Tom Caldwell, the dynamic young designer of a streamlined, high-speed passenger train called … (you guessed it). During a polio epidemic, our hero endeavors to prove the efficiency of his train by making a breakneck 2,000-mile trip to deliver iron lungs to the Boulder Dam region. The well-chosen supporting cast includes William Farnum as old-time railroad man B.J. Dexter, who in the film's most moving scene ruminates over the brief but colorful history of his chosen profession. A box office hit, the real-life (and classic looking) Burlington Zephyr "plays" the actual train in The Silver Streak.

Fabulous cross-country "train" adventure with Charles Starrett in an early non-cowboy role before moving on a saddle and achieving fame as The Durango Kid series of westerns (available from the Westerns section of this website)

Silver Streak (1976) - 114 mins

Starring Gene Wilder, Jill Clayburgh, Richard Pryor, Patrick McGoohan & Ned Beatty

Directed by Arthur Hiller

George Caldwell (Gene Wilder) is a somewhat daffy book editor who is taking a slow restful trip to Chicago on the Silver Streak from Los Angeles to Chicago. But he thinks that he sees a murdered man thrown from the train. When he can find no one who will believe him, he starts doing some investigating of his own. But all that accomplishes is to get the killer after him.

Great "train" film with a great (& spectacular) finish!

Oscar Nominated for Best Sound

Simba (1955) - 99 mins

Starring Dirk Bogart, Virginia McKenna, Basil Sydney, Marie Ney & Joseph Tomelty

Directed by Brian Desmond Hurst

White farmer Dirk Bogarde and his neighbors are targeted for extermination by the zealously nationalistic Mau Maus. Native doctor Joseph Tomelty, whose brother had earlier been killed under questionable circumstances, endeavours to help the whites escape the hordes, only to discover that his own father is the local leader of the insurrectionists.

Based on real events, this is a stirring adventure from the Brits

Nominated for 3 BAFTA Awards including Best Screenplay

Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977) - 113 mins

Starring Patrick Wayne, Taryn Power, Margaret Whiting, Jane Seymour & Patrick Troughton

Directed by Sam Wanamaker

Famed stop-motion animator Ray Harryhausen concocts a collection of fantastic creatures - including a saber-tooth tiger, a chess-playing baboon, a giant walrus and three banshees - for this follow-up to The Golden Voyage of Sinbad. Patrick Wayne stars as Sinbad, who seeks the hand of Princess Farah (Jane Seymour) in marriage but cannot get her brother, Prince Kassim (Damian Thomas), to agree to the match because he has been turned into a baboon by his evil stepmother. In order to receive the blessing of Farah's brother, Sinbad must travel to a far away realm and find a wizard named Melanthius (Patrick Troughton), the only one who can break the evil spell placed upon Kassim.

The third of special-effects wizard Ray Harryhausen's three Sinbad epics.

Preceded by The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958) and The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1974) - both of which are available from this website. Other Sinbad films available include Douglas Fairbanks Jr.'s Sinbad the Sailor (1947) & Son of Sinbad (1955)

Sinbad the Sailor (1947) - 117 mins

Starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Maureen O'Hara, Anthony Quinn, Walter Slezak & Jane Greer

Directed by Richard Wallace

A ship which is saved by Sinbad, has a treasure map to the treasure of Alexander the Great, but it mysteriously disappears from the ship. The beautiful Shireen, the woman who has stolen the heart of Sinbad, the evil Amir who wants the treasure for himself to own the world and the deadly Melik, who will stop at nothing and kill anyone to have the treasure, all provided challenges for Sinbad

There follows a perilous voyage to a mysterious island where the treasure is said to be held.

The great Douglas Fairbanks Jr at his swashbuckling best!

Other Sinbad films available from this website are Ray Harryhausen (special effects) trilogy The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958), The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1974) and Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1979)

Singapore (1947) - 79 mins

Starring Fred MacMurray, Ava Gardner, Roland Culver, Richard Haydn & Spring Byington

Directed by John Brahm

Returning to Singapore after a five-year absence, WWII veteran Matt Gordon (Fred MacMurray) mournfully recalls his romance with, and marriage to, a girl named Linda (Ava Gardner), whom he assumes was killed in a bombing raid on their wedding night. Resuming his prewar profession as a pearl smuggler, Matt gets mixed up with gangsters who are seeking a cache of pearls that he hid somewhere in Singapore during the war. He also meets wealthy Michael Van Leyden (Roland Culver), who is married to a woman who closely resembles the lamented Linda. In point of fact, she is Linda, but has been suffering from amnesia ever since the wartime bombing. Upon being reunited with his lost love, Matt does his best to ditch his unsavory companions and to rescue Linda from her "new" life. Clearly inspired by Casablanca, Singapore was remade as the 1957 Errol Flynn vehicle Istanbul.

A great adventure film!

The Singer Not the Song (1961) - 132 mins

Starring Dirk Bogarde, John Mills, Mylene Demongeot, Laurence Naismith & John Bentley.

Directed by Roy Ward Baker

Unusual Western drama set in Mexico starring Dirk Bogarde as a bandit warlord embroiled in a battle for the hearts and minds of a village with crusading priest John Mills.

A strong cast in a moodily dramatic piece

Sink the Bismark! (1960) - 97 mins

Starring Kenneth Moore, Dana Wynter, Carl Mohner, Laurence Naismith & Karl Stepanek.

Directed by Lewis Gilbert

Chronicles the breakout of the Nazi super battleship Bismark during the early days of World War Two. Seen both from the point of view of the many naval vessels on both sides and from the central headquarters of the British where the search was coordinated

Big budget British WWII film with a strong cast and good dramatic elements

Sirocco (1951) - 98 mins

Starring Humphrey Bogart, Marta Toren, Lee J. Cobb, Everett Sloane, Gerald Mohr & Zero Mostel

Directed by Curtis Bernhardt

Humphrey Bogart is cast as Harry Smith, a casino operator in 1925 Damascus. For a tidy profit, Smith runs guns to the Arab insurrectionists attempting to overthrow the French Protectorate. Chastised by French Colonel Feroud (Lee J. Cobb) for his lack of morals and political convictions, Smith merely sneers in agreement. Before long, he has become romantically involved with Feroud's mistress Violetta (Marta Toren), who hopes to use Harry as means of escape to Cairo. Only after being betrayed by the Arabs and roughed up by the French authorities does our "hero" begin to behave ethically but by then, it may be too late.

Bogie "revisiting" Casablanca with his own production company!

The Sisters (1938) - 99 mins

Starring Errol Flynn, Bette Davis, Anita Louise, Ian Hunter, Donald Crisp, Jane Bryan & Beulah Bondi

Directed by Anatole Litvak

The 1938 filmization of Myron Brinig's novel The Sisters stars Bette Davis (Louise) , Jane Bryan (Grace) and Anita Louise (Helen). The daughters of turn-of-the-century druggist Ned & Rose Elliott, the Elliot girls all meet their future husbands at a 1904 ball in honor of President Teddy Roosevelt. Special emphasis is given the relationship between Louise and reckless, irresponsible newspaperman Frank Medlin (Errol Flynn). Feeling trapped by his marriage, Medlin turns to drink and philandering. When Frank eventually runs off to Singapore, Louise is too proud to hold her husband by informing him that she's pregnant. Caught up in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, Louise wanders around dazedly until she finds shelter in an Oakland brothel. She loses her baby, but is consoled by her employer William Benson (Ian Hunter), who falls in love with her.

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Six Black Horses (1962) - 80 mins

Starring Audie Murphy, Dan Duryea, Joan O’Brien, Roy Barcroft & Bob Steele

Directed by Harry Keller

Six Black Horses are stolen by Frank Jesse (Dan Duryea). Wrongly accused of the horse theft, Ben Lane (Audie Murphy) is rescued by ruthless but sentimental gunslinger Jesse. The two men are hired as trail guides by Kelly (Joan O'Brien), who wants to traverse hostile Indian territory so that she can be reunited with her husband. Yet is there something else going on here? Murder … vengeance?

633 Squadron (1964) - 102 mins

Directed by Walter Grauman

Starring Cliff Robertson, George Chakiris, Maria Perschy, Harry Andrews, Donald Huston, & John Meillon

During World War II, a Scandinavian underground leader, Erik Bergman (George Chakiris) reports to British authorities the location of a German V2 fuel plant. It lies in a seemingly impregnable location - beneath an overhanging cliff at the end of a highly defended fjord. The only way the British can hope to destroy the plant is by collapsing the cliff on top of it. In order to do that, light Mosquito aircraft must be utilized. This is the job assigned to Wing Commander Roy Grant's (Cliff Robertson) 633 Squadron. In order to assist Grant in his air attack, Bergman attempts a simultaneous ground attack.

Howard Koch and James Clavell adapted their screenplay from Frederick E. Smith's novel, reportedly based on a true story. Aussie Clavell also penned Watusi (1959) & The Satan Bug (1965), both of which are available from this website

Sky Commando (1953) - 69 mins

Starring Dan Duryea, Frances Gifford, Mike Connors, Michael Fox, William Bryant & Morris Ankrum

Directed by Fred F. Sears

Colonel Ed Wyatt (Dan Duryea) is regarded by pilots under his command as being a ruthless disciplinarian. His co-pilot, Lt. Hobson Lee (Mike Connors), and Jo McWethy (Frances Gifford), a war correspondent assigned to the squadron become more friendly than meets Wyatt's approval. When Wyatt's plane is forced down behind enemy lines, he orders his crew to proceed to the American lines with the vital film they have shot, while he remains behind to hold off the enemy.

A fine WWII adventure film!

Sky Liner (1949) - 61 mins

Starring Richard Travers, Pamela Blake, Rochelle Hudson & Steven Geray

Directed by William Berke

A government courier is murdered by a foreign spy during the transcontinental flight of the TWA Constellation. FBI agent Steve Blair manages to collar the spy, but then finds the spy murdered. Now Blair is forced to play detective, sifting out the guilty party from the passenger list.

A tight eventful story played out with neatly played claustrophobic touches aboard the aircraft in flight.

Sky Pirates (1986) - 89 mins

Starring John Hargreaves, Meredith Phillips, Max Phipps, Bill Hunter, Simon Chilvers & Alex Scott

Directed by Colin Eggleston

During WWII, Australian Air Force pilot, Lt. Harris (John Hargreaves) flies his plane through a time warp and lands on Easter Island where he encounters the evil "Savage" (Max Phipps) who is looking for a magic stone - left by spacemen - that was used to erect the Aku-Aku giant heads and the enormous boulders of Stonehenge. The stone gives its owner the power to destroy and Harris now seems to be called upon to save the world.

A sci-fi adventure that patches together bits and pieces from its famous, multi-genre predecessors (the Indiana Jones series, The Philadelphia Experiment, and others).

Yep - right down to Brian May's music, its Australia's answer to Raiders of the Lost Ark

Great fun and Hargreaves is great!

Slattery's Hurricane (1949) - 87 mins

Starring Richard Widmark, Linda Darnell, Veronica Lake, John Russell, Gary Merrill & Walter Kingsford

Directed by André De Toth

Ex-navy pilot Slattery (Richard Widmark) works for a dope-smuggling ring. When he's not in the air, Slattery is making time with Dolores (Veronica Lake), the somewhat put-upon secretary of the ring's leader. Only upon meeting Aggie (Linda Darnell), the wife of his old navy buddy Hobson (John Russell), does Slattery entertain thoughts of changing his ways. Will Slattery redeem himself during an outsized hurricane?

Based on a story by Herman Wouk, Slattery's Hurricane was largely shot on location in Florida and is another exciting Widmark adventure.

Slaughter on Tenth Avenue (1957) - 103 mins

Starring Richard Egan, Jan Sterling, Dan Duryea, Julie Adams, Walter Matthau, Charles McGraw & Sam Levene

Directed by Arnold Laven

Powerful crime drama which attempts to expose waterfront union racketeering. In trying to solves a murder on the docks, deputy DA Richard Egan runs up against the stevedores' code of silence. It also dawns on Egan that his own boss shows little interest in pursuing justice in this instance. The DA is finally able to mount a case, but at the crucial courtroom moment he may have to pull out due to lack of evidence - a lack engineered by crooked boss Walter Matthau, who has several local politicians in his pocket.

Slaughter on Tenth Avenue was based on New York district attorney William J. Keating's memoirs The Man Who Rocked the Boat.

Though Slaughter on Tenth Avenue's background music relies heavily on the Richard Rodgers composition of the same name, the film itself bears no relation to the ten-minute ballet for which Rodgers wrote the piece.

Unforgettable!

Sleeping Car to Trieste (1948) - 95 mins

Starring Jean Kent, Albert Lieven, Derrick de Marney, Paul Dupuis, Rona Anderson & David Tomlinson

Directed by John Paddy Carstairs

Spies steal a diary from an embassy whose contents could ignite a war, then one of them steals it from the others and boards the Orient Express. He ends up involving a couple who were trying to have a clandestine affair on board; other passengers include a police detective, a would-be chef, a pompous author and his lackey, and a bird enthusiast.

A highly regarded "train" adventure

Smashing the Rackets (1938) - 69 mins

Starring Chester Morris, Francis Mercer, Rita Johnson & Bruce Cabot.

Directed by Lew Landers

Jim 'Socker' Conway, former boxer and FBI hero, is maneuvered for political reasons into a do-nothing job in the district attorney's office. Meanwhile, he meets wild debutante Letty Lane, girlfriend of mob mouthpiece Steve Lawrence; and Letty's much nicer sister Susan. Now the slot machine gang brutally beats Jim's friends Franz and Otto. And Jim finds a way to use his nominal position to go into the racket-busting business. But his success puts Letty in deadly peril

RKO's Smashing the Rackets was inspired by the career of colorful New York district attorney Thomas E. Dewey. Chester Morris plays the Dewey character, here rechristened Jim Conway. It was the first of several "exploitation" pictures produced by RKO's B-picture maven Lee Marcus.

Soldier of Fortune (1955) - 96 mins

Starring Clark Gable, Susan Hayward, Michael Rennie, Gene Barry, Alexander D'Arcy & Tom Tully

Directed by Edward Dmytryk

Clark Gable is an American mercenary, running a successful smuggling operation in and out of Hong Kong. He is hired by Susan Hayward, who hopes to locate her missing husband, photographer Gene Barry. Upon discovering that Barry is being held by the Communists somewhere on the Chinese mainland, Gable risks his neck to rescue the man. Along the way, he falls in love with Hayward, which may or may not compromise his dedication to saving Barry's neck. Filmed largely on location in Hong Kong - beautiful widescreen technicolor print.

Fabulous big-scale adventure

Soldiers Three (1951) - 92 mins

Starring Stewart Granger, Walter Pidgeon, David Niven, Robert Newton & Cyril Cusack

Directed by Tay Garnett

Pvt. Archibald Ackroyd (Stewart Granger), Pvt. Bill Sykes (Robert Newton) and Pvt. Dennis Malloy (Cyril Cusack) play three boisterous English soldiers stationed on the Northern India frontier. Col. Brunswick (Walter Pidgeon) and Capt. Pindenny (David Niven) are the threesome's superior officers, who are aggravated by the soldiers' drunken exploits but who appreciate how valuable they are to the regiment. The soldiers three become heroes once more when they thwart a native uprising.

Fabulous adventure based on a Rudyard Kipling novel, this draws most of its inspiration from the 1939 film made of Kipling's narrative poem Gunga Din - also available from this website.

Producer Pandro S. Berman, coincidentally, had been in charge of production at RKO when Gunga Din was filmed.

Somewhere in the Night (1946) - 110 mins

Starring John Hodiak, Nancy Guild, Lloyd Nolan, Richard Conte & Josephine Hutchinson.

Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz

George Taylor (John Hodiak) is a war veteran suffering from amnesia with only two clues to his past: the bitter letter from a woman who hates him and another mysterious letter signed "Larry Cravat." Taylor goes to Los Angeles to meet Cravat. It turns out that Cravat is wanted for murder and the robbery of $2 million. George becomes involved with a singer, Christy (Nancy Guild) and is chased by mobsters while on a search for the stolen money. There ensue a series of chases, an interesting plot twist and a surprise ending as John learns the true identity of Cravat.

Somewhere in the Night is the quintessential "amnesia victim" as protagonist film, engrossing and suspenseful.

The Son of Dr. Jekyll (1951) - 78 mins

Starring Louis Hayward, Jody Lawrence, Alexander Knox, Lester Matthews & Gavin Muir

Directed by Seymour Friedman

Edward Jekyll (Louis Hayward) is the son of Dr. Jekyll. Long after the unpleasantness involving Dr. Jekyll's doppelganger Mr. Hyde, young Edward hopes to prove that his father was a dedicated scientist, and not merely a mad monster. His nemesis in this endeavor is Curtis Lanyon (Alexander Knox), executor for the Jekyll estate, who hopes to drive Edward into insanity and irrational behavior so he can keep the late doctor's legacy for himself by resorting to murder and frame-ups to make Edward appear to be as insane as his father.

Sequel to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941) which is also available from this website.

Son of Fury (1942) - 98 mins

Starring Tyrone Power, Gene Tierney, George Sanders, Francis Farmer, Elsa Lanchester & John Carradine.

Directed by John Cromwell

When his brother dies, scheming Arthur Blake (George Sanders) kidnaps his own nephew, Benjamin (played as a youth by Roddy McDowall and as an adult by Tyrone Power). Arthur's purpose is to claim his brother's dukedom for himself. Put to work as a stable boy, Benjamin grows up and develops a crush on his own cousin Isabel (Frances Farmer). When Arthur discovers this, he mercilessly beats Benjamin, who runs away and sails to India on a cargo ship to make his fortune. In Polynesia, he and a friend, Caleb (John Carradine), jump ship and set up camp on a tropical island paradise. There, Benjamin and Caleb become rich mining pearls, while Benjamin falls in love with a native girl, Eve (Gene Tierney). Now that he has amassed wealth, however, Benjamin is determined to return to England and get his revenge on Uncle Arthur.

This fabulous period swashbuckler film is based on the adventure novel Benjamin Blake by Edison Marshall, who also wrote The Vikings (1958).

Tyrone Power: that fabulous adventurer … other great Tyrone Power movies available from this website are: The Mark of Zorro (1940), Johnny Apollo (1940), Blood and Sand (1941), The Black Swan (1942), 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 Son of Monte Cristo (1940) - 102 mins

Starring Louis Hayward, Joan Bennett, George Sanders, Florence Bates & Lionel Royce

Directed by Rowland V. Lee

Though set in 1865, The Son of Monte Cristo is a thinly disguised indictment against 20th century dictatorships. Louis Hayward plays the title character, Edmond Dantes Jr., who while posing as an epicene dandy works tirelessly to topple the regime of fascistic Balkan despot Count Gurko (George Sanders). Under cover of night, Hayward dons mask and cape as "The Torch", a Zorro-like dogooder rallying the peasantry to rise up against Gurko and his ilk. As a bonus, he rescues the lovely Grand Duchess Zona (Joan Bennett) from an arranged marriage with the usurping Count.

Oscar Nominated for Best Art Direction

Excellent print! - much better than those on commercial release

The Son of Monte Cristo is independent producer Edward Small's sequel to his 1934 edition of the Alexandre Dumas classic: The Count of Monte Cristo - again using the same director Rowland V. Lee

Small also produced The Man in the Iron Mask (another Dumas tale) in 1939 and 1941's The Corsican Brothers from another Dumas work - all four are available from this website.

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.

Son of Sinbad (1955) - 91 mins

Starring Dale Robertson, Saly Forrest, Lili St. Cyr, Vincent Price, Mari Blanchard, Leon Askin & Jay Novello

Directed by Ted Tetzlaff

Hoping to rescue Bagdad from the forces of the dreaded Tamerlaine, Sinbad Jr (Dale Robertson) enlists the aid of the Khalif (Leon Askin) by promising to deliver the secret of "Greek Fire". To expedite this, he enlists the aid of the lovely Kristina (Mari Blanchard), who has memorized said secret. When the bad guys threaten the safety of hero and heroine, slave girl Ameer (Sally Forrest), who heads the all-female descendants of the original Forty Thieves, come galloping to the rescue.

"Personally produced by Howard Hughes, Son of Sinbad seems to be a clearing house for all of Hughes' voyeuristic fetishes; at one point, stripteaser Lili St. Cyr performs an exotic (and erotic) dance wearing the equivalent of a postage stamp, earning a Condemned rating from the Catholic Legion of Decency … It is up to Vincent Price to steal the show as Omar the Tentmaker, improvising passages of his unpublished "Rubiyat" (with a few anachronistic Shakespearean quotes thrown in) as he tries to keep apace with the hero. Also on hand is an uncredited (and fully clothed) Kim Novak as a handmaiden" (Trev: These are not my words!)

And of course, the original: Douglas Fairbanks Jr.'s Sinbad the Sailor (1947)

Sons of the Musketeers (1952) - See At Sword's Point elsewhere on this website

Sorry, Wrong Number (1948) - 89 mins

Starring Barbara Stanwyck, Burt Lancaster, Ann Richards, Wendell Corey & Ed Begley

Directed by Anatole Litvak

Barbara Stanwyck stars as bedridden hypochondriac Leona Stevenson, who while trying to make a call from her bedroom telephone gets her wires crossed and inadvertently overhears two men plotting a murder. Anxiously, Leona wades through telephone company bureaucracy to trace the call, never catching on - until it's too late - that the murder being planned is hers. A series of flashbacks details the disintegrating marriage between the wealthy Leona and her weakling husband Henry (Burt Lancaster), and Henry's subsequent disastrous get-rich-quick schemes involving chemist Waldo Evans and a surly gangster Morano.

For this role, Barbara Stanwyck received an Oscar Nomination for Best Actress

From the august pen of radio playright Lucille Fletcher, Sorry Wrong Number was first heard on radio's Suspense series in 1943, with Agnes Moorehead as the harried Mrs. Stevenson (a role she'd repeat several times on radio and on stage). Though disappointed that she wasn't chosen to star in the film version, Moorehead took some satisfaction in the fact that a recording of the original radio program was played constantly on the set to help keep Barbara Stanwyck "in the mood".

Lucille Fletcher wrote the screenplay in this challenging act of expanding her classic 30-minute radio suspenser onto a 89 minute feature film - earning nominations for both the Edgar Allan Poe & Writers Guild of America Award for Best Screenplay.

Note that a nice collection of Suspense Radio Shows can be found in the Radio Shows on MP3 CD section of this website - the collection includes Agnes Morehead's Sorry, Wrong Number as well as other Lucille Fletcher radio plays. The beautifully presented 4 CD set (including case & artwork) is free - with one small condition

Souls at Sea (1937) - 92 mins

Starring Gary Cooper, George Raft, Frances Dee, Henry Wilcoxon, Harry Carey & Robert Cummings

Directed by Henry Hathaway

Gary Cooper stars as Nuggin Taylor, first mate on a slave ship in 1842. Ironically, Nuggin is an abolitionist. When a mutiny overthrows the ship's skipper and leaves him in charge, he frees his cargo. Back in England, charges against Nuggin and his fellow shipmate Powdah (George Raft) are dropped. Nuggin is approached by British intelligence agents and asked to embark on a secret information-gathering mission that could end the slave trade. Nuggin agrees and Powdah accompanies him on a ship bound for America.

Paramount's answer to Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) - Coop & Raft - what a combination!

Nominated for 3 Academy Awards (Art Direction, Director & Score)

Gary Cooper: forever the great adventurer - these Gary Cooper titles are available from this website are:

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), For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943), Cloak and Dagger (1946), Unconquered (1947), Task Force (1949), Distant Drums (1951) & High Noon (1952)

South of St. Louis (1949) - 88 mins

Starring Joel McCrea, Alexis Smith, Zachary Scott, Dorothy Malone, Douglas Kennedy, Alan Hale & Victor Jory

Directed by Ray Enright

The story begins in the last days of the Civil War. Chased off their property by guerrillas, ranching partners Kip Davis (Joel McCrea), Charlie Burns (Zachary Scott) and Lee Prince (Douglas Kennedy) head southward to seek out a new life. Davis and Burns go into the gun-running business, while Prince joins the Confederate Army. Kip and Charlie battle over the affections of saloon gal Rouge de Lisle (Alexis Smith), a turn of events that falls into the plans of rival gunrunner Luke Cottrell (Victor Jory). The three former friends soon find themselves enemies,.

Nice Technicolor print!

South Sea Woman (1953) - 99 mins

Starring Burt Lancaster, Virginia Mayo, Chuck Connors, Barry Kelley, Hayden Rourke & Leon Askin

Directed by Arthur Lubin

This lusty adventure romp begins at the military trial of Marine sergeant O'Hearn (Burt Lancaster), facing a court-martial for desertion. In flashback, O'Hearn recalls how he was stranded in Shanghai while trying to break up the impending marriage between his pal David White (Chuck Connors) and brassy nightclub photographer Ginger Martin (Virginia Mayo). The two marines try to make it back to Pearl Harbour, but they undergo several hair-raising adventures along the way, including a sticky involvement with a group of French resistance fighters. The upshot of all this is that O'Hearn arrives in Pearl after the Japanese attack, and as such is branded as a coward. It is up to Ginger Martin to provide the evidence that will clear our hero but she isn't too fond of O'Hearn at the moment.

Burt Lancaster and Virginia Mayo had previously appeared together in another fabulous adventure story: The Flame and the Arrow (1950).

Burt Lancaster also made a number of other adventure films of a similar vein: The Flame and the Arrow (1950), Ten Tall Men (1951), The Crimson Pirate (1952), His Majesty O'Keefe (1954).

Then, of course there were his powerful performances in gritty noirs and dramas: 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), Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), Seven Days in May (1964), The Train (1964).

All of the above are available from this website

And how about a Lancaster film that includes elements of the above, namely a gritty & powerful action/adventure outing? - check out Rope of Sand (1949) - which is also available from this website

Spaceflight IC-1 (1965) - 65 mins

Starring BillWilliams, Norma West, John Cairney, Jeremy Longhurst & Donald Churchill

Directed by Bernard Knowles

In this sci-fi film set in 2015, the civilized world is controlled by an all-powerful computerized government that is carefully choosing colonists for its newest space launch. The candidates are selected on the basis of their age, health and IQ. They are only in space a few weeks when the crew begins to rebel against the inhuman control of the computer. They then mutiny and in place of the autocracy, they establish a small democratic society and begin searching for a planet to call their own.

Spaceways (1953) - 76 mins

Starring Howard Duff, Eva Bartok, Alan Wheatley, Philip Leaver, Cecile Chevreau & Andrew Osborn

Directed by Terence Fisher

American rocket scientist Stephen Mitchell (Howard Duff) works day and night to realize his goal of sending the first man-made satellite into outer space. Meanwhile, Mitchell's wife Vanessa (Cecile Chevreau) is carrying on an affair with fellow-scientist Crenshaw (Andrew Osborn). Not long after Mitchell discovers this, the satellite is launched ahead of schedule. Since both his wife and her lover have disappeared at the same time, Mitchell is accused of murdering the pair and stuffing their corpses into the spaceship. To prove his innocence, Mitchell volunteers to go up in a second ship with mathematician Lisa (Eva Bartok) to conduct a search of the satellite.

Adapted from the popular British radio serial of the same name, Spaceways is a dual-market science fiction effort, co-financed by England's Hammer Films and America's Lippert Studios.

Other Howard Duff films of which Trev is a huge fan and which are available from this website are Illegal Entry (1949), Spy Hunt (1950) & Shakedown (1950).

The Spanish Gardener (1956) - 97 mins

Starring Dirk Bogarde, Jon Whiteley, Michael Hordern, Cyril Cusack & Maureen Swanson

Directed by Philip Leacock

More a character study, the movie depicts an insecure man who sees his son's close relationship with their Spanish gardener and is jealous of it. Torn by the jealousy, he contrives to frame the man and have him sent off to jail, but the gardener escapes. When the son discovers what his father has done, he runs off to be with the gardener, with his father hot in pursuit.

A powerful film with Dirk Bogarde in superlative form

Spellbound (1945) - 111 mins

Starring Ingrid Bergman, Gregory Peck, Michael Chekhov, Leo G. Carroll & Rhonda Fleming

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

The staff of a "upper class" mental institution eagerly awaits the arrival of the new director. When the man in question shows up, it turns out to be handsome psychiatrist Dr. Anthony Edwardes (Gregory Peck). But something's wrong, here: Peck seems much too young for so important a position; his answers to the staff's questions are vague and detached; and he seems unusually distressed by the parallel marks, left by a fork, on a white tablecloth. Doctor Peterson (Ingrid Bergman) comes to the correct conclusion that Peck is not the new director, but a profoundly disturbed amnesiac and, possibly, the murderer of the real director. Gradually falling in love with Peck, Bergman begins fearing for his well-being; she and Peck leave the asylum, hiding out in the home of her mentor, psychoanalyst Michael Chekhov. Though Chekhov warns that she might be protecting a killer, Bergman believes in Peck's innocence.

Oscar Winner for Miklos Rozsa's score plus 5 other nominations (including Best Picture & Best Director)

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The Spider and the Fly (1949) - 88 mins

Starring Eric Portman, Guy Rolfe, Nadia Gray, George Cole & John Carol

Directed by Robert Hamer

In Paris immediately before WW I, the destinies of three people become intertwined. Phillipe de Ledocq (Guy Rolfe), a resourceful safecracker who always manages to elude arrest; Fernand Maubert (Eric Portman) is a police-chief who will not rest until Ledocq is behind bars; Madeleine Saincaize (Nadia Gray) is beloved by both Ledocq and Maubert. Just as Maubert has managed to capture his man, Ledocq is released at the behest of the government, who wants him to steal secrets from the German embassy revealing the whereabouts of the Kaiser's secret agents. And just how does Madeleine figure into all of this?

Fabulous thriller!

The Spiral Staircase (1945) - 83 mins

Starring Dorothy McGuire, George Brent, Ethel Barrymore, Kent Smith & Rhonda Fleming

Directed by Robert Siodmak

The wonderfully suspenseful psychological drama Spiral Staircase is the prototype of the "old dark house, lady in distress" thriller, full of dark corners, flickering candles and featuring a mysterious, menacing killer whose true identity remains hidden until the end. Helen Capel (Dorothy McGuire), mute because of a childhood trauma, cares for the owner of the house, the wealthy Mrs. Warren (Ethel Barrymore), a demanding, widowed invalid. Helen has quietly fallen in love with one of Mrs. Warren's sons, Dr. Parry (Kent Smith), who she believes to be a gentle and understanding man. Helen's peaceful life is changed forever when three local women, all with physical handicaps, are found murdered. The movie builds to a suspenseful conclusion as Helen finds herself in the midst of a life-and-death battle in the house, as the true identity of the murderer is revealed. Dorothy McGuire is exquisite as the innocent, sweet Helen and gives a totally convincing performance in the difficult role. She uses her expressive face to perfectly convey Helen's emotions, fear and ultimate bravery. Ethel Barrymore won an Academy Award nomination for her performance as Mrs. Warren and plays the difficult "Grande Dame" with great relish. Director Robert Siodmak, noted for his stylish direction of atmospheric suspense films, uses all his plot devices with great skill and craftsmanship, increasing the suspense and sense of foreboding as Helen is observed through the eyes of her stalker, who the audience sees only as a pair of menacing eyes.

One of the original scary movies! - I well remember being very well scared at my first viewing (in the family lounge room)

Split Second (1953) - 85 mins

Starring Stephen McNally, Alexis Smith, Keith Anders, Paul Kelly & Richard Egan.

Directed by Dick Powell

Actor Dick Powell made an impressive film debut with the taut atomic-age suspenser Split Second. Convicts Stephen McNally, Paul Kelly and Frank DeKova escape to a ghost town in the Nevada desert. Only it isn't exactly a ghost town, but a "dummy village" constructed for the purpose of A-bomb testing. The criminals hold several hostages, including reporter Keith Andes, nightclub singer Jan Sterling, selfish socialite Alexis Smith, her doctor-husband Richard Egan and her newest boyfriend Robert Paige. Andes suspects that the deserted town is at Ground Zero of the latest bomb test, but he can't convince the convicts until it's almost too late. The best and most horrifying sequence occurs near the end, when the criminals, accompanied by the duplicitous Ms. Smith, discover that they're driving towards the A-bomb target instead of away from it.

Novelist Irving Wallace collaborated on the script of Split Second with Chester Erskine and William Bowers.

The Spoilers (1942) - 87 mins

Starring Randolph Scott, Marlene Dietrich, John Wayne, Margaret Lindsay & Harry Carey

Directed by Ray Enright

Prospector Roy Glennister (Wayne) is continually persecuted by Alexander McNamara (Randolph Scott), who has the law on his side, until the two decide to settle their dispute man-to-man in a spectacular reel-long fistfight. Dietrich plays saloon-hall gal Cherry Mallote, who becomes the romantic bone of contention between Glennister and McNamara.

Oscar Nominated for Best Art Direction.

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

Springtime in the Sierras (1947) - 75 mins

Starring Roy Rogers, Jane Frazee, Andy Devine, Stephanie Bachelor & Roy Barcroft

Directed by William Witney

Jean Loring (Stephanie Bachelor) has her men illegally killing and selling game out of season. Roy suspects her and gets himself invited to stay at her ranch. Whislt investigating he finds the freezer where the slaughtered game are kept. But he is caught, tied up, and left to freeze

Opined as one of Roy's best ever westerns, this film is remembered for the novelty of a female villain and the famous fight which takes place in the freezer between Roy and Loring's henchman Matt Wilkes (Roy Barcroft, who else)

The film was also made at the time when Republic Pictures were concerned about the recent marriage of Roy to usual female lead Dale Evans. Dale had appeared with Roy in the previous western Bells of San Angelo (1947) but she was replaced for Springtime in the Sierras (1947) with (effectively) two female leads Jane Frazee & Stephanie Bachelor. Dale Evans would eventually return to the fold, two years later when producers realized that she was now vital to continued box-office success for Roy Rogers westerns

Nicely restored, uncut Trucolor print!

There are several Roy Rogers westerns (all uncut) available from this (INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES) section of the website: Cowboy and the Senorita (1944), Bells of Rosarita (1945), Bells of San Angelo (1947), Springtime in the Sierras (1947), Bells of Coronado (1950), Trigger, Jr. (1950) & Trail of Robin Hood (1950).

Additionally, a nice 6 DVD collection of 18 uncut Roy Rogers Westerns (which includes Springtime in the Sierras) can be found in the "B" WESTERN SERIES section of this website.

Spy Hunt (1950) - 75 mins

Starring Howard Duff, Marta Toren, Robert Douglas, Philip Dorn & Walter Slezak

Directed by George Sherman

Roger Quain (Howard Duff) arrives in Europe to look after the welfare of two zoo-bound black panthers. Catherine Ulven (Marta Toren), a secret agent for an unnamed country, decides to smuggle a valuable piece of film to America by hiding it in the collar of one of the big cats. If it were this easy, the film would be over in ten minutes. Instead, enemy agents Denson (Philip Friend), Paradou (Robert Douglas) and Kopel (Dorn) target Roger, Catherine, and the panthers for extermination. Thus the stage is set for a thrill-packed pursuit through the mountains of Switzerland. Based on the novel Panther's Moon by Victor Canning. Howard "Sam Spade" Duff in an exciting and tense film

Howard Duff also did another nice thriller in 1950: Shakedown - its also available from this website - see above

Other Howard Duff films of which Trev is a huge fan and which are available from this website are Illegal Entry (1949) & Spaceways (1953).

The Spy in Black (1939) aka U-Boat 29 (1939) - 79 mins

Starring Conrad Veidt, Sebastian Shaw, Valerie Hobson, Marius Goring, June Duprez & Athole Stewart

Directed by Michael Powell

A German World War I submarine captain (Conrad Veidt) is given a mission to discover British intelligence secrets. Once he arrives in the Orkney Islands, he meets up with a female schoolteacher (Valerie Hobson), who happens to be a German agent. Veidt falls in love with Hobson before discovering she's actually a double agent for the British.

In USA, The Spy in Black was originally released under the title U-Boat 29

Screenplay by Emeric Pressburger - his first collaboration with director Powell before 1940's Contraband (aka Blackout), 49th Parallel (1941), One of Our Aircraft is Missing (1942) & The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943) - all of which are available from this website.

Note that The Spy in Black (1939) is part of the Powell, Pressburger & Veidt Combination which can be found in the Classic Movie Combinations section of this website

Note further that The Spy in Black (1939) is also part of the Powell & Pressburger … their War Films … Combination which can be found in the Classic Movie Combinations section of this website

Stagecoach (1939) - 96 mins

Starring Claire Trevor, John Wayne, Andy Devine, John Carradine & Thomas Mitchell

Directed by John Ford

Director John Ford combined action, drama, humor, and well-drawn characters in the story of a stagecoach set to leave Tonto, New Mexico for a distant settlement in Lordsburg, with a diverse group of passengers on board. Dallas is a woman with a scandalous past who has been driven out of town by the high-minded ladies of the community. Lucy Mallory is the wife of a cavalry officer stationed in Lordsburg, and she's determined to be with him. Hatfield is a smooth-talking cardsharp who claims to be along to "protect" Lucy, although he seems to have romantic intentions. Dr. Boone is a self-styled philosopher, a drunkard, and a physician who's been stripped of his license. Mr. Peacock is a slightly nervous whiskey salesman. Gatewood is a crooked banker who needs to get out of town. Buck is the hayseed stage driver, and Sheriff Wilcox is along to offer protection and keep an eye peeled for the Ringo Kid, a well-known outlaw who has just broken out of jail. While Wilcox does find Ringo, a principled man who gives himself up without a fight, the real danger lies farther down the trail, where a band of Apaches, led by Geronimo, could attack at any time.

Stagecoach offers plenty of cowboys, Indians, shootouts, and chases, aided by Yakima Canutt's remarkable stunt work and Bert Glennon's majestic photography of Ford's beloved Monument Valley. It also offers a strong screenplay by Dudley Nichols with plenty of room for the cast to show its stuff. John Wayne's performance made him a star after years as a B-Western leading man, and Thomas Mitchell won an Oscar for what could have been just another comic relief role. Thousands of films have followed Stagecoach's path, but no has ever improved on its formula.

Although there were Westerns before it, Stagecoach quickly became a template for all movie Westerns to come.

Academy Award wins for Best Supporting Actor (Thomas Mitchell) & Best Music. Nominations for Picture, Director, Cinematography, Art Direction & Editing

Stage Fright (1950) - 110 mins

Starring Jane Wyman, Marlene Dietrich, Michael Wilding, Richard Todd & Alistair Sim

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Eve Gill (Jane Wyman), an aspiring young actress, shelters a fellow acting student, Jonathan Cooper (Richard Todd) from the police. He is suspected of murdering the husband of his mistress, Charlotte Inwood (Marlene Dietrich), a famous singer. Jonathan claims that he became implicated when he tried to help Charlotte destroy the evidence. Eve's eccentric father, Commodore Gill, agrees to hide Jonathan in his house while she proves his innocence. To do this, Eve becomes Charlotte's temporary maid. Eve's father devises a plan to force Charlotte to confess in front of the inspector investigating the case, Wilfred Smith (Michael Wilding). When the plan doesn't work, Eve tries blackmailing Charlotte into a confession while the police listen outside her dressing room. Charlotte agrees to pay, but insists that Jonathan is the real killer.

Hitch in top form!

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Stage to Tucson (1950) - 81 mins

Starring Rod Cameron, Wayne Morris, Kay Buckley, Sally Ellers & Carl Benton Reid

Directed by Ralph Murphy

Synopsis : Two Civil War officers (Rod Cameron & Wayne Morris) become federal agents and are sent west to investigate a series of stagecoach hijackings. The criminals tend to bypass gold and valuables, and are seemingly interested only in the weapons carried on these coaches. It turns out that the hijackers are secret secessionists, hoping to achieve victory for the Southern cause.

Stage to Tucson manages to pack a passel of thrills into its 82 minutes.

One of two nicely turned Rod Cameron westerns in this INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section of the website - the other being Panhandle (1948)

Note that there is a nice set of Rod Cameron westerns in the “B” Westerns section of this website

Stand-In (1937) - 91 mins

Starring Leslie Howard, Joan Blondell, Humphrey Bogart, Alan Mowbray & Marla Shelton

Directed by Tay Garnett

Bookish bank employee Atterbury Dodd (Leslie Howard) is ordered to investigate the near-bankrupt Colossal Studios in Hollywood, to see if the firm is any sort of good risk. Dodd's first brush with Tinseltown's quite different atmosphere occurs when he takes a room in a boarding house for extras, where all manner of eccentrics wander about as they wait for the phone to ring. He befriends Lester Plum (Joan Blondell), a former child star now working as a stand-in for haughty movie queen Thelma Cheri (Marla Shelton), and perpetually soused producer Douglas Quintain (Humphrey Bogart). Aware that the latest epic of autocratic director Koslofski (Alan Mowbray) will ruin the studio, Howard investigates further, discovering that a rival company has bribed Koslofski to pad the budget and thus bring about the foreclosure of Colossal. While his business sense tells him that this is the next logical move, Dodd has fallen in love with Plum.

Based on a Saturday Evening Post story by Clarence Buddington Kelland, this is a light-hearted satire of the movie industry which re-teams Leslie Howard & Humphrey Bogart after their rivetting performances together in The Petrified Forest (1936) - which is also available from this website

Stanley and Livingstone (1939) - 101 mins

Starring Spencer Tracy, Nancy Kelly, Richard Greene, Walter Brennan, Charles Coburn, Henry Hull & Cedric Hardwicke

Directed by Henry King

Spencer Tracy plays 19th-century American journalist Henry M. Stanley, an adventure-prone sort who is assigned by his editor (Henry Hull) to locate lost Scottish missionary David Livingstone (Cedric Hardwicke) in darkest Africa. There are perils aplenty before the inevitable meeting in the clearing, capped by the immortal courtesy "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?" Though seriously ill, Livingstone is content ministering to the natives, declining Stanley's invitation to return home. Upon arriving back to civilization, Stanley tells his story of Dr. Livingstone, but without tangible proof, he is accused of perpetrating a fraud.

Twentieth Century-Fox borrowed Spencer Tracy, from MGM for the sprawling historical drama and it comes pretty close to living up to Fox's ad-campaign slogan "The Most Heroic Exploit the World Has Known."

Star of Midnight (1935) - 90 mins

Starring William Powell, Ginger Rogers, Paul Kelly & Gene Lockhart

Directed by Stephen Roberts

Clay Dalzell is a suave attorney fonder of solving crimes than trying cases. His elegant girlfriend, Donna hopes that Clay will settle down and marry her. A friend, Tim Winthrop approaches Clay with a mystery that the amateur sleuth can't resist. Tim's girlfriend Alice disappeared a year ago. During the performance of a Broadway play, Tim spots Alice onstage, but she disappears again. Clay takes the case and sets up a meeting with a gossip columnist who seems to have the answers, but the reporter is murdered and Clay is suspected of the crime.

Yes its RKO doing their version of The Thin Man with Ginger Rogers replacing Myrna Loy. Check out RKO's The Ex-Mrs Bradford (also available from this website) for another RKO "version" of The Thin Man (with Jean Arthur instead of Myrna Loy)

Stars in My Crown (1950) - 89 mins

Starring Joel McCrea, Ellen Drew, Dean Stockwell, Alan Hale, Lewis Stone, James Mitchell & Amanda Blake

Directed by Jacques Tourneur

Civil War veteran Josiah Grey (Joel McCrea) comes to a small town to be a gospel minister. In time he has a family and many friends, but he also finds friction with a few of his parishioners. A young doctor grates at what he feels is the parson's interference in the scientific treatment of patients, and a mine owner resents Grey's protection of an old sharecropper whose small plot of land stands in the way of his continued mining. Grey must face a public health crisis and a lynch mob as a result, all seen and described through the eyes and memory of Grey's young nephew John

State Secret (1950) (aka The Great Manhunt) - 104 mins

Starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Glynis Johns, Herbert Lom, Jack Hawkins & Walter Rilla

Directed by Sidney Gilliat

Dr. John Marlowe, an American surgeon, is contacted by the authorities of Vosnia, an Eastern European country. They ask him to operate on General Niva, the president dictator. The physician accepts the deal and performs the operation. Unfortunately Niva dies and the government, unwilling to let the people know about it, replaces Niva by a lookalike. Marlowe has now become a man who knows too much

Often considered as The Lady Vanishes meets The Third Man, this film is a delight: an intelligent and witty suspense yarn from a novel by Roy Huggins and scripted by director Sidney Gilliat (who also scripted Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes).

Station West (1948) - 80 mins

Starring Dick Powell, Jane Greer, Tom Powers, Steve Brodie, Raymond Burr & Agnes Morehead

Directed by Sidney Lanfield

Dick Powell stars as Haven, an undercover military intelligence officer assigned to investigate the murders of two cavalrymen. Travelling incognito, Haven arrives in a small frontier outpost, where saloon singer Charlie (Jane Greer) controls all illegal activities. After making short work of Charlie's burly henchman (Guinn Williams), Haven gets a job at her gambling emporium, biding his time and gathering evidence against the gorgeous crime chieftain Cast as a philosophical bartender, Burl Ives is afforded at least one opportunity to sing. A western, yes but a great story has been developed into a great screenplay, here and the cast is terrific.

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

Stopover Tokyo (1957) - 100 mins

Starring Robert Wagner, Joan Collins, Edmond O'Brien, Reiko Oyama & Larry Keating

Directed by Richard L. Breen

Novelist John P. Marquand's soft-spoken Japanese detective Mr. Moto was brought to the screen in an entertaining 1930s B-picture series by 20th Century-Fox (which is available from the Movies Series section of this website). But when the same studio purchased Marquand's novel Stopover Tokyo in 1957, Mr. Moto was totally excised from the screenplay. The film's main character is an American intelligence agent Mark Fannon (Robert Wagner) who is assigned to protect the US ambassador to Japan (Larry Keating) from assassination. Fannon is stymied by the ambassador's refusal to cooperate. This makes it all the easier for communist spy George Underwood (Edmond O'Brien) to set a time bomb in the embassy. Fannon races against time to neutralize the bomb, and in so doing loses the love of Tina Llewellyn (Joan Collins), who wants no part of the espionage racket.

Stopover Tokyo was a rare excursion into directing by Oscar-winning screenwriter Richard L. Breen.

Storm Over the Nile (1955) - 107 mins

Starring Anthony Steel, Laurence Harvey, James Robertson Justice, Mary Ure, Ronald Lewis & Ian Carmichael

Directed by Zoltan Korda & Terence Young

This fourth film version of A.E.W. Mason's adventure yarn The Four Feathers closely resembles the more famous 1939 adaptation (both were produced by Alexander Korda and codirected by Korda's brother Zoltan). Anthony Steel stars as 19th century British officer Harry Faversham, who begs off from serving with Kitchener's forces in the Sudan, preferring to stay in London with fiancée Mary Burroughs (Mary Ure). Almost immediately, Faversham receives the traditional "white feather" of cowardice from his three closest friends - and then is handed a fourth feather by Mary. Determined to prove that he is not a coward, Faversham heads off to the Sudan to fight shoulder-to-shoulder with his comrades. He also intends to return those dreaded feather to his three former friends, even resorting to native disguise at one point to do so. Laurence Harvey essays the old Ralph Richardson role of John Durrance, who is blinded by the sun and thus unaware of Faversham's true identity, while James Robertson Justice fills the shoes of Four Feathers' crusty C. Aubrey Smith.

Note that The Four Feathers (1939) is also available from this website

The Story of G.I. Joe (1947) - 108 mins

Starring Burgess Meredith, Robert Mitchum, Freddie Steele, Wally Cassell & Jimmy Lloyd

Directed by William A. Wellman

The Story of G.I. Joe was based on the columns of Scripps-Howard war correspondent Ernie Pyle (Burgess Meredith). Though already past 40, Pyle insists upon marching along with an Army infantry unit during the Italian campaign. He befriends several of the soldiers, including commanding officer Lt. Walker (Robert Mitchum in his breakthrough role), family man Sgt. Warnicki (Freddie Steele) and would-be romeo Private Dondaro (Wally Cassell). The "plot" of the film is moved forward by the progression of the war itself;

Many infantry veterans consider The Story of GI Joe to be the single most realistic Hollywood war film of the 1940s, eschewing big stars, phony heroics and overblown battle sequences in favor of the everyday trials and tribulations of the humble foot soldier. Ironically, Pyle, who acted as technical adviser when he wasn't busy on the front, was killed by an enemy sniper shortly before the release of this film.

Oscar Nominations for Best Supporting Actor (Robert Mitchum), Music, Song & Screenplay

Yep - this is the one - Bob Mitchum's only Academy Award Nomination!

The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men (1952) - 84 mins

Starring Richard Todd, Joan Rice, Peter Finch, James Hayter, James Robertson Justice & Martita Hunt

Directed by Ken Annakin

Released in the US as The Story of Robin Hood, this colorful costume adventure was the second made-in-Britain production for Hollywood's Walt Disney. Avoiding the familiar episodes covered in previous "Robin Hood" films, this Disney effort still manages to adhere to the basic chronology. Richard Todd stars as the Earl of Huntington, who loses his title and his lands after besting the despotic Sheriff of Nottingham (Peter Finch) at an archery tournament. Reinventing himself as Robin Hood, our hero rounds up other victims of the oppression of the Sheriff and his dictatorial liege Prince John (Hubert Gregg), and thus the "Merry Men" are born. Robbing the rich to give to the poor, Robin manages to elude the villains and to prove his loyalty to John's brother Richard the Lionhearted (Patrick Barr) by raising the money for Richard's ransom. The Queen (Martita Hunt) is to deliver the ransom to Richard's Austrian captors, but Prince John schemes to steal the money and place the blame on Robin Hood. Maid Marian (Joan Rice) gets wind of this plan but is locked in John's dungeon before she can warn Robin and his men. How can virtue triumph with these odds?

Fabulous color print!

The Strange Door (1951) - 81 mins

Starring Charles Laughton, Boris Karloff, Sally Forrest, Richard Wyler & William Cottrell

Directed by Joseph Pevney

Reunited for the first time since 1932's The Old Dark House, Charles Laughton and Boris Karloff star in this Universal melodrama. Based on a Robert Louis Stevenson story, the film casts Laughton as unhinged French aristocrat Alan De Maletroit. Angered when his sweetheart jilts him in favor of his brother Edmond (Paul Cavanuagh), De Maletroit tosses Edmond in his castle dungeon, then years later forces Edmond's daughter Blanche (Sally Forrest) into a marriage of convenience with the seemingly worthless Dennis de Beaulieu (Richard Stapley). Imprisoned within the walls of the castle by the overbearing De Maletroit, Blanche and Dennis fall genuinely in love, then conspire with De Maletroit's long-suffering servant Voltan (Boris Karloff) to escape.

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946) - 116 mins

Starring Kirk Douglas, Barbara Stanwyck, Lizabeth Scott, Van Heflin & Judith Anderson

Directed by Lewis Milestone

In earlier times, young heiress Martha Ivers fails to run off with friend Sam Masterson, and is involved in fatal events. Years later, Sam returns to find Martha the power behind Iverstown and married to "good boy" Walter O'Neil, now district attorney. At first, Sam is more interested in displaced blonde Toni Marachek than in his boyhood friends; but they draw him into a convoluted web of plotting and cross-purposes. Douglas' debut film

The Stranger (1946) - 95 mins

Starring Edward G. Robinson, Loretta Young, Orson Welles, Philip Merivale & Richard Long

Directed by Orson Welles

The Stranger is often considered Orson Welles' most "traditional" Hollywood-style directorial effort. Welles plays a college professor named Charles Rankin, who lives in a pastoral Connecticut town with his lovely wife Mary (Loretta Young). One afternoon, an extremely nervous German gentleman named Meineke arrives in town. Professor Rankin seems disturbed, but not unduly so, by Meineke's presence. He invites the stranger for a walk in the woods, and as they journey farther and farther away from the center of town, we learn that kindly professor Rankin is actually notorious Nazi war criminal Franz Kindler. Conscience-stricken by his own genocidal wartime activities, Meineke has come to town to beg his ex-superior Kindler to give himself up.

Stranger From Venus (1954) - 75 mins

Starring Patricia Neal, Helmut Dantine, Derek Bond, Cyril Luckman, Willoughby Gray & Kenneth Edwards

Directed by Burt Balaban

An alien comes to our planet to deliver an ultimatum concerning our ill-advised use of nuclear weapons. He lands in England and despite coming with openness and peace, the officials respond with lies and a foolish attempt to steal his space ship.

Sounds like a UK version of The Day The Earth Stood still - and it is (even down to the starring role of Patricia Neal) - but there are some neat twists in this version with Helmut Dantine in excellent form as "The Stranger"

The Stranger in Between (1952) - See Hunted elsewhere on this website

Stranger on Horseback (1955) - 66 mins

Starring Joel McCrea, Miroslava Stern, Kevin McCarthy, John McIntire, John Carradine & Nancy Gates

Directed by Jacques Tourneur

Circuit Judge Richard 'Rick' Thorne (Joel McCrea) makes it his mission in life to clean up the town of Bannerman. This proves difficult, in that the town is virtually owned by the Bannerman family. But when the family's youngest son Tom (Kevin McCarthy) commits murder, Thorne vows to bring the boy to justice and to see that he gets a fair trial, despite pressure from the Bannermans' enemies.

One of Joel McCrea's shorter western vehicles, Stranger on Horseback zipps merrily along at a mere 66 minutes and in the process unveils Czech-Mexican actress Miroslava Stern (making one of her rare American film appearances) as McCrea's love interest; shortly after Stranger on Horseback was released, Miroslava committed suicide, allegedly as a result of an unhappy romance with bullfighter Luis Miguel Dominguin.

Stranger on the Third Floor (1940) - 65 mins

Starring Peter Lorre, John McGuire, Margaret Tallichet, Charles Waldron & Elisha Cook Jr.

Directed by Boris Inkster

Often described as the "First Film Noir", this little nugget tells of a newspaper reporter who gives truthful but circumstantial evidence at the murder trial of a pathetic loser called Briggs. Briggs is convicted despite crying his innocence and the reporter begins to feel guilty for the key role he played in the trial. Haunted by memories of the poor man's pleas, he begins to wonder.

Part courtroom drama, part murder mystery, with a memorable dream sequence, you can't but help wonder if David Lynch is extremely familiar with this film.

Strangers on a Train (1951) - 101 mins

Starring Farley Granger, Ruth Roman, Robert Walker, Leo G. Carroll, Patricia Hitchcock & Kasey Rogers

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

In one of Alfred Hitchcock's suspense classics, tennis pro Guy Haines (Farley Granger) chances to meet wealthy wastrel Bruno Anthony (Robert Walker) on a train. Having read all about Guy, Bruno is aware that the tennis player is trapped in an unhappy marriage to to wife Miriam (Laura Elliott) and has been seen in the company of senator's daughter Ann Morton (Ruth Roman). Baiting Guy, Bruno reveals that he feels trapped by his hated father (Jonathan Hale). As Guy listens with detached amusement, Bruno discusses the theory of "exchange murders." Suppose that Bruno were to murder Guy's wife, and Guy in exchange were to kill Bruno's father? With no known link between the two men, the police would be none the wiser, would they? When he reaches his destination, Guy bids goodbye to Bruno, thinking nothing more of the affable but rather curious young man's homicidal theories. What now?

Co-adapted by Raymond Chandler from a novel by Patricia Highsmith, Strangers on a Train perfectly exemplifies Hitchcock's favorite theme of the evil that lurks just below the surface of everyday life and ordinary men.

Oscar Nomination for Best B&W Cinematography.

The Stranger Wore a Gun (1953) - 83 mins

Starring Randolph Scott, Claire Trevor, Joan Weldon, George Macready, Lee Marvin & Ernest Borgnine

Directed by André De Toth

Having been a spy for Quantrill's raiders during the Civil War, Jeff Travis thinking himself a wanted man, flees to Arizona where he runs into Jules Mourret who knows of his past. He takes a job on the stage line that Mourret is trying to steal gold from. When Mourret's men kill a friend of his he sets out to get Mourret and his men. When his plan to have another gang get Mourret fails, he has to go after them himself.

Yep, that’s both Lee Marvin & Ernest Borgnine in supporting roles.

Street of Chance (1942) - 74 mins

Starring Burgess Meredith, Claire Trevor, Louise Platt, Sheldon Leonard & Jerome Cowan

Directed by Jack Hively

"Paramount's Street of Chance is an early, and certainly not full-fledged, entry in the film noir canon. It qualifies mainly for being based on a work by that master of paranoia and cruel fate, Cornell Woolrich (who wrote the novel, The Black Curtain on which the film is based) - using the familiar amnesia premise to trigger the protagonist's alienation - and by its oppressively moody low-key lighting. The first few reels offer a true noir milieu of urban angst and displacement -- the hero, injured by falling construction material, discovers a year-long lapse in his life - and worse, he's suspected of murder and has a completely unremembered lover in addition to his puzzled wife. As the film progresses and he narrows in on the truth, it resolves itself into something closer to Gothic melodrama, with a more traditional view of human transgression and frailty."

Paramount's B-picture unit offered a higher degree of professionalism than most, reflected by the fine level of performance and technical achievement here. Burgess Meredith's lead character is far too benign to be a true Woolrichian anti-hero, but Claire Trevor shows underlying tinges of femme-fatale which would serve her well later in her career.

Streets of Laredo (1949) - 93 mins

Starring William Holden, Macdonald Carey, Mona Freeman, William Bendix, Stanley Ridges & Alfonso Bedoya

Directed by Leslie Fenton

Texas, 1878: cheerful outlaw-buddies Jim Dawkins (William Holden), Lorn Reming (Macdonald Carey) and Reuben ‘Wahoo’ Jones (William Bendix) rescue spunky orphan Rannie Carter (Mona Freeman) from rustling racketeers, then are forced to separate. Lorn goes on to bigger and better robberies, while Jim and Wahoo are (at first reluctantly) manoeuvred into joining the Texas Rangers. For friendship's sake, the three try to keep out of direct conflict, but a showdown begins to look inevitable. And Rannie, now grown into lovely young womanhood, must choose between Lorn and Jim.

Streets of Laredo (1949) is a streamlined and Technicolor remake of Paramount's 1936 box-office champ The Texas Rangers. It meticulously recreates the most famous scene from the original, wherein one of the film's more sympathetic characters is abruptly shot to death from under a table; the scene still works, though it packed a bigger wallop in The Texas Rangers (1936).

The Texas Rangers (1936) and its sequel Texas Rangers Ride Again (1940) are also available from this website (see below).

All 3 titles: The Texas Rangers (1936), Texas Rangers Ride Again (1940) & Streets of Laredo (1949) are available in a special 2 DVD set titled Texas Rangers which is available from within the Classic Movie Combinations section of this website

The Street With No Name (1948) - 91 mins

Starring Mark Stevens, Richard Widmark, Lloyd Nolan, Barbara Lawrence & Ed Begley

Directed by William Keighley

After two gang-related killings in "Center City," a suspect (who was framed) is arrested, released on bail...and murdered. Inspector Briggs of the FBI recruits a young agent, Gene Cordell, to go undercover in the shadowy Skid Row area (alias George Manly) as a potential victim of the same racket. Soon, Gene meets Alec Stiles, neurotic mastermind who's "building an organization along scientific lines." Stiles recruits Cordell, whose job becomes a lot more dangerous

A Study in Terror (1965) - 95 mins

Starring John Neville, Donald Huston, John Frazer, Anthony Quayle, Robert Morley, Frank Findlay & Judy Dench

Directed by James Hill

Sherlock Holmes and his companion Dr. Watson search for the Victorian serial killerJack the Ripper in this well-made mystery. In this story, the redoubtable duo obtain assistance from Holmes' brother Mycroft as they track down the crazed killer of prostitutes. This film combines all the elements beloved by fans of Sherlock Holmes resulting in a satisfying and well-acted mystery. John Neville is good as the cool, logical Holmes and Robert Morley adds a nice dash of humor to liven up the story.

Yep -its Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper! - with Inspector Lestrade being played by Frank Findlay - a role he assayed again in 1979's Murder By Decree which is another Holmes vs. Ripper story

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

Submarine Command (1951) - 87 mins

Starring William Holden, Nancy Olson, William Bendix, Don Taylor, Arthur Franz & Darryl Hickman

Directed by John Farrow

Lt. Cmdr. Ken White (William Holden), during an enemy attack, orders that his submarine dive to avoid destruction. Though his action saves his crew, it results in the death of the machine-gunner left topside during the attack. With the exception of vindictive chief torpedo-man Boyer (William Bendix), no one holds White to task for his decision, save for White himself, who is plagued with guilt and doubt. Helping to alleviate White's plight is his fiancee Carol (Nancy Olson). The thrill-packed climax finds White's submarine engaged in a sabotage action against communist forces off the coast of Korea.

William Holden is in top form in this great action piece

Submarine Command reunites the romantic leads from Sunset Boulevard: William Holden and Nancy Olsen - which is also available from this website

Sudden Danger (1955) - 66 mins

Starring Bill Elliott, Tom Drake, Beverly Garland, Dayton Lummis & Helene Stanton.

Directed Hubert Cornfield

A woman who heads a sportswear manufacturing company is found dead. Although it is ruled a suicide, Lieutenant Andy Doyle of the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department believes she was murdered, and his subsequent investigation begins to focus on the woman's son, who was blinded by her in an accident several years before.

Nice Print Quality!

This is the second in Bill Elliott's "Suits & Fedoras" (Andy Doyle/Flynn) Series

Other films from the series Dial Red 0 (1955), Calling Homicide (1956), Chain of Evidence (1957) & Footsteps in the Night (1957) are also available from the INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section of the website.

The whole series is also available from the Movie Series A-M section of this website (under "B" for "Bill")

Note: A variety of "Wild Bill" Elliott western DVD sets are available from the Westerns section of this website

Further Note: "Wild Bill" Elliott three serial outings are available from the Movie Serials section of this website

Sudden Fear (1952) - 110 mins

Starring Joan Crawford, Jack Palance, Gloria Grahame, Bruce Bennet & Mike Connors

Directed David Miller

Actor Lester Blaine has all but landed the lead in Myra Hudson's new play when Myra vetoes him because, to her, he doesn't look like a "romantic leading man." On a train from New York to San Francisco, Blaine sets out to prove Myra wrong by romancing her. Is he sincere, or does he have a dark ulterior motive? The answer brings on a game of cat and mouse; but who's the cat and who's the mouse?

Solid suspense thriller with many neat twists.

Suddenly (1954) - 77 mins

Starring Frank Sinatra, Sterling Hayden, James Gleason, Nancy Gates, Willis Bouchey & Kim Charney.

Directed by Lewis Allen.

A tense, somewhat prescient drama in which Sinatra plays a psychopathic triggerman hired to kill the United States President. On the way he and his two partners take over a widow's house, which is perfectly situated for an ambush. After Kennedy's assassination, the film was shelved and Sinatra tried to have the prints destroyed, the reason being that there is a key sequence in the film where previous historical assassination attempts are discussed (eg John Wilkes Booth etc) and that they had all failed!

An absolutely rivetting white-knuckle thriller that never lets up ofr flags - a great film with a great cast! - Frank Sinatra (never better) as the psychopathic sharpshooter John Baron up against Sterling Hayden's dependable town Sheriff Tod Shaw, with great support from James Gleason as 'Pop' Benson

One of my Dad's favourite films … then again he was a big fan of Sinatra's music

Excellent B&W print - much better than commercial offerings

Trivia Note: At the startof this film, the little boy ("Pidge" who proves to have a pivotal role) is standing outside a cinema looking at a poster for the film on show. Its Beachhead (1954) - a rather excellent Pacific theare WWII technicolor adventure starring Tony Curtis & Frank Lovejoy. This film is also available from this website.

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:

Manhandled (1949), Asphalt Jungle (1950), Denver & Rio Grande (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), 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)

Sugarfoot (1951) - 80 mins (aka Swirl of Glory)

Starring Randolph Scott, Adele Jergens, Raymond Massey & S. Z. Sakall

Directed by Edwin L. Marin

A former Confederate Army officer known only as "Sugarfoot" is hoping to start life anew and to this end rides into the town of Prescott, Arizona. But he manages to incur the wrath of territorial bigwigs Jacob Stint and Asa Goodhue, who've carried a grudge against him since the Civil War. Fortunately he also gets on the good side of saloon-hall singer Reva Cairn. The scene is set for conflict.

Sugarfoot was renamed Swirl of Glory when released to television, to avoid confusion with the TV series Sugarfoot

The Sundowners (1960) - 133 mins

Starring Robert Mitchum, Deborah Kerr, Peter Ustinov, Glynis Johns, Dina Merril & Chips Rafferty

Directed Fred Zinnemann

Ida Carmody (Deborah Kerr) is married to Paddy (Robert Mitchum), a sheep drover whose nomadic existence makes him blissfully content. Neither Ida nor their son Sean share his love for roaming, in fact, Ida convinces her husband to take on a job as a sheep-shearer so they can finally have enough to get a mortgage on a farm. At first Paddy agrees but obviously does not know his own mind because in no time at all, he rebels though that is not the end of it.

Peter Ustinov is also featured as Vanneker, a bachelor who comes to stay with the family, and Glynis Johns plays a hotelkeeper out to change Vanneker's non-marital status.

A western-style drama set in Australia in the 1920s with directer Fred Zinnemann in great form

Shot on location in Australia (& Trev well remembers the filming at the time) - fabulous wide-screen Technicolr print

Five Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Director, Actress (Deborah Kerr), Supporting Actress (Glynis Johns) & Screenplay

Sunset Blvd. (1950) - 110 mins

Starring William Holden, Gloria Swanson, Erich von Stroheim, Nancy Olson & Fred Clark.

Directed by Billy Wilder

Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard ranks among the most scathing satires of Hollywood and the cruel fickleness of movie fandom. The story begins at the end as the body of Joe Gillis (William Holden) is fished out of a Hollywood swimming pool. From The Great Beyond, Joe details the circumstances of his untimely demise (originally, the film contained a lengthy prologue wherein the late Mr. Gillis told his tale to his fellow corpses in the city morgue, but this elicited such laughter during the preview that Wilder changed it). Hotly pursued by repo men, impoverished, indebted "boy wonder" screenwriter Gillis ducks into the garage of an apparently abandoned Sunset Boulevard mansion. Wandering into the spooky place, Joe encounters its owner, imperious silent star Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson). Upon learning Joe's profession, Norma inveigles him into helping her with a comeback script that she's been working on for years. Joe realizes that the script is hopeless, but the money is good and he has nowhere else to go. Soon the cynical and opportunistic Joe becomes Norma's kept man. While they continue collaborating, Norma's loyal and protective chauffeur Max Von Mayerling (played by legendary filmmaker Erich von Stroheim) contemptuously watches from a distance.

Three Oscars (Art Direction, Music & Writing) plus 8 further nominations (including Best Picture, Actor & Actress)

Super-Sleuth (1937) - 70 mins

Starring Jack Oakie, Ann Sothern, Eduardo Ciannelli, Alan Bruce & Edgar Kennedy

Directed by Benjamin Stoloff

Jack Oakie stars as an egotistical movie actor who specializes in detective roles. Despite the gentle remonstrations of his girl friend (Ann Sothern), Oakie fancies himself a genuine master sleuth, and in this capacity offers his services to the law in helping to solve a recent series of "poison pen" murders. Is the seemingly benign criminologist (Eduardo Cianelli), who supplies him technical information on his film roles, the actual murderer? Edgar Kennedy plays the real detective on the case who whilst trying to solve the mystery himself, must contend with Oakie being nearly bumped off in the criminologist's "chamber of horrors."

Great Stuff

Susannah of the Mounties (1939) - 78 mins

Starring Randolph Scott, Shirley Temple, Margaret Lockwood, Martin Good Reader, J. Farrell MacDonald, Moroni Olsen & Victor Jory

Directed by Walter Lang & William A. Seiter

The sole survivor of an Indian attack, orphan girl Susannah ‘Sue’ Sheldon (Shirley Temple) becomes the mascot of the Canadian Mountie outpost headed by Superintendent Andrew Standing (Moroni Olsen). Mountie Angus "Monty" Montague (Randolph Scott) and his sweetheart (and Standing's daughter), Vicky (Margaret Lockwood), appoint themselves as Susannah's unofficial parents, doing their best to help the girl overcome her terrible ordeal. Eventually, it is "little miss fix-it"Susannah who brings peace between the Mounties and the Blackfeet, but not before Monty is nearly burned at the stake by the renegade Indian responsible for fomenting all the trouble.

Based on a novel by Muriel Denison

Excellent B&W print

Suspended Alibi (1956) - 62 mins

Starring Patrick Holt, Honor Blackman, Valentine Dyall, Naomi Chance & Lloyd Lamble

Directed by Alfred Shaughnessy

A married editor who is having an affair pretends that he is visiting an army friend, to keep his wife from suspecting him of infidelity. But while he is with the girlfriend, his friend is murdered, and the editor is suspected of the crime.

A tidy little story: neatly told

An early important role for Honor Blackman - later to be Catherine Gale in The Avengers and Pussy Galore in Goldfinger (1964)

Sweet Smell of Success (1957) - 96 mins

Starring Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Susan Harrison, Martin Milner, Jeff Donnell, Emile Meyer & Sam Levene

Directed by Alexander Mackendrick

Burt Lancaster stars as J. J. Hunsecker, a Walter Winchell-style columnist who wields his power like a club, steamrolling friends and enemies alike. Tony Curtis co-stars as Sidney Falco, a sycophantic press agent who'd sell his grandmother to get an item into Hunsecker's popular newspaper column. Hunsecker enlists Falco's aid in ruining the reputation of jazz guitarist Steve Dallas (Martin Milner), who has had the temerity to court Hunsecker's sister Susan (Susan Harrison). Falco contrives to plant marijuana on Dallas, then summons corrupt, sadistic NYPD officer Harry Kello (Emile Meyer), who owes Hunsecker several favours, to arrest the innocent singer.

A sharp-edged, penetrating film, Sweet Smell of Success is now regarded as a model of street-smart cinematic cynicism. The electric performances of the stars are matched by the taut direction of Alex MacKendrick, the driving jazz score of Elmer Bernstein, and the evocative nocturnal camerawork of James Wong Howe.

Burt Lancaster also made a number of other 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), Run Silent Run Deep (1958), Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), Seven Days in May (1964) & The Train (1964).

Then, of course there were his fabulous adventure films: The Flame and the Arrow (1950), Ten Tall Men (1951), The Crimson Pirate (1952), South Sea Woman (1953) & His Majesty O'Keefe (1954).

All of the above are available from this website

And how about a Lancaster film that includes elements of the above, namely a gritty & powerful action/adventure outing? - check out Rope of Sand (1949) - which is also available from this website

Swiss Family Robinson (1960) - 126 mins

Starring John Mills, Dorothy McGuire, James MacArthur, Janet Munro, Tommy Kirk, Kevin Corcoran & Sessue Hayakawa

Directed by Ken Annakin

With the shipwreck of the Robinson family occurring as the credits roll across the screen, Swiss Family Robinson is down to business. Fashioning a raft, the family heads to a lush tropical island. While the mother (Dorothy McGuire) isn't too happy about being a castaway, the father (John Mills) and the sons Fritz, Ernst & Francis (James MacArthur, Tommy Kirk & Kevin Corcoran respectively) are thrilled at the prospect of carving out a new life for themselves. In short order, the industrious Robinsons have constructed a treehouse with all the creature comforts and "utilities" of their home in Switzerland. Later on, the little party is joined by Roberta (Janet Munro), the daughter of a sea captain who has been captured by pirate Kuala (Sessue Hayakawa) and his band. After a series of adventures calculated to arouse the envy of every viewer, the film comes to a rousing conclusion as the Robinsons resourcefully fend off Kuala and his pirates with a variety of jerry-built booby traps.

Filmed on location in Trinidad and Tobago

A box-office winner to the tune of $30 million!

Adapted from the novel of the same name by Johan Wyss

Note that this title along with The Great Locomotive Chase (1956) & Third Man on the Mountain (1959) are part of a 3 DVD set of Disney's Fabulous Adventures which can be found in the Classic Movie Combinations of this website.

Note that The Great Locomotive Chase (1956) & Third Man on the Mountain (1959) are also available from within this (INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES) section as well.

Sword in the Desert (1949) - 109 mins

Starring Dana Andrews, Märta Torén, Stephen McNally, Jeff Chandler, Philip Friend & Liam Redmond

Directed by George Sherman

During World War II, cynical freighter captain Mike Dillon (Dana Andrews) hopes to take the money and run after helping to smuggle Jewish refugees ashore in pre-Israel Palestine. But against his will, he's drawn into the escalating fight between British occupation forces and the founders of Israel.

Excellent outdoors action / adventure piece

Quality Note: An OK print (but not perfect)

Sword in the Desert ran into distribution difficulties due to its blatant anti-British slant especially as manifested in the underground radio broadcasts of Märta Torén.

Jeff Chandler makes his movie debut as an Israeli rebel leader, Kurta - his performance garnered so much fan mail that Chandler was given a seven-year contract at Universal.

The Sword of Monte Cristo (1951) - 80 mins

Starring George Montgomery, Rita Corday, Berry Kroeger, William Conrad, David Bond & Steve Brodie

Directed by Maurice Geraghty

The Sword of Monte Cristo picks up where the Dumas original leaves off. The titular sword is not only valuable in itself, but also provides clues to the whereabouts of the Count of Monte Cristo's missing fortune. The conniving chief minister of France (Berry Kroeger) will stop at nothing to gain possession of the sword. He is challenged by an officer (George Montgomery) loyal to emperor Louis Napoleon (David Bond). Aiding the officer is a beautiful countess (Rita Corday), whose true intentions are in doubt until the final scenes.

Great action sequences with George Montgomery to the fore again!

Sword of Sherwood Forest (1960) - 80 mins

Starring Richard Greene, Sarah Branch, Peter Cushing, Richard Pasco, Nigel Green & Niall MacGinnis

Directed by Terence Fisher

Having portrayed Robin Hood on TV for five years, Richard Greene reprises the role in Hammer Films' Sword of Sherwood Forest. This time, Robin does a little undercover work to determine the wicked machinations of the Sheriff of Nottingham (played by Hammer stalwart Peter Cushing). Our Hero and the Merrie Men do their best to foil a plot to kill the Archbishop of Canterbury. Sarah Branch co-stars as the obligatory Maid Marian.

Yes it Richard Greene playing Robin Hood on the big screen in fabulous wide-screen technicolor!

Take My Life (1947) - 79 mins

Starring Hugh Williams, Greta Glynt, Marius Goring, Francis L. Sullivan & Harry Edwards

Directed by Ronald Neame

When a Covent Garden violinist is found murdered, her ex-lover, show business manager Nicholas Talbot (Hugh Williams) finds himself under suspicion. The only person who believes that Talbot is innocent is his wife, opera diva Phillipa Shelley (Greta Gynt). Unable to convince the authorities, Phillipa plays detective herself, utilizing a snatch of a newly written song as her main clue to the true killer's identity. If the mysterious murderer isn't all that mysterious to the audience, it is only because the actor in question had played too many similar roles in the past.

Cinematographer Ronald Neame made his directorial debut with this murder melodrama - great stuff!

A Tale of Two Cities (1935) - 128 mins

Starring Ronald Colman, Elizabeth Allan, Edna May Oliver, Reginald Owen & Basil Rathbone

Directed by Jack Conway

An elaborate adaptation of Dickens' classic tale of the French Revolution. Dissipated lawyer Sydney Carton defends emigre Charles Darnay from charges of spying against England. He becomes enamored of Darnay's fiancée, Lucie Manette, and agrees to help her save Darnay from the guillotine when he is captured by Revolutionaries in Paris.

Absolutely the finest of all versions of the venerable novel by Charles Dickens, and superb filmmaking on every conceivable level, with the definitive career performance from the great Ronald Colman. There's not a false note sounded among the literally hundreds of supporting performances.

Truly one of the great films of all time, and an honor to view, whether it's the first or the hundred-and-first time you've seen it.

A Tale of Two Cities (1958) - 117 mins

Starring Dirk Bogarde, Dorothy Tutin, Paul Guers, Marie Versini, Ian Bannen & Cecil Parker

Directed by Ralph Thomas

Dissipated lawyer Sydney Carton defends emigre Charles Darnay from charges of spying against England. He becomes enamored of Darnay's fiancée, Lucie Manette, and agrees to help her save Darnay from the guillotine when he is captured by Revolutionaries in Paris.

A remake but nonetheless a faithful retelling of the Dickens tale with Dirk Bogart as a convincing Sydney Carlton.

Tall in the Saddle (1944) - 87 mins

Starring John Wayne, Ella Raines, Ward Bond, George "Gabby" Hayes, Audrey Long & Elisabeth Risdon

Directed by Edwin L. Marin

Rocklin (John Wayne) is a chauvinistic cowboy who arrives at the KC Ranch in Santa Inez to apply for a job as a foreman. But when he finds that the owner has died and that the ranch is now being run by two women: Clara Cardell (Audrey Long) and her aunt Miss Martin (Elizabeth Risdon), he hardheadedly refuses to work for them. But later on, Clara comes looking for Rocklin, asking his help in obtaining a letter from the town's corrupt judge Garvey (Ward Bond) that proves that Clara is old enough to be the legal owner of the ranch. Rocklin arrives in Garvey's office just after Garvey has burned the letter. The two tangle, with Rocklin sending Garvey crashing through his door. After the fight, Rocklin meets Arly Harolday (Ella Raines), another female ranch owner. Rocklin's views on women enrage Arly so much that she gets her stepfather (Donald Douglas) to hire him to work on her ranch, just so she can fire him. But in spite of Rocklin's primitive attitudes, Arly falls in love with him. Meanwhile, things are heating up as Garvey and other corrupt officials try to get control of the KC ranch. In order to get rid of Rocklin, a murder rap is pinned on him, forcing him to leave town.

A hard-driving cowboy yarn with some memorable scenes.

Tall Man Riding (1955) - 83 mins

Starring Randolph Scott, Dorothy Malone, Peggie Castle, William Ching, John Dehner & Robert Barrat

Directed by Lesley Selander

Forced to lay low for several years after being forced out of town by land baron Tucker Ordway, Larry Madden returns to wreak vengeance against Ordway and claim the land that is rightfully his. Madden also hopes to rekindle the flames of romance with his ex-fiancee, Ordway's daughter Corinna.The tension lies not in whether or not Madden will get what he wants but whether or not he can be dissuaded from becoming a murderer and, then a fugitive for the rest of his life.

A sturdy western this, dealing with territorial land granting in Montana - the film benefits from the brisk, no-nonsense direction of Lesley Selander, in one of his few Warner Bros. assignments

The Tall Men (1955) - 122 mins

Starring Clark Gable, Jane Russell, Robert Ryan, Cameron Mitchell, Juan Garcia & Harry Shannon

Directed by Raoul Walsh

Gable plays Ben Allison, who with his brother Clint (Cameron Mitchell) journeys to Montana in search of gold. They come upon wealthy businessman Nathan Stark (Robert Ryan), whom they try to rob of $20,000. Instead, Stark talks Ben and Clint into becoming partners with him on a cattle drive to Montana. As the group travels to Texas, they come upon a party of settlers being attacked by Indians. They save the saucy Nella Turner (Jane Russell) and she joins with Ben, who has been made trail boss, and Clint on the cattle drive. Ben and Nella are attracted to each other but after an initial fling, Nella rejects him - Ben just wants enough money to buy a small ranch and Nella won't settle for slim pickings. Arriving in Fort Worth, Nella takes up with Stark, whose desire to make as much money as possible coincides with Nella's money-hungry ambitions. But when, at Stark's insistence, she accompanies him on the final trek to Montana, the seething friction between Ben and Stark erupts as the drive heads into dangerous Indian country.

Clark Gable & Jane Russell are a great combination in this rugged widescreen western, exquisitely photographed by Leo Tover and directed by veteran action expert Raoul A. Walsh.

The Tall Stranger (1957) - 81 mins

Starring Joel McCrea, Virginia Mayo, Barry Kelley, Michael Ansara, Whit Bissell & Michael Pate

Directed by Thomas Carr

When he recovers he becomes suspicious of the two outsiders who are leading the train into a dead-end valley owned by Braving his relative's animosity going back to the Civil War, Bannon makes contact to try and avoid a showdown

Union officer Ned Bannon (Joel McCrea) comes across rustlers and is shot and left for dead, but is found in time by a wagon train heading for California. He is ostracized by those passengers who'd fought on the Confederate side, though Ellen (Virginia Mayo) welcomes his presence. Ned ultimately redeems himself in the eyes of the ex-Confederate homesteaders when he acts as mediator in a range dispute with a land baron and hostile half-brother, Hardy Bishop (Barry Kelly).

Based on a novel by the prolific Louis L'Amour, The Tall Stranger marks the reteaming of McCrea with Virginia Mayo - they had previously appeared together in the excellent Colorado Territory (1949) - which is also available from this section of the website.

The Tall T (1957) - 78 mins

Starring Randolph Scott, Richard Boone, Maureen O'Sullivan, Arthur Hunnicutt & Skip Homeier

Directed by Budd Boetticher

Having lost his horse in a bet, Pat Brennan hitches a ride with a stagecoach carrying newlyweds, Willard and Doretta Mims. At the next station the coach and its passengers fall into the hands of a trio of outlaws headed by a man named Usher. When Usher learns that Doretta is the daughter of a rich copper-mine owner, he decides to hold her for ransom. Tension build over the next 24 hours as Usher awaits a response to his demands and as a romantic attachment grows between Brennan and Doretta.

Perhaps the grittiest of the Randolph Scott-Budd Boetticher collaborations, The Tall T was adapted by Burt Kennedy from the Elmore Leonard short story The Captive.

The Tall Target (1951) - 78 mins

Starring Dick Powell, Paula Raymond, Adolphe Menjou, Marshall Thompson, Ruby Dee & Will Geer

Directed by Anthony Mann

Based on a true story: the attempted assassination of President-elect Abraham Lincoln, even before he was able to assume his duties in Washington. Dick Powell stars as New York detective John Kennedy, who learns of the assassination plot early on. When his superiors refuse to believe his wild tale, Kennedy quits the force and boards the Presidential train, hoping to prevent the killing on his own. The problem: who can he trust on board, and who can't be trusted? Ginny Beaufort (Paula Raymond), the sister of the would-be assassin, might be able to prevent the tragedy -- if she isn't in on the conspiracy, that is.

The film's nail-biting climax is brilliantly handled by Anthony Mann, whose directorial expertise was becoming sharper with each successive film in the early 1950s.

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

Tarantula (1955) - 80 mins

Starring John Agar, Mara Corday, Leo G. Carroll, Nestor Paiva & Ross Elliott

Directed by Jack Arnold

Professor Gerald Deemer has been working on a special nutrient to help ease a predicted food shortage that is expected to come with the increase in human population. His experiments have been moderately successful but there have been some failures as a result. One day while he is gone two of his colleagues inject themselves with the nutrient with disastrous results and die a few days later. One however goes mad and injects Deemer with the formula. During a struggle, a giant tarantula injected with the formula escapes its cage and grows even larger and starts to attack cattle as well as human beings.

Clint Eastwood has a small (uncredited) but very significant role here!

Target Earth (1954) - 75 mins

Starring Richard Denning, Kathleen Crowley, Virginia Grey, Richard Reeves, Robert Roark & Arthur Space

Directed by Sherman A. Rose

Set in Chicago, this sci-fier concentrates on four people who've congregated in the deserted city after a sudden and mysterious evacuation. The ill-matched foursome are Vicki Harris (Virginia Grey), a flashy, trashy blonde; Nora King (Kathleen Crowley), a young widow; Frank Brooks (Richard Denning), a man with a questionable past; and Jim Wilson (Dick Reeves), a brutish transient. Though they don't get along at first, the four strangers are compelled to unite against a common enemy: an invading army from outer space who use huge robots to do their dirty work.

Target Earth was adapted from Paul W. Fairman's short story Deadly City.

Tarzan's Greatest Adventure (1959) - 88 mins

Starring Gordon Scott, Anthony Quyle, Sara Shane, Niall MacGinnis, Sean Connery & Al Mulock

Directed by John Guillermin

When four British villians, the leader of which being an old enemy of Tarzan, raid a settlement to obtain explosives for use in a diamond mine. In doing so they kill a pair of natives and nearly destroy the settlement, and so Tarzan pursues them to their mine. Joining Tarzan on his hunt upriver is a beautiful American pilot, who has crash landed nearby

Note that this film is part of the Tarzan (Gordon Scott & Jock Mahoney) 4 DVD set which can be found in the Movie Series section of this website. This is the only item from that set (or any of the other Tarzan sets in the Movie Series section) which can be found in this section of the website - reason? Well its my all-time favourite Tarzan film - it had a huge impact on me as a kid (I saw it at least 4 times at the cinema) - fabulous cast and on-location filming - its an excellent color print - a gripping dramatic adventure - the best Tarzan film ever? - etc, etc ….

Task Force (1949) - 116 mins

Starring Gary Cooper, Jane Wyatt, Wayne Morris, Walter Brennan, Julie London, Bruce Bennett & Jack Holt

Directed by Delmer Daves

Task Force traces the history of the American aircraft carrier, as experienced by a group of naval air aces. Gary Cooper plays Admiral Jonathan L. Scott, who on the verge of retirement remembers his struggle to win recognition of the importance of aircraft carriers. The story begins in 1921, when Scott and his friend Pete Richard (Walter Brennan) were making dangerous landings on the primitive 65-foot carrier Langley. Scott's outspokenness wins him few friends among the brass, and after he publicly insults a Japanese diplomat on the subject of his beloved carriers, he is shunted away to a desk job. Naturally, once Pearl Harbor is attacked, Scott is vindicated. While his wife Mary (Jane Wyatt) waits patiently at home, Scott serves in World War II with distinction, guiding his carrier through a maze of Japanese artillery and kamikazes.

In a manner similar that that used in The Wizard of Oz, Task Force begins in B&W before moving to Technicolor after 97 minutes for the climactic battle - thereby utilizing the actual color battle footage filmed by the Signal Corps.

Gary Cooper: forever the great adventurer - these Gary Cooper titles are available from this website are:

Ten Days to Tulara (1958) - 77 mins

Starring Sterling Hayden, Grace Raynor, Rodolfo Hoyos Jr., Carlos Múzquiz & Juan Garcia

Directed by George Sherman

Tramp pilot Scott McBride (Sterling Hayden) goes to meet a Mr. Rodriguez who has a mission for him in the South American jungle. Rodriguez turns out to be Cesar (Rodolfo Hoyos), an old enemy of Scotty's, who demands that Scotty fly him and his henchmen, on the lam on a robbery and murder charge, to a waiting ship on the other side of the continent. Scotty can't refuse as his young son is being held hostage on the waiting ship. He also finds out that he is getting involved in theft of $280,000 worth of gold bars. His plane is disabled by police fire and they crash land and have to trek across the country, with Scotty now a wanted criminal along with the rest of the gang.

Sterling Hayden films which are available from this website are:

Tension (1950) - 95 mins

Starring Richard Basehart, Audrey Totter, Cyd Charisse & Barry Sullivan

Directed by John Berry

A drugstore manager turns killer after his conniving wife leaves him for another man. He devises a complex plan, which involves assuming a new identity, to make it look like someone else murdered her new boyfriend. Things take an unexpected turn when someone else commits the murder first and he becomes the prime suspect.

Nice set-up for a ripper story

Ten Tall Men (1951) - 97 mins

Starring Burt Lancaster, Jody Lawrence, Gilbert Roland, Kieron Moore, George Tobias & John Dehner

Directed by Willis Goldbeck

For his initial effort from his own Norma Productions, Burt Lancaster picked a winner in Ten Tall Men. Lancaster stars as "Sergeant Mike," a two-fisted Foreign Legionnaire presiding over a lovable band of mercenaries, sneak thieves and cutthroats. While sitting in the stockade for the umpteenth time, Mike learns of a Riff plan to attack his fort. He and his men break jail and embark on their own attack of the Riffian encampment. Part of their strategy (much of which is improvised on the spot) is to kidnap Mahia (Jody Lawrence), the toothsome daughter of the Riffian sheik. Understandably, Mahia despises her captors until she realizes that the film's real villain is the covetous Caid Hussan (Gerald Mohr).

This one's got everything, from a campy reenactment of a key scene in Beau Geste to the old reliable threat of a red-hot iron upon female flesh. Mari Blanchard shows up early in the film as a coquettish French mademoiselle who foments an all-out donnybrook among Mike and his fellow legionnaires.

Fabulous Color Print!

The film has some of the cheeky insouciance of Lancaster's subsequent swashbuckler The Crimson Pirate made in the following year. A year before, Burt had scored another hit with a similar tale: The Flame and the Arrow

Burt Lancaster also made a number of other adventure films of a similar vein: The Flame and the Arrow (1950), The Crimson Pirate (1952), South Sea Woman (1953), His Majesty O'Keefe (1954).

All of the above are available from this website

And how about a Lancaster film that includes elements of the above, namely a gritty & powerful action/adventure outing? - check out Rope of Sand (1949) - which is also available from this website

Ten Wanted Men (1955) - 80 mins

Starring Randolph Scott, Richard Boone, Jocelyn Brando, Leo Gordon, Lee Van Cleef & Skip Homeier

Directed by H. Bruce Humberstone

A powerful rancher John Stewart, attempts to establish law and order on his vast Arizona spread without resorting to violence. Less peacefully inclined is Stewart's chief rival Wick Campbell, who believes that might is right. To this end, Campbell recruits the services of hired gun Frank Scavo and eight other henchmen to drive all competition out of the territory. Complicating matters is a dispute between Stewart & Campbell over a Mexican girl that Stewart's been sheltering. Caught up in all this is Stewart's newly arrived brother Adam and his nephew Howie who falls in love with the Mexican girl, much to Campbell's chargrin.

Richard Boone in a strong supporting role.

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Terror in a Texas Town (1958) - 81 mins

Starring Sterling Hayden, Sebastian Cabot, Carol Kelly, Eugene Mazzola & Nedrick Young

Directed by Joseph H. Lewis

This near-legendary western stars Sterling Hayden as George Hanson, the son of a Swedish seaman-turned-farmer (Ted Stanhope). When he runs afoul of town boss Ed McNeil (Sebastian Cabot), Hanson's father is gunned down by McNeil's henchman Johnny Crale (Ned Young). Knowing full well that he can expect no help from the town's corrupt sheriff (Tyler McVey), Hanson takes matters in his own hands. Tension mounts steadily until the unforgettable climactic showdown, wherein Hanson arms himself with a harpoon! Extremely well written by Ben L. Perry (ghosting for Dalton Trumbo) Terror in a Texas Town was one of the last directorial efforts of cult favorite Joseph H. Lewis

Sterling Hayden films which are available from this website are:

Manhandled (1949), Asphalt Jungle (1950), Denver & Rio Grande (1952), The Golden Hawk (1952), Fighter Attack (1953), Crime Wave (1954), Prince Valiant (1954), Johnny Guitar (1954), Naked Alibi (1954), Suddenly (1954), Timberjack (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)

Terror on a Train (1953) - 73 mins

Starring Glenn Ford, Anne Vernon, Maurice Denham, Harcourt Williams & Victor Maddern

Directed by Ted Tetzlaff

This British MGM production Time Bomb was retitled as Terror on a Train for US consumption.

Glenn Ford stars as Peter Lyncourt, who during WW II had been in charge of a bomb demolition unit. As luck would have it, Lyncourt and his French wife Janine (Anne Vernon) are in the vicinity when a freight train carrying explosives to a dockyard chugs into view. Someone has placed a time bomb on the train, forcing an evacuation of the neighborhood and the summoning of the "UXB" corps.

Its brief, to the point, and oh, so suspenseful - a great little film with Ford (as always) likeable & dependable.

The Terror of Dr. Mabuse (1962) - 88 mins

Starring Gert Fröbe, Senta Berger, Helmut Schmid, Charles Régnier, Wolfgang Preiss & Leon Askin

Directed by Werner Klingler

This crime drama is a remake of Fritz Lang's The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933), which is also available from this website (below). This time, the malignant Mabuse attempts to enact his evil schemes by hypnotizing another to do them in his stead. A series of strange crimes sets a detective on the case. The hapless detective soon finds himself captured by Mabuse's evil pawn who tortures the investigator with electroshock treatments.

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

The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (aka Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse) (1933) - 122 mins

Starring Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Gustav Diessl, Rudolf Schündler, Oskar Höcker, Camilla Spira & Otto Wernicke

Directed by Fritz Lang

The film opens with Detective Hofmeister spying on the activities of a criminal syndicate. Not realizing he has been seen, Hofmeister is attacked by the thugs and later turns up out of his mind. He is placed in the institution of Professor Baum, who becomes increasingly obsessed with another patient - the master criminal and hypnotist Dr. Mabuse (Rudolf Klein-Rogge). Baum's assistant, Dr. Kramm connects Mabuse's writings to a series of the syndicate's recent criminal activities, and is murdered for his knowledge by crime lord Hardy who takes orders from a hidden Mabuse. Putting all these pieces together is chief investigator Lohmann, whose story plays out simultaneously with that of ex-cop Thomas Kent, a member of the gang who is torn between his need for money and his love for a young woman named Lilli.

Often considered a masterpiece of crime drama, this film is actually Fritz Lang's sequel to his nearly four-hour Dr. Mabuse silent of 1922.

Fritz Lang closed out his career by returning to Germany to film a further sequel (although some would argue, an extension) of this film called The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse (1960) which is also available from this website

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

Test Pilot (1938) - 118 mins

Starring Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, Myrna Loy, Lionel Barrymore & Marjorie Main

Directed by Victor Fleming

Jim Lane (Clark Gable) is a courageous test pilot, who compromises his achievements with his frequent bouts of drinking. Jim's mechanic, Gunner Morris (Spencer Tracy), does what he can to keep his boss out of trouble. While testing a new aircraft, Jim is forced to land on a Midwestern farm, where he meets and falls in love with Ann Barton (Myrna Loy). Jim and Ann marry, whereupon he is fired by his boss Howard B. Drake (Lionel Barrymore), who is of the opinion that flying and women don't mix. Whereupon Jim goes off on another bender, compelling Ann to leave him. Once more, Gunner comes to Jim's rescue by reuniting the couple and arranging for Drake to give JIm his job back. Later, Jim and Gunner are assigned to test a huge army bomber - The B-17: The Flying Fortress

Oscar Nominated for Best Picture, Film Editing & Writing.

Fabulous adventure story!

This is the second pairing of those two "mega-stars": Clark Gable & Spencer Tracy. They were to appear together on two other occasions - San Francisco (1936) & Boom Town (1940) - which are also available from this section of the website.

Also Test Pilot (1938) presents the classic teaming for Gable & Loy - later in the same year they combined again for another aviation-type film: Too Hot to Handle (1938) which is also available from this website

The Texican (1966) - 91 mins

Starring Audie Murphy, Broderick Crawford, Diana Lorys, Luz Márquez, Antonio Casas & Antonio Molino Rojo

Directed by Lesley Selander

Wanted north of the border, Jess Carlin (Audie Murphy) resides safely in Mexico. But when he hears that his brother was killed in a gunfight with another man. But he well realizes that his brother never carried a gun so he heads north to find his brother's killer. After battling bounty hunters he arrives in Rimrock, a town controlled by Luke Starr (Broderick Crawford). Starr is the man he wants but he needs to find the evidence

Also known as Texas Kid (1966)

This is Audie’s “Spaghetti Western” which he filmed in Spain with only director Selander & co-star Crawford for US-style company amongst a cast full of non-English speaking players. These cast-members spoke Spanish in the film and their lines are dubbed into English. Please note that said dubbing is not the great est. However the visuals are stunning thanks to excellent work by Spanish cinematographer Francisco Marín.

The Texans (1938) - 92 mins

Starring Randolph Scott, Joan Bennett, May Robson, Walter Brennan, Robert Cummings & Raymond Hatton

Directed by James P. Hogan

In the rough-and-tumble world of post-Civil War Texas, ex-Confederate soldier Kirk Jordan (Randolph Scott) crosses paths with ranch owner Ivy Preston (Joan Bennett). Although a loyal Southerner, Jordan can't get past the waste and tragedy of the four years that have just ended, but Ivy is eager to help keep the war for the Confederacy alive, running guns to her would-be lover, unrepentant ex-Confederate captain Alan Sanford (Robert Cummings), who is prepared to ally himself with the Mexican emperor Maximilian as a means of starting a new war against the "Yankee" government. Ivy is attracted to Jordan after he boldly helps her evade an army checkpoint, until she finds out how relatively peaceable he is. Jordan and his sidekick, Cal Tuttle (Raymond Hatton), are prepared to make a cattle drive to the new railhead at Abilene and sell at a handsome profit, but Ivy wants nothing to do with the United States or Yankee money.

The Texas Rangers (1936) - 98 mins

Starring Fred MacMurray, Jack Oakie, Jean Parker, Lloyd Nolan & George "Gabby" Hayes

Directed by King Vidor

Jim Hawkins (Fred MacMurray) is one of three outlaws working the Lone Star State in the years following the Civil War. Both Hawkins and his partner in crime Wahoo Jones (Jack Oakie) decide to go straight, but their bandit pal Sam McGee (Lloyd Nolan) has not quite seen the light. Eventually, Jim and Wahoo join the fledgling Texas Rangers, an organization dedicated to bringing law, order and honest government to their state, while McGee cuts a swath of terror with his new gang. The two reformed outlaws are assigned to bring in their old friend Sam to justice.

Released to coincide with the Texas Centennial, The Texas Rangers is a sprawling historical western made with the full cooperation of the real-life Texas Rangers.

Oscar Nominated for Best Sound

Paramount Studios, buoyed by the success of this film then mounted a second Texas Rangers film: Texas Rangers Ride Again (1940) - also available from this website - see below

The Texas Rangers was remade in Technocolor as Streets of Laredo (1949) which is also available from this website (see above).

Texas Rangers Ride Again (1940) - 70 mins

Starring John Howard, Ellen Drew, Akim Tamiroff, Broderick Crawford, May Robson & Anthony Quinn

Directed by James P. Hogan

Old Mrs. Dangerfield (May Robson) is experiencing a rash of cattle rustlings at her White Sage ranch and, fed up with her no-good grandson Carter's handling of the emergency, she contacts an old beau, Ranger Captain Ben Cadwallader of the Texas Rangers. Cadwallader assigns young Ranger Jim Kingston (John Howard) to infiltrate the gang. Kingston masquerades as The Pecos Kid on the lam. Filmed on location at Mesa, Arizona.

Although not a direct sequel, this well-apportioned B-Western from Paramount was produced to capitalize on the popularity of the studio's The Texas Rangers (1936). Unlike the earlier film, this one is set in the (then) modern times of the late 1930s - so we get cars and planes here and the Rangers often drive into the wild with their horses in a trailer in back.

This film (moreso than its predessor) provided the template for the successful Joel McCrea Radio Series and the TV Series both of which were titled Tales of the Texas Rangers - note that the Radio Series is available from the Radio Shows on MPs CD section of this website, whilst the TV Series is available from the TV Series section of this website

The first film The Texas Rangers (1936) as well as its Technicolor remake: Streets of Laredo (1949) - are also available from this website - see above

That Forsyte Woman (1949) - 110 mins

Starring Errol Flynn, Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, Robert Young, Janet Leigh & Harry Davenport

Directed by Compton Bennett

Loosely based on The Man of Property, Book One of John Galsworthy's Forsyte Saga, the film casts Garson as Irene Forsyte, the independently-minded wife of tradition-bound Victorian "man of property" Soames Forsyte (Flynn). Rebelling against her husband's repressed nature and preoccupation with material possessions, Irene falls in love with unconventional architect Philip Bossiney (Robert Young). When he proves to be too free-spirited even for her, Irene moves on to the Forsyte clan's black sheep, Young Jolyon (Walter Pidgeon). Soames makes a belated attempt to win his wife back, but once again proves incapable of warmth, compassion or understanding. The casting-against-type of Garson and Flynn was fascinating - Flynn in fact was slated to play either Bossiney or Young Jolyon, but insisted upon taking the less characteristic role of Soames.

Though one might have expected friction between MGM's resident "nice lady" Greer Garson and Warner Bros. notorious "bad boy" Errol Flynn, the two got along splendidly during this lavishly color filming of That Forsyte Woman

Oscar Nominated for Best Costume Design

That Hagen Girl (1947) - 83 mins

Starring Ronald Reagan, Shirley Temple, Rory Calhoun, Lois Maxell & Dorothy Peterson

Directed by Peter Godfrey

A young girl is adopted into a small town family, but instead of finding happiness, she finds her life a living nightmare due to neighbors' constant speculation as to her father's identity. The scuttlebutt is that she is the illegitimate daughter of a prominent lawyer and former resident (Ronald Reagan). The girl becomes especially sensitive to the gossip after she hits adolescence. Matters become more explosive when the lawyer returns from Washington D.C. and begins a romance with the girl's favorite teacher.

A nice teaming of Ronnie & Shirley - they remained close friends with Shirley taking up two U.S. Ambassador posts.

The film gave Shirley Temple her first role as a teen - in fact she was 19 at the time and pregnant with daughter Linda Agar (from husband John)

Them! (1954) - 94 mins

Starring James Whitmore, Edmund Gwenn, Joan Weldon, James Arness, Onslow Stevens & Sean McClory

Directed by Gordon Douglas

After several people in the New Mexico desert wind up missing or dead, including an F.B.I. agent and most of his family, police Sgt. Ben Peterson (James Whitmore) teams up with F.B.I. agent Bob Graham (James Arness) to find out what's causing the strange occurrences. They find a strange footprint found at one of the crime scenes and it is sent to the Department of Agriculture. Doctor Harold Medford (Edmund Gwenn) and his daughter Doctor Patricia Medford (Joan Weldon) arrive and ask to be taken to the scene of some of the disappearances. When they get there they are shocked to find gigantic ants, whose mutations were caused by the first atomic bomb explosion nine years earlier. They manage to destroy the nest of ants, but not before two winged queen ants and a couple of drones have hatched and escaped the nest. Now it is a race against time to find the two queen ants before they can establish more nests and hatch more queens.

Them! is also one of those vintage science-fiction thrillers that holds up as well today as it did when first released.

Oscar Nominated for Best Special Effects.

There Was a Crooked Man … (1970) - 126 mins

Starring Kirk Douglas, Henry Fonda, Warren Oates, Hume Cronyn, Burgess Meredith, John Randolph & Lee Grant

Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz

An offbeat 1970s black-comic Western with an all-star cast, this Joseph L. Mankiewicz film is set in 1883 in Arizona. Paris Pitman, Jr. (Kirk Douglas) is the leader of a band of outlaws that steals $500,000 from a wealthy businessman named Lomax (Arthur O'Connell). The other gang members die in a shootout, but Pitman escapes and hides the loot in women's underwear and drops it into a snake pit. After Lomax recognizes Pitman in a brothel, he is arrested by Sheriff Woodward Lopeman (Henry Fonda). At the territorial prison, Pitman bribes Warden Le Goff, offering him a share of the hidden money if he lets him escape. But before the scheme is carried through, the warden is killed by a prisoner. Lopeman becomes the new warden, and he is bent on ridding the prison of corruption. Pitman convinces Lopeman that he will cooperate with the reforms, then he uses the new freedoms given to him to plan an elaborate escape with several other men. The escape is to take place during an inspection by the governor.

The screenwriting team for this film was Robert Benton and David Newman, who had penned the brilliant Bonnie and Clyde.

An excellent movie with a jaw-dropping cast (nice song sung by Trini Lopez)

Fans of Warren Oates should also check out his role in Dillinger (1973) which are available from this website

These Are the Damned (1963) - 93 mins

Starring Macdonald Carey, Shirley Anne Field, Viveca Lindfors, Alexander Know & Oliver Reed

Directed by Joseph Losey

Simon Wells (MacDonald Carey) is an American visiting England, where he meets a woman named Joan (Shirley Ann Field). Simon is immediately attracted to Joan, but there's a considerable obstacle in their budding romance: Joan's brother King (Oliver Reed), the leader of a violent pack of motorcycle rockers. King has a barely concealed incestuous attachment to his sister, and he sometimes uses her to lure victims into his gang's clutches. King and his cronies attack Simon, take his money, and leave him stranded, where he's eventually found by a pair of military security men. Simon is brought to the home of Bernard (Alexander Knox), a scientist working on a secret project for the government, and his girlfriend Freya (Viveca Lindfors), a sculptor. Joan eventually tracks Simon down in hopes of winning his forgiveness, but another run-in with King causes Simon and Joan to discover a cave that holds a terrible secret: a group of strange, cold-blooded children who were the products of one of Bernard's experiments gone wrong. The children were genetically engineered to survive a nuclear war, and, as a result, they are radioactive enough to kill anyone who comes in close contact with them.

An unusual science fiction effort, which has won a small but fervent cult following - aka The Damned

They Can't Hang Me (1955) - 75 mins

Starring Terence Morgan, Yolande Donlan, Anthony Oliver, André Morell & Reginald Beckwith

Directed by Val Guest

Sentenced to death for murder, a civil servant reveals that he has long been a foreign agent smuggling secrets out of the country. He meets with special branch officer Inspector Brown and offers to reveal the identity of an elusive master spy in return for a reprieve. With five days before Pitt is to be hung, Brown sets out to trace the identity of the spy without having to reprieve Pitt.

Nicely paced thriller with Morell (as Pitt) in excellent form.

They Died With Their Boots On (1941) - 140 mins

Starring Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Arthur Kennedy, Charley Grapewin, Gene Lockhart & Anthony Quinn

Directed by Raoul Walsh

General George Armstrong Custer is a flamboyant and brilliant cavalry officer, who during the Civil War defies his superiors' orders and becomes a hero as a result. After a period of forced retirement in the postwar years, Custer is put in charge of the 7th Cavalry in the Dakota Territory. Here he whips this ragtag group into spit-and-polish shape, and also does his best to extend a neighborly hand to the local Indian tribes. Custer even goes so far as to promise Chief Crazy Horse that the white man will never set foot in the sacred Black Hills. Alas, Custer is betrayed by greedy gold prospectors, whipped into a frenzy by scheming land speculator Ned Sharp. Forced by circumstances to do battle against Crazy Horse to prevent tribal retaliation, Custer and his command ride towards a rendezvous with destiny at the Little Big Horn on June 25, 1876.

Historical inaccuracies abound but it’s a great story and well told!

This film represented the final screen pairing of Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland, a fact that lends poignancy to their classic parting scene. Though an extremely long film, They Died With Their Boots On is never dull, especially during the spectacular Custer's Last Stand finale.

They Drive by Night (1940) - 93 mins

Starring George Raft, Ann Sheridan, Humphrey Bogart, Ida Lupino, Gale Page & Alan Hale

Directed by Raoul Walsh

Brothers Paul and Joe Fabrini run a trucking business in California mainly shipping fruit from farms to the markets in Los Angeles. They struggle to make ends meet in the face of corrupt businessmen and intense competition. They are forced into driving long hours and one night pick-up waitress Cassie Hartley who's just quit her job at a truck stop. The three of them witness the death of a mutual acquaintance when he falls asleep at the wheel. This has a profound effect on Paul and Joe and they become determined to find a way to make the business pay so they can quit. A marvellous melodrama with Raft & Bogie and unforgettable dialog by Jerry Wald & Richard Macaulay.

They Live by Night (1948) - 95 mins

Starring Farley Granger, Cathy O'Donnell, Howard Da Silva, Jay C. Flippen & Helen Craig

Directed by Nicholas Ray

In the '30s, three prisoners flee from a state prison farm in Mississippi. Among them is 23-years-young Bowie, who spent the last seven years in prison and now hopes to be able to prove his innocence or retire to a home in the mountains and live in peace together with his new love, Kitty. But his criminal companions persuade him to participate in several heists, and soon the police believe him to be their leader and go after "Bowie the Kid" harder than ever.

They Live by Night has since gained stature as one of the most sensitive and least-predictable entries in the film noir genre. The film was based on a novel by Edward Anderson, and was director Nicholas Ray's first feature.

They Made Me a Fugitive (1947) (aka I Became a Criminal) - 95 mins

Starring Trevor Howard, Sally Gray, Griffith Jones, René Ray, Mary Merrall & Charles Farrell

Directed by Alberto Cavalcanti

Clem Morgan (Trevor Howard), an embittered ex-RAF pilot, mistakenly believes the life of crime is for him in this excellent British film noir, directed by Alberto Cavalcanti. He joins a gang of black marketeers led by Narcey (Griffith Jones), an egotistical and sadistic thug. The two develop an almost immediate mutual dislike, leading Narcey to frame Morgan for killing a policeman. While serving the resulting 15-year sentence, Morgan is visited by Narcey's sometime girlfriend Sally (Sally Gray), who tells him that the thug has taken up with the prisoner's fiancée, and that a witness to the frame might come forward. This triggers an even more bitter Morgan to escape and return to London to try to clear and avenge himself.

Released in the US as I Became a Criminal

They Met in Bombay (1941) - 92 mins

Starring Clark Gable, Rosalind Russell, Peter Lorre, Jessie Ralph, Reginald Owen, Matthew Boulton & Eduardo Ciannelli

Directed by Clarence Brown

Clark Gable and Rosalind Russell play Gerald Meldrick and Anya Von Duren, a pair of rival jewel thieves at large in India. Both parties are after the same prize, a priceless diamond owned by the Duchess of Beltravers (Jessie Ralph). To inveigle their way into the Duchess' confidence, Gerald poses as a Scotland Yard detective, while Anya pretends to be an aristocrat. After a series of cross-purposes, Gerald and Anya decide to team up, keeping one step ahead of a diligent police inspector (Matthew Boulton) and mercenary freighter captain Chang (Peter Lorre).

A nice pairing of Gable & Russell

They Met in the Dark (1943) - 95 mins

Starring James Mason, Joyce Howard, Tom Walls, Phyllis Stanley & Edward Rigby

Directed by Carl Lamac

In this WWII drama, naval commander Richard Heritage is distracted from his duties by a beautiful young woman who is secretly in cahoots with Nazi spies. By accident, Heritage lets her discover the sailing dates of American warships. The mistake costs the U.S. Navy a war ship and costs Heritage his post. After his court-martial, he sets off to find the girl who tripped him up and discovers that she has been killed. With the help of Laura Verity, he uncovers the Nazi spy ring, which is being operated under the guise of a British theatrical agency in the seaside town of Blackpool. The head of the outfit is master spy Christopher Child, a fearsome villain. Heritage hopes to redeem himself and win the heart of Laura by defeating Child and his schemes.

Top flight Mason!

They Were Expendable (1945) - 135 mins

Starring Robert Montgomery, John Wayne, Donna Reed, Jack Holt, Ward Bond & Marshall Thompson

Directed John Ford

John Brickley (Robert Montgomery) believes in PT boats, and as a lowly U.S. Navy lieutenant stationed in the Philippines, that makes him a radical thinker. A gently delivered but stinging dismissal from the Admiral stirs the resentment of Lt. "Rusty" Ryan (John Wayne), who tartly tells Brickley that he wants to be transferred to destroyers. The Pearl Harbor bombing makes transfer impossible, especially with the Japanese preparing to invade the islands. So Brickley and Ryan go to work, first as message carriers between the Philippines and Corregidor, then, finally, as ship hunters. They record some successes, but it's a doomed effort: The Americans are hopelessly outnumbered by the Japanese, and with almost all of the Pacific Fleet destroyed at Pearl Harbor, they know help won't arrive to save them. As the Japanese push the U.S. forces back, Brickley and Ryan and their crews hop from island to island, scrounging supplies and taking casualties but keeping up the fight. Just as it appears that they will be forced to fight on Corregidor against the Japanese, they get rescued; they're ordered home to promote their PT-boat successes, and they take the last plane out, hoping to return and avenge their defeats.

Fabulous big scale adventure!

Two Oscar nominations (Effects & Sound)

They Were So Young (1954) - 80 mins

Starring Scott Brady, Raymond Burr, Johanna Matz, Ingrid Stenn & Gert Fröbe

Directed by Kurt Neumann

Innocent young Eve Ullmann (Johanna Metz) is hired for a modelling job in South America. Upon her arrival, she finds herself broke, stranded and at the beck and call of a criminal gang. Escaping from the crooks, Johanna is rescued by Richard Lanning (Scott Brady), an engineer in the employ of tycoon Jaime Coltos (Raymond Burr). Unfortunately, Coltos turns out to be the leader of the gang from whom Eve has escaped.

Financed in Germany and filmed on location in Rio De Janeiro, They Were So Young (aka Mannequins für Rio) is an excellent adventure/noir with a first-rate cast and excellent production values.

They Won't Believe Me (1947) - 95 mins

Starring Susan Hayward, Robert Young, Jane Greer, & Rita Johnson

Directed by Irving Pichel

On trial for murder, Larry Ballantyne regurgitates an unbelievable story. He recounts how he philanders to other women while his rich loving wife Gretta tries to keep him in line. According to Larry, his girlfriend Verna dies accidentally in a car crash and his distraught wife tosses herself over a cliff after he runs out on her. The jury has a tough decision on this one.

The Thief (1952) - 85 mins

Starring Ray Milland, Martin Gabel, Harry Bronson, Rita Vale & Rex O'Malley

Directed Russell Rouse

The first American film since Chaplin's City Lights without any spoken dialogue. Ray Milland plays Allan Fields, a nuclear physicist who has sold out to a foreign power. With only a few tinges of conscience, Fields sets about to steal vital scientific secrets and smuggle them out of the country. With the FBI on his trail, he briefly hides out in a rundown tenement house, where he inaugurates a desultory romance with a sluttish woman (Rita Gam, making her auspicious film debut). On the verge of escaping without detection, Fields is forced to commit a murder and things quickly go downhill from there. The novelty of silence (except for natural sound effects) is intriguing and different.

Oscar Nominated for Best Music

Thieves Highway (1949) - 94 mins

Starring Richard Conte, Valentina Cortese, Lee J. Cobb, Barbara Lawrence & Jack Oakie

Directed Jules Dassin

A war-veteran-turned-truck driver attempts to avenge the crippling and robbing of his father at the hands of a crocked produce dealer in San Francisco. Masterfully directed by Jules Dassin with a script by A. I. Bezzerides (who also wrote the novel)

A classic noir from Dassin!

Thieves Like Us (1974) - 123 mins

Starring Keith Carradine, Shelley Duvall, John Schuck, Bert Remsen, Louise Fletcher & Tom Skerritt

Directed by Robert Altman

Depression-era criminals T-Dub (Bert Remsen), Chicamaw (John Schuck), and Bowie (Keith Carradine) band together to rob banks after escaping from a prison farm. Hiding out with Dee Mobley (Tom Skerritt) and Keechie (Shelley Duvall), and then with T-Dub's in-law Mattie (Louise Fletcher) between bank jobs, the three crooks are a loyal group, but increasingly sensational news accounts of their bloodless robberies force them to split up before their next crime. After a car accident, Chicamaw leaves the injured Bowie in Keechie's care. Love blossoms compelling Bowie to find a way to balance his bond to Keechie with his loyalty to his friends and the need for money to head for Mexico.

With its deceptively laid-back tone, eye for expressive detail, and ear for ironic juxtaposition, Thieves Like Us takes its place in Altman's exceptional body of early 1970s work.

Adapted from the same Edward Anderson novel as Nicholas Ray's They Live By Night (1949) - which can also be found on this website.

Note that John Dunning, who is credited for radio research in the credits, supplied the background music and radio programs like Gangbusters, The Heart of Gold, and an actual Romeo and Juliet dramatization which is heard while Duvall and Carradine are making love. (John Dunning wrote that fabulous OTR reference book: "On the Air" The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio")

Keith Carradine had appeared in Robert Aldrich's Depression era Emperor of the North (1973), the previous year (with Lee Marvin) - and in many respects the two films share a lot of common themes - as such the films are great companion pieces. (Emperor of the North is also available from this website).

The Thing From Another World (1951) - 87 mins

Starring Kenneth Tobey, Margaret Sheridan, Robert Cornthwaite, Dewey Martin, Douglas Spencer & James R. Young

Directed by Christian Nyby & Howard Hawks (uncredited)

The scene is a distant Arctic research station, where a UFO has crashed. The investigating scientists discover that the circular craft has melted its way into the ice, which has frozen up again. While attempting to recover the ship, Captain Patrick Hendry (Kenneth Tobey) accidentally explodes the vessel, but the pilot remains frozen in a block of ice. The body is taken to base headquarters, where it is inadvertently thawed out by an electric blanket. The alien attacks the soldier guarding him and escapes into the snowy wastes. An attack dog rips off the alien's arm, whereupon Dr. Carrington (Robert Cornthwaite) discerns that "The Thing" (played by future Gunsmoke star James Arness!) is not animal but a member of the vegetable family, subsisting on blood. While the misguided Carrington attempts to spawn baby "Things" with the severed arm, the parent creature wreaks murderous havoc all over the base. Female scientist Nikki (Margaret Sheridan) suggests that the best way to destroy a vegetable is to cook it. Over the protests of Carrington, who wants to reason with the "visitor", the soldiers devise a devious method for stopping The Thing once and for all.

The Thing delivers an incredible mix of sci-fi and high octane drama - a superior blend of science fiction, horror, naturalistic dialogue, and flesh-and-blood characterizations, The Thing is a model of its kind.

Is this the Best Ever Sci-Fi film! (Trev thinks so - he watched it many times over on both late night & midday movie TV screenings in the mid 1960s … the TV prints were so crudely censored that one never got to see The Thing).

This print is the restored original print ... one now gets to see The Thing - an incredible film experience!

The Third Man (1949) - 104 mins

Starring Orson Welles, Joseph Cotton, Trevor Howard, Alida Valli, Bernard Lee & Wilfred Hyde-White

Directed by Carol Reed

An out of work pulp fiction novelist, Holly Martins, arrives in a post war Vienna divided into sectors by the victorious allies, and where a shortage of supplies has lead to a flourishing black market. He arrives at the invitation of an ex-school friend, Harry Lime, who has offered him a job, only to discover that Lime has recently died in a peculiar traffic accident. From talking to Lime's friends and associates Martins soon notices that some of the stories are inconsistent, and determines to discover what really happened to Harry Lime.

Academy Award for Best B&W Cinematography. Academy Award Nominations for Director & Film Editing

An excellent print - much better than those on commercial offering

Another fine offering from director Carol Reed - his others include Night Train to Munich (1940), Odd Man Out (1947), The Man Between (1953) & The Key (1958) - all of which are available from this website

Third Man on the Mountain (1959) - 105 mins

Starring Michael Rennie, James MacArthur, Janet Munro, James Donald, Herbert Lom & Laurence Naismith

Directed by Ken Annakin

A Swiss youth, Rudi Matt (James MacArthur ) vows to be the first to scale a formidable Matterhorn-like mountain called The Citadel. The fact that Rudi's father was killed attempting a similar climb only strengthens the boy's resolve. Though discouraged by his mother and uncle, Rudi prepares for his ascent by taking practice climbs with his friends, learning vital lessons about safety and cooperation along the way. Finally, Rudi begins making his way up The Citadel in the company of four seasoned professionals led by Captain John Winter (Michael Rennie).

Based on the novel Banner in the Sky by James Ramsey Ullman.

Filmed on location in Switzerland.

Note that this title along with The Great Locomotive Chase (1956) & Swiss Family Robinson (1960) are part of a 3 DVD set of Disney's Fabulous Adventures which can be found in the Classic Movie Combinations of this website.

Note that The Great Locomotive Chase (1956) & Swiss Family Robinson (1960) are also available from within this (INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES) section as well.

13 Rue Madeleine (1947) - 95 mins

Starring James Cagney, Annabella, Richard Conte, Frank Latimore & Walter Abel

Directed by Henry Hathaway

During the training of a group of O.S.S. agents for WWII work behind enemy lines, it is discovered that of them is a German "mole". Group leaders Gibson and Sharkey are aware of this and scheme to feed him false info about the invasion of Europe, while the real agents go to France to find a secret V-2 rocket depot. But the German spy outsmarts them and rejoins his people knowing too much; Bob Sharkey takes the risk of going in after him. A great spy yarn with a "typical" Cagney ending.

Note that this title along with Cloak and Dagger (1946) & O.S.S. (1946) 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) & O.S.S. (1946) are also available from within this (INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES) section as well.

13 West Street (1962) - 80 mins

Starring Alan Ladd, Rod Steiger, Michael Callan Dolores Dorn, Kenneth MacKenna & Margaret Hayes

Directed by Philip Leacock

Leaning heavily on violence to ostensibly deliver a pacifist message, this powerful drama by Philip Leacock looks at the problem of teen gangs from a slightly different angle: these teens are all wealthy. Everything starts off when aerospace engineer Walt Sherill (Alan Ladd) is accosted and severely beaten by a group of young punks. The victimized man decides to hunt down the thugs on his own, at first just for curiosity and then increasingly for vengeance. His actions spark retaliatory measures, and before the credits roll, the body count is elevated by a few more victims in what amounts to nothing more than a blood feud.

Alan Ladd second to last film before his untimely death in 1964

The 39 Steps (1935) - 87 mins

Starring Robert Donat, Madeleine Carroll, Lucie Mannheim & Peggy Ashcroft

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Richard Hannay is a Canadian visitor to London. At the end of "Mr Memory"'s show in a music hall, he meets Annabella Smith who is running away from secret agents. He accepts to hide her in his flat, but in the night she is murdered. Fearing he could be accused on the girl's murder, Hannay goes on the run to break the spy ring.

One of the truly great adventure yarns and said to be one of Hitch's best works.

Note: a perfect print - much better than those commercially available

Note that this title along with the 1959 and 1978 versions are part of a 3 DVD set of The 39 Steps Combination which can be found in the Classic Movie Combinations of this website.

The 39 Steps (1959) - 93 mins

Starring Kenneth Moore, Taina Elg, Brenda De Banzie & Barry Jones

Directed by Ralph Thomas

A delightful color remake.

Note that this title along with the 1935 and 1978 versions are part of a 3 DVD set of The 39 Steps Combination which can be found in the Classic Movie Combinations of this website.

The Thirty Nine Steps (1978) - 102 mins

Starring Robert Powell, David Warner, Eric Porter & John Mills

Directed by Don Sharp

This 1978 re-remake of The 39 Steps adheres more closely to the source novel by John Buchan than Alfred Hitchcock's better-known original, restoring the pre-World War I time frame of the Buchan story. Hannay (Robert Powell) is an innocent bystander, suspected by enemy agents of having intercepted their secret war plans. Pursued by both the spies and the police, Hannay runs for his life in the company of Alex (Karen Dotrice). The Thirty-Nine Steps ends with a "high and dizzy" sequence on the face of Big Ben.

Another great rendition of this classic story.

Perfect Wide-screen Technicolor print!

Note that this film along with Rogue Male (1976), 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

Note further that The Thirty Nine Steps (1978) along with the 1935 and 1959 versions are part of a 3 DVD set titled The 39 Steps Combination which can be found in the Classic Movie Combinations of this website.

The Thirty Nine Steps (1978) is also available as an optional addition to the (Robert Powell's) Hannay TV Series which can be found in the TV Series section of this website

Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944) - 138 mins

Starring Van Johnson, Robert Walker, Don Defore , Phyllis Thaxter & Spencer Tracy as Colonle Doolittle

Directed by Mervyn LeRoy

April 1942 - stunned by Pearl Harbor and a string of defeats, America needed a victory and to that end, Colonel Jimmy Dolittle, a former air racer and stunt pilot, devised a plan for a daring raid on the heart of Japan itself. To do this, he must train army bomber pilots to do something no one ever dreamed possible - launch 16 fully loaded B-25 bombers from an aircraft carrier 400 hundred miles from Japanese soil!

The film concentrates on Lt. Ted Lawson the commander of a B25, the Fractured Frog, and its crew. Having accepted the mission without really knowing what they will have to do, their first task is to learn to take off with only 500 ft. of runway. They also have to learn to drop bombs without the use of their Norton bomb sites. Once they've dropped their bombs on various Japanese targets, they are to fly on to a part of China that is not under Japanese control.

One of the all-time great TRUE adventures

Oscar Winner for Special effects, Oscar Nominated for Best Cinematography

A truly fabulous WWII adventure and a great companion-piece to Wake Island (1942) & Air Force (1943) - both of which are available from this website.

36 Hours (1965) - 115 mins

Starring James Garner, Eva Marie Saint, Rod Taylor, Werner Peters & John Banner

Directed by George Seaton

In 1950, Maj. Jefferson Pike (James Garner), an Army intelligence agent who served with distinction in World War II, awakens in a hospital with severe amnesia. He isn't sure where he is, how he got there, or even who the woman at his side is, even though the doctor tells him that her name is Anna (Eva Marie Saint) and that she is his wife. The doctor instructs Pike to recall, in as much detail as possible, what he was doing before the accident that caused his traumatic memory loss. But the doctor isn't a doctor, Anna isn't Pike's wife, it isn't 1950, and he isn't in an American hospital. World War II is still very much in progress, and Pike is being duped in an elaborate scheme prepared by Maj. Walter Gerber (Rod Taylor), a German intelligence agent. Gerber is trying to trick a drugged and suggestible Pike into telling him everything he knows, as the injured soldier lies in a Bavarian military hospital after being taken prisoner. Will Pike be able to see through the cracks in Gerber's facade before he spills the beans that could mean death and defeat for American soldiers?

An absorbing and cleverly-plotted WWII thriller

The TV Series section of this website also contains DVD sets of Rod's two TV series: Hong Kong (1960-61) and Bearcats! (1971)

This Gun For Hire (1942) - 80 mins

Starring Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake, Robert Preston, Laird Cregar, Tully Marshall & Marc Lawrence

Directed by Frank Tuttle

After successfully pulling off his latest murder, ruthless professional killer Raven (Alan Ladd) reports to his boss, effeminate fifth columnist Willard Gates (Laird Cregar). He collects his $1000 fee, only to discover later that Gates has double-crossed him with marked bills. This was done at the behest of Gates' boss, crooked business executive Alvin Bewster (Tully Marshall), who wants no loose ends left around to connect him with a plot to sell poison gas to the Axis.

Outstanding film noir, based on Graham Greene's novel A Gun For Sale, which presents one of the most disturbed (and disturbing) killers ever to cross the screen. Ladd is scary because he doesn't care; he is simply a killing machine hired out by whoever will pay. Only when Lake takes the time to break through the emotional fortress that he has built around himself does Ladd show any signs of humanity. This is the film that made Alan Ladd a star.

This Island Earth (1955) - 87 mins

Starring Jeff Morrow, Faith Domergue, Rex Reason, Lance Fuller & Russell Johnson

Directed by Joseph M. Newman & Jack Arnold

The story begins when the image of Exeter, a huge-domed scientific genius from the planet Metaluna, appears on an experimental 3D television screen, inviting several noted scientists from around the world to work on a top-secret project at Exeter's earthly mansion. Among those accepting the invitation are Cal Meacham and his ex-fiancee Ruth Adams. Soon, Cal and Ruth learn Exeter's true motives; to use the Earth's atomic knowledge in building a defense shield to protect Metaluna against the enemy planet Zahgon.

This film is certainly one of the most intelligent and elaborate sci-fi films of the 50's - based on a novel by Raymond F. Jones.

Part of the Jack Arnold's Sci-Fi Combination 3 DVD set which can be found in the Classic Movie Combinations section of this website

This Land is Mine (1943) - 103 mins

Starring Chares Laughton, Maureen O'Hara, George Sanders, Walter Slezak & Kent Smith

Directed by Jean Renoir

Albert Lory is a teacher at a school in German-occupied France. He is a coward, but he is drawn into the actions of the resistance. Arrested by the Germans because of a murder, the German officers promise him freedom, if he is willing to collaborate with them against France. Charles Laughton excels as Lory, a shy, ineffectual teacher who rises to the occasion when confronted with the evils of Nazi occupation. While many of the conventions of WWII propaganda films are present, (the brave saboteur, the quisling, the martyr) Laughton's performance rises above the average as he transforms before your eyes, from the cowardly type to a man who meets his fate gaining the respect of all those around him. Director Renoir at his best!

The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse (aka Die 1000 Augen des Dr. Mabuse) (1960) - 103 mins

Starring Dawn Addams, Peter van Eyck, Wolfgang Preiss, Gert Fröbe & Werner Peters

Directed by Fritz Lang

Back in Germany for the first time since 1933, director Fritz Lang returned to the screen character that brought him enormous success in his pre-Hollywood years. The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse is not so much a sequel as an extension of Lang's early Dr. Mabuse (1922) and The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933), the latter of which is also available from this website.

Set in 1960, the film begins with a series of unsolved murders in a Berlin hotel. The modus operandi of the murderer is the same as that of long-dead megalomaniac Dr. Mabuse. Police detective Kriminalkommissar Kras (Gert Frobe) and amateur sleuths Henry B. Travers (Peter Van Eyck) and Marion Menil (Dawn Addams) suspect that the killer is a man who believes that he is the reincarnation of Mabuse.

The title refers to the hotel's sophisticated TV surveillance system - dozens of roving cameras and TV monitors, inspired (claimed Lang) by a sophisticated bugging method used by the Nazis during World War II.

The renewed popularity of the Dr. Mabuse character spawned five movie sequelsof which only one is of interest, namely The Terror of Dr. Mabuse (1962) which is also available from this website

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

The Threat (1949) - 66 mins

Starring Michael O'Shea, Virginia Grey, Charles McGraw, Julie Bishop, Frank Conroy & Robert Shayne

Directed by Felix E. Feist

At Folsom Prison, several inmates escape, including killer Arnold Kluger, who swore revenge on the detective and district attorney who convicted him. Despite precautions, the two men are soon in Kluger's power, together with showgirl Carol whom he suspects of informing on him. At a shack in the California desert, Kluger, two henchmen, and four hostages wait, and wait, for an escape plane that may never come.

Fans of Charles McGraw will love this neat little drama

3 Godfathers (1948) - 106 mins

Starring John Wayne, Pedro Armendáriz, Harry Carey Jr., Ward Boond, Mae Marsh & Mildred Natwick

Directed by John Ford

John Wayne stars as Bob Hightower, the leader of a trio of thieves who rob a bank in Arizona and take off with the posse of Sheriff Buck Sweet (Ward Bond) in close pursuit. Although they need to stop to water their horses and care for the wounds of Abilene (Harry Carey Jr.), their accurate suspicion that the sheriff is laying an ambush for them at the Mohave water tank leads the gang toward the more distant Terrapin tanks. However, en route, they're waylaid by a terrible sandstorm which scatters their horses. Forced to go on foot, they come upon a lone woman (Mildred Natwick) in a covered wagon who is about to give birth. She dies in childbirth, but not before extracting a promise from the three to take care of her child. Under a blistering sun, they head for New Jerusalem.

A classic John Wayne / John Ford wester - made in the same year as Wayne's other classic cowboys: Fort Apache (again with John Ford) & Red River (with Howard Hawks) - both of which are available from this website.

The Three Musketeers (1935) - 96 mins

Starring Walter Abel, Ian Keith, Margot Grahame, Paul Lukas, Moroni Olsen, Onslow Stevens & Heather Angel

Directed by Rowland V. Lee

The young Gascon D'Artagnan arrives in Paris, his heart set on joining the king's Musketeers. He is taken under the wings of three of the most respected and feared Musketeers, Porthos, Aramis, and Athos. Together they fight to save France and the honor of a lady from the machinations of the powerful Cardinal Richelieu.

This first talkie version of Dumas' The Three Musketeers had been planned by RKO Radio as a John Ford production, with Francis Lederer as D'Artagnan. By the time the film emerged on screen, Rowland V. Lee was in the director's chair, with the talented Walter Abel in the D'Artagnan role.

Three Strangers (1946) - 92 mins

Starring Sydney Greenstreet, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Peter Lorre, Joan Lorring & Robert Shayne

Directed by Jean Negulesco

According to a legend, if three strangers gather before an idol of Kwan Yin (the Chinese goddess of fortune and destiny) on the night of the Chinese New Year and make a common wish, Kwan Yin will open her eyes and her heart and grant the wish. In London 1938 on the Chinese New Year, Crystal Shackleford has such an idol and decides to put the legend to the test. She picks two random strangers off the street, and puts the proposition to them. They decide that an ideal wish would be for a sweepstakes ticket they buy equal shares in to be a winner. After all, everyone needs money and a pot is very easy to divide equally, right?

Another interesting and arresting performance combination from Greenstreet & Lorre .

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

Thunder Bay (1953) - 103 mins

Starring James Stewart, Joanne Dru, Gilbert Roland, Dan Duryea, Jay C. Flippen & Marcia Henderson

Directed by Anthony Mann

Stewart plays an ex-GI named Steve, who has a hankering to drill for oil in the Gulf of Mexico. Together with his army buddy Gambi (Dan Duryea, in a rare good-guy role), Steve attains the financial backing of irascible oil-company chieftain Kermit MacDonald (Jay C. Flippen) and the two head southward. Before they can even place their drills in the clamps, Steve and Gambi run afoul of local shrimp fishermen who consider the presence of oil speculators as a threat to their livelihoods. Things get dicey when Steve falls in love with Stella (Joanne Dru), the daughter of combative fisherman Dominique Rigaud (Antonio Moreno) and mob mentality threatens to overcome common sense.

Thunder Bay was another inspired collaboration between star James Stewart and director Anthony Mann.

Fabulous color print!

Thunder Birds (1942) - 78 mins

Starring Preston Foster, Gene Tierney, John Sutton, Jack Holt & Dame May Whitty

Directed by William A. Wellman

On a secluded base in Arizona, veteran World War One pilot Steve Britt (Preston Foster) trains flyers to fight in World War Two. One of his trainees, Englishman Peter Stackhouse (John Sutton), competes with Britt for the affections of Kay Saunders (Gene Tierney), the daughter of a local rancher. Despite their differences, Britt struggles with his own feelings in trying to make sure Sutton passes his training and becomes a combat pilot even though he may lose Kay to the young man in the process.

An all-action technicolor film which looks great!

Note the photos of director (and former flying ace) William Wellman, which are used as the pictures of Sutton's father displayed by Britt and Sutton's grandmother, Lady Stackhouse (Dame May Whitty).

Famed aviation ace Richard Bong is one of the pilots flying the formation of North American AT-6s ("Texans") in the movie (uncredited). It was done before he shipped out to the Pacific to become the "Ace of Aces" by shooting down 40 Japanese planes, more than any other US pilot in WWII.

Thunder in the East (1952) - 98 mins

Starring Alan Ladd, Deborah Kerr, Charles Boyer, Corinne Calvert & Cecil Kellaway

Directed by Charles Vidor

During India's first years of independence from Britain, Steve Gibbs lands his armaments loaded plane in Ghandahar province hoping to get rich. Pacifist Prime Minister Singh hopes to reach an agreement with guerilla leader Khan, the maharajah is a fool, and the British residents are living in the past. Steve's love interest is Joan Willoughby, the blind daughter of a parson.

A top-flight actioner from Alan Ladd

Note that this film is part of a 4 DVD (8 film) Alan Ladd Collection set which can be found in the Classic Movie Combinations section of this website

Thunder in the Pines (1948) - 61 mins

Starring George Reeves, Ralph Byrd, Greg McClure, Michael Whalen & Lyle Talbot

Directed by Robert Gordon

Old pals Boomer Benson and Jeff Collins are eternally bickering lumberjacks in the Tall Timber country of the Wisconsin woods. Unbeknownst to one another, each has been courting by mail a girl, Yvette, whom they met in Europe during the war. Jeff and Boomer bid separately on a logging job, planning to tackle it together. But Yvette arrives and decides she will marry the man who completes his half of the job first. All sorts of adventures ensue before the two loggers swear off "dames" forever.

Filmed in " Sepiatone," Thunder in the Pines benefits from the well-focused location photography by Carl Berger.

For interest here: Future "Superman" George Reeves and former "Dick Tracy" Ralph Byrd co-star here in this neat actioner - they had appeared together a few months previously in Jungle Godess (1948) which is also available from this website

Thunder Over the Plains (1953) - 82 mins

Starring Randolph Scott, Lex Barker, Phyllis Kirk, Charles McGraw & Henry Hull

Directed by André De Toth

The scene is Texas, in the years just following the Civil War. Carpetbaggers have taken hold of the Texas government and imposed a near-dictatorship, hiding behind the legal protection of the Union Army of Occupation. Though his heart belongs to Dixie, Captain David Porter is honor-bound to uphold the law of the land, even though it protects criminals and persecutes the innocent. Eventually, Porter reveals his true feelings as he tries to clear Texas patriot Ben Westman from a murder charge framed by villains Standish and Balfour. Meanwhile, Captain Bill Hodges tries to make time with Porter's long-suffering wife Norah (Phyllis Kirk).

A complicated but compelling story with a strong narrative and loads of action!

Timberjack (1955) - 94 mins

Starring Sterling Hayden, Vera Ralston, David Brian, Adolphe Menjou, Hoagy Carmichael, Chill Wills & Jim Davis

Directed by Joseph Kane

Republic's Trucolor process is shown off to good advantage in the outdoors actioner Timberjack. Sterling Hayden and David Brian star as Chipman and Brunner, a pair of rugged lumbermen who vie for the attentions of Lynn Tilton (Vera Ralston). The richer and more powerful of the two, Brunner would seem to have the advantage, but Chipman is handsomer. It also turns out that Chipman is more honest; Brunner has already killed several men in his climb to the top, and has cheated Chipman out of his rightful property. Lynn is won over to Chipman's side when she discovers that Brunner was responsible for the death of her father (Adolphe Menjou). Timberjack was based on a novel by Dan Cushman.

Sterling Hayden films which are available from this website are:

Timbuktu (1959) - 91 mins

Starring Victor Mature, Yvonne De Carlo, George Dolenz, John Dehner & Marcia Henderson

Directed by Jacques Tourneur

In 1940 Colonel Charles Dufort (the excellent George Dolenz) arrives in Timbuktu with his wife to take over the French garrison. This garrison is threatened by a Tuareg uprising supposedly inspired by Mohamet Adjani, a holy man once regarded as a friend of France. Almost immediatelythey push on to Bou Djebeha in company with an American gunrunner named Mike Conway (Victor Mature) who soon engages the Colonel's wife in a forbidden romance. At Bou Djebeha Conway learns that the holy man has been kidnapped by an evil Emir who is the true force behind the rebellion. Complications and dangers ensue as Conway and the Colonel try to get the holy man back to Timbuktu so that he can speak out against the rebellion.

Nice action / adventure piece

Check out Safari (1956) - a similar Victor Mature action / adventure - available from this section of the website

Time After Time (1979) - 120 mins

Starring Malcom McDowell, David Warner, Mary Steenburgen, Charles Cioffi & Kent Williams

Directed by Nicholas Meyer

H.G. Wells has just invented a time machine but hasn't tried it out yet. Then he discovers that one of his friends John Leslie Stevenson, is actually Jack the Ripper - and further Stevenson has made his escape using the time machine. H.G. follows Stevenson into the late 1970's where he meets Amy Robbins, a bank clerk, who teaches H. G. about life in 70's while they pursue Stevenson, who is enjoying the more violent society in which he continues his murderous activities

Great music score by Miklós Rózsa

Fabulous sci-fi adventure and a worthy companion piece to George Pal's The Time Machine (1960) - see below

Time is My Enemy (1954) - 64 mins

Starring Dennis Price, Renée Asherson, Susan Shaw, Patrick Barr, Bonar Colleano & Duncan Lamont

Directed by Don Chaffey

In this neat crime drama a murderer covers his tracks by framing his wife. He does this by posing as his victim and forcing his wife to shoot him (with a blank-filled gun). The woman then confesses her crime. Fortunately, a sharp-eyed police inspector doesn't buy her story and soon brings the real killer to justice.

The Time Machine (1960) - 103 mins

Starring Rod Taylor, Alan Young, Yvette Mimieux, Sebastian Cabot, Tom Helmore & Whit Bissell

Directed by George Pal

H. G. (George) Wells is a young scientist fascinated with the concept of time travel. On December 31, 1899, George seats himself in his jerry-built time machine and thrusts himself forward into 1917. A dyed-in-the-wool pacifist, George is distressed to see that World War I is raging all about him. He moves past the 1920s and 1930s into the 1940s, only to be confronted by another, even more terrible war. Next he stops in 1966, just as London is destroyed in a nuclear explosion. Retreating to his Time Machine, George is sealed in his cellar by molten lava. By the time he and his machine manage to escape their tomb, the year is 802,701. Looking around, George observes a seemingly idyllic world populated by gentle people. But he also notices that the citizens of the future, known as "Elois," behave more like mindless sheep than human beings. Befriending the lovely Weena (Yvette Mimieux), George learns to his dismay that humankind has forgotten all that it has learned through the centuries, preferring instead to frolic endlessly under the sun.

Oscar Winner for Best Special Effects

Excellent sci-fi adventure and a worthy companion piece to Nicholas Meyer's Time After Time (1979) - see above

The TV Series section of this website also contains DVD sets of Rod's two TV series: Hong Kong (1960-61) and Bearcats! (1971)

Timeslip (1955) - see The Atomic Man

The Time Travelers (1964) - 82 mins

Starring Preston Foster, Phillip Carey, Merry Anders & John Hoyt

Directed by Ib Melchoir

In 1964, a team of scientists are trying to develop a view screen into the future. What they in fact get is a portal and they soon find themselves on the other side, 127 years into the future with the portal collapsing behind them. The Earth of the future is barren and they are soon attacked by mutated humans but rescued by a group of scientists who are building a spaceship to take them to a new planet. They learn that much of Earth was destroyed as the result of a nuclear war. When it's determined that the visitors from the past cannot be included in the planned voyage, they work furiously to rebuild the portal and return to their own time before departure day.

Has a profound (and memorable) ending?

Director Ib Melchior who also wrote the screenplay had previously wrote and directed another excellent (color) sci-fi film: The Angry Red Planet (1959) which is also available from this website.

(Melchior also wrote one of the best of The Outer Limits TV series: The Premonition)

T-Men (1947) - 92 mins

Starring Dennis O'Keefe, Mary Meade, Alfred Ryder, Wallace Ford, June Lockhart & Charles McGraw

Directed by Anthony Mann

The ‘T’ stands for ‘Treasury’, whose agents (aligned with the Secret Service) resonate with G-Men in this quasi-documentary style account of an actual counterfeiting investigation, ‘The Shanghai Paper Case’.

Two T-men who go undercover in Detroit and then San Francisco to catch the criminals. First, they pose as former members of the River Gang in order to infiltrate the Vantucci gang in Detroit; this leads them to San Francisco and Schemer, who is duped into getting them into the counterfeiting operation.

T-Men is yet another collaboration of director Anthony Mann and cinematographer John Alton, a sizzling semi-doc done in the noir manner, it's the usual fed goes undercover story, and yet made with such verve and energy as to jump off the screen.

Tobor the Great (1954) - 77 mins

Starring Charles Drake, Karin Booth, Billy Chapin, Taylor Holmes & Steven Geray

Directed by Lee Sholem

Dr. Harrison and Prof. Nordstrom develop the robot Tobor for space flight, intending that he should be controlled by ESP. They announce their plans at a press conference which will spread the news worldwide. But the press conference security has been breached by a spy, who with his henchmen kidnap Nordstrom and his grandson (Brian 'Gadge' Robertson) and Tobor with a view to making the latter do their evil bidding. Fortunately, Tobor who unlike other machines, was endowed with human emotions, is mind-linked to his creator and cannot be easily reprogrammed. The real adventure begins when the boy and the scientists attempt to save the robot.

To Have and Have Not (1944) - 106 mins

Starring Humphrey Bogart, Walter Brennan, Lauren Bacall & Sheldon Leonard.

Directed by Jesse Hibbs

Harry Morgan and his alcoholic sidekick, Eddie, are based on the island of Martinique and crew a boat available for hire. However, since the second world war is happening around them business is not what it could be and after a customer who owes them a large sum fails to pay they are forced against their better judgement to violate their preferred neutrality and to take a job for the resistance transporting a fugitive on the run from the Nazis to Martinique. Through all this runs the stormy relationship between Morgan and Marie "Slim" Browning, a resistance sympathizer and the sassy singer in the club where Morgan spends most of his days. Classic Bogie & Bacall adventure/romance from the pen of Ernest Hemingway (and screenplay by William Faulkner)

The first of three adaptations of this Ernest Hemingway short story, the others being John Garfield’s The Breaking Point (1950) and Audie Murphy's The Gun Runners (1958) - both of which are available from this website

To Hell and Back (1955) - 106 mins

Starring Audie Murphy, Marshall Thompson, Charles Drake, Jack Kelly & Gregg Palmer

Directed by Jesse Hibbs

Audie Murphy delivers his best screen performance as "himself" in Universal's To Hell and Back. Based on the star's autobiography, this is the story of how Murphy became America's most-decorated soldier during WW II. After dwelling on Murphy's hard-scrabble Texas upbringing, the story moves ahead to 1942, when, at 18, Audie joined the army. Within a year, he was a member of the 7th Army, serving in North Africa, Italy, France and ultimately Germany and Austria. One by one, the members of Murphy's Company B are killed in the war, until only three men from the original company are left. The bulk of the film is given over to Murphy's conspicuous acts of combat bravery, and is highlighted by excellent battle sequences.

From a script by Gil Doud (who wrote The Voyage of the Scarlet Queen radio show - available from the Old Time Radio section of this website)

Fabulous color print!

Tokyo Joe (1949) - 88 mins

Starring Humphrey Bogart, Alexander Knox, Florence Marly, Sessue Hayakawa, Jerome Courtland & Gordon Jones

Directed by Stuart Heisler

Veteran Joe Barrett (Humphrey Bogart) returns to Tokyo three years after the WWII to reclaim his nightclub, Tokyo Joe's, and his wife Trina (Florence Marly), whom he believed dead. Although the club has been watched over by his close friend Ito, he finds that his Trina has divorced him to marry an amiable, high-ranking American official, Mark Landis (Alexander Knox). Joe vows to win Trina back, but needs a valid reason to extend his visa. He finds it in an unholy alliance with ex-Japanese intelligence officer Baron Kimura (Sessue Hayakawa), who wants Joe to front for him as owner a small local airline. As added leverage, Kimura threatens to reveal Trina's wartime treason as a Tokyo Rose-type collaborator. Things come to a head when Joe finds out that he's slated to fly war criminals back to Japan to foment an insurgency against the American occupation – further, Joe’s seven year old daughter has been kidnapped to insure his co-operation.

Tonight We Raid Calais (1943) - 70 mins

Starring Annabella, John Sutton, Lee J. Cobb, Beulah Bondi & Blanche Yurka

Directed by John Brahm

John Sutton plays a British intelligence officer, sent into occupied France with a small unit to locate a German munitions depot. While travelling under cover of darkness, Sutton confronts a French maiden (Annabella) who hates the British and the Germans with equal fervor. She eventually determines which side is the right side and allows Sutton to continue his mission. However the officer is captured by the Nazis….

A timely film when first released in 1943, Tonight We Raid Calais was written by future blacklistee Waldo Salt, whose liberal stance was politically correct during wartime but considered a "no no" once peace was declared.

Too Hot to Handle (1938) - 107 mins

Starring Clark Gable, Myrna Loy, Walter Pidgeon, Walter Connolly, Leo Carrillo & Johnny Hines

Directed by Jack Conway

Alternating effortlessly between comedy and suspense and back again, Too Hot to Handle stars Myrna Loy as famous aviatrix Alma Harding and Clark Gable as an opportunistic newsreel photographer, Chris Hunter. Hunter and rival shutterbug Bill Dennis (Walter Pidgeon) agree to accompany Harding on her search for her missing brother, sensing a good story and excellent photo opportunity. Their odyssey takes them into the deepest jungles of the Amazon, where Chris's photographic prowess saves everyone's lives when hostile natives attack. Along the way, both Chris and Bill fall in love with Alma.

The classic opening sequence in Too Hot to Handle, in which the resourceful Gable fakes a bombing raid for the benefit of his cameras, was allegedly conceived by Buster Keaton, then a free-lance MGM gag man

A classic reteaming for Gable & Loy, following on from their successful Test Pilot (1938) which is also available from this website

Too Late for Tears (1949) - 94 mins

Starring Lizabeth Scott, Don DeFore, Dan Duryea, Arthur Kennedy & Kristine Miller

Directed by Byron Haskin

One night on a lonely highway, a speeding car tosses a satchel of money, meant for somebody else, into Jane and Alan Palmer's back seat. Alan wants to turn it over to the police, but Jane, with luxury within her reach, persuades him to hang onto it "for a while." Soon, the Palmers are traced by Danny Fuller, a sleazy character who claims the money is his. To hang onto it, Jane will need all the qualities of an ultimate femme fatale - and does she ever have them!

Too Much, Too Soon (1958) - 120 mins

Starring Errol Flynn, Dorothy Malone, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Ray Danton, Neva Patterson, Ed Kemmer & Martin Milner

Directed by Art Napoleon

Diana Barrymore (Dorothy Malone) is a basically decent young lady who suffers mightily from lack of parental love. Her famous father, John Barrymore (played with boozy bravado by Errol Flynn), is the soul of graciousness and affection when sober, but a human monster when drunk - which is often. Her poetess mother, Michael Strange (Neva Patterson), is too preoccupied by her bitterness against Barrymore to pay much attention to Diana. Striking out on her own as an actress, Diana vainly seeks personal happiness with several husbands: actor Vincent Bryant (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.); jealous, possessive tennis player John Howard (Ray Danton); and another actor, alcoholic Robert Wilcox (Ed Kemmer). Unable to find satisfaction in her work or her private life, Diana follows family "tradition" by turning to liquor.

Errol Flynn's is sensational in this knowing performance of his old friend and drinking companion John Barrymore.

Too Much, Too Soon was adapted from the warts-and-all autobiography of Diana Barrymore.

Topkapi (1964) - 119 mins

Starring Melina Mercouri, Peter Ustinov, Maximilian Schell, Robert Morley, Jess Hahn, Akim Tamiroff & Gilles Segal

Directed by Jules Dassin

It's a rather disreputable crew that teams for the elaborate jewel theft masterminded by Walter Harper (Maximillian Schell). Sexy Elizabeth Lipp (Melina Mercouri and in real life: Mrs. Dassin) is probably the best of the batch: the others are Cedric Page (Robert Morley), Giulio the Human Fly (Gilles Segal) and Hans Fisher (Jess Hahn). Bumbling Arthur Simon Simpson (Peter Ustinov) is duped into helping the thieves, and soon finds himself uneasily straddling both sides of the law.

Topkapi is considered to be director Jules Dassin spoof of his earlier 1955 heist classic Rififi. The theft itself (taking place in Istanbul's Topkapi Palace museum) is played out in near-complete silence just as in Rififi.

Topkapi was based on The Light of Day, a somewhat more somber novel by Eric Ambler.

Oscar Winner for Best Supporting Actor (Peter Ustinov)

Note that Rififi (1955) is also available from this website.

Tornado (1943) - 83 mins

Starring Chester Morris, Nancy Kelly, William Henry, Gwen Kenyon & Joe Sawyer

Directed by William A. Berke

Chester Morris stars as coal miner Pete Ramsey, who falls in love with, and secretly marries, scheming showgirl Victory Kane. Anxious to escape her poverty-stricken surroundings, Victory urges Pete to lobby for the position of mine superintendent. Climbing ever upward on the social and economic ladder, Victory has an affair with wealthy mine operator Gary Linden

Torpedo Run (1958) - 95 mins

Starring Glenn Ford, Ernnest Borgnine, Diane Brewster, Dean Jones & L. Q. Jones

Directed by Joseph Pevney

Glenn Ford is at his taciturn best in this psychological WW2 drama, playing submarine commander Barney Doyle, who is obsessed with sinking a particular Japanese aircraft carrier. Several months earlier, the carrier had escaped destruction by shielding itself with a POW transport ship, which was sunk by Doyle's torpedoes. The sunken transport had been carrying Doyle's wife and daughter, captured in the Philippines. This tragically unavoidable incident has transformed Doyle into a modern Ahab, mercilessly driving the men under him towards the single goal of blowing the hated enemy aircraft carrier out of the seas. Finally, Doyle achieves his goal, and all is forgiven between himself and his crew, especially his second-in-command Archer Sloan (Ernest Borgnine). Unfortunately, Doyle's sub was irreparably damaged in the attack, setting the stage for an exciting underwater-escape climax.

A great submarine film!

To the Ends of the Earth (1948) - 109 mins

Starring Dick Powell, Signe Hasso, Ludwig Donath, Vladmir Sokoloff & Edgar Barrier

Directed by Robert Stevenson

Based on the files of the United States Department of Treasury. Commissioner Michael Barrows is an American Government Agent. On board a Coast Guard boat off the California coast he chases a ship. The Captain of the ship, the Kira Maru, panics and ruthlessly sends 100 Chinese slaves to a watery death. Barrows recovers a live preserver that tells him the ship is out of Shanghai. He travels there to track down the ship's captain and discovers that these deaths point to a huge drug smuggling operation. In Shanghai, while searching for the captain of the Kira Maru, he becomes suspicious of a woman, Ann Grant, believing she's Jean Hawks the narcotics ringleader. He follows the narcotics trail "to the ends of the Earth" taking him from Shanghai to Cairo, Beirut and Havana to stop the drugs and the Jean Hawks ring at the US border.

A great adventure story!

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

To the Last Man (1933) - 70 mins

Starring Randolph Scott, Esther Ralston, Jack La Rue, Buster Crabbe, Barton MacLane & Noah Beery

Directed by Henry Hathaway

In Kentucky just after the Civil War, the Hayden-Colby feud leads to Jed Colby (Noah Beery) being sent to prison for 15 years for murder. Lynn Hayden (Randolph Scott) moves his family to Nevada to start life anew and when Colby gets out of prison he heads there also seeking revenge. A war between cattlemen and sheepherders is ranging there and pretty soon it involving the same two families all over again. Lynn tries to avoid more killing but the inevitable showdown has to occur, complicated by Lynn Hayden and Ellen Colby's plans to marry.

In addition to its many other plusses, To the Last Man introduces a novel method of billing the actors: each player is introduced by name as he or she appears on-screen.

From the pen of Zane Grey, To the Last Man manages to pack plenty of A-level production values into what was essentially a B-picture budget.

Excellent B&W print

To the Shores of Tripoli (1942) - 86 mins

Starring John Payne, Maureen O'Hara, Randolph Scott, Nancy Kelly & William Tracy

Directed by H. Bruce Humberstone

John Payne plays Chris Winters, a wealthy, wise-lipped young Marine recruit who learns the true meaning of "Semper Fidelis" the hard way, courtesy of tough-as-nails drill sergeant Dixie Smith (Randolph Scott). Chris also falls in love with Navy nurse Mary Carter (Maureen O'Hara in her first Technicolor appearance), which leaves his poor hometown sweetheart Helene Hunt (Nancy Kelly) in the lurch. By film's end, Chris is one of the Few and the Proud as he and his buddies are shipped off to combat overseas.

One of the first big-studio productions to acknowledge America's entry into WW2, 20th Century-Fox's To the Shores of Tripoli was filmed with full the cooperation of the US Marine Corps. Portions of To the Shores of Tripoli were filmed in Hawaii just before the Pearl Harbor attack; according to studio publicity, some of the cameramen managed to capture portions of the Japanese raid on film.

Oscar Nominated for Color Cinematography!

Note that this film is only available commercially in B&W - but not here - thanx to Georg this listing is a perfect color print!

Recall the song: "For the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli …"? - well Halls of Montezuma (1950) is also available from this website

Touch of Evil (1958) - 108 mins

Starring Charlton Heston, Orson Welles, Janet Leigh, Joseph Calleia, Akim Tamiroff & Marlene Dietrich.

Directed by Orson Welles

Mexico's chief narcotics officer, Mike Vargas, is in a border town on a quick honeymoon with his U.S. wife. Soon he must testify against Grande, a drug lord whose brother and sons are tracking him, hoping to scare his wife and back him off the case. When a car bomb kills a rich U.S. developer, Vargas embroils himself in the investigation, putting his wife in harm's way. After Vargas catches local legendary U.S. cop, Hank Quinlan, planting evidence against a Mexican national suspected in the bombing, Quinlan joins forces with the Grande family to impugn Vargas's character. Local political lackeys, a hard-edged whore, pachucos, and a nervous motel clerk also figure in the plot.

Fantastic and justifiably famous opening shot merely commences this stylistic masterpiece.

Tough Assignment (1949) - 64 mins

Starring Don 'Red' Barry, Marjorie Steele, Steve Brodie, Marc Lawrence, Ben Welden & Sid Melton

Directed by William Beaudine

Don Reilly (Don 'Red' Barry) is a Los Angeles newspaper reporter who has recently married Margie (Marjorie Steele), a photographer employed by the same newspaper. Don stumbles upon the fact that gangsters are forcing butcher shops to sell their unlicensed beef, and he persuades his managing editor to allow him to follow up on the story. His bride goes with him on an investigation that leads him to the ranch hideout of the gang, who are rustling cattle using fast, refrigeration trucks

A pretty good yarn with Don 'Red' Barry squaring off against Steve Brodie

Tower of London (1939) - 92 mins

Starring Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff, Barbara O'Neil, Ian Hunter, Vincent Price & Nan Grey

Directed by Rowland V. Lee

In the 15th century Richard Duke of Gloucester, aided by his club-footed executioner Mord, eliminates those ahead of him in succession to the throne, then occupied by his brother King Edward IV of England. As each murder is accomplished he takes particular delight in removing small figurines, each resembling one of the successors, from a throne-room dollhouse, until he alone remains. After the death of Edward he becomes Richard III, King of England, and need only defeat the exiled Henry Tudor to retain power.

Rathbone, Karloff & Price on the one bill! - fabulous

Track of the Cat (1954) - 102 mins

Starring Robert Mitchum, Teresa Wright, Diana Lynn, Tab Hunter, Beulah Bondi & William Hopper

Directed by William A. Wellman

On a snowbound ranch in northern California, the Bridges family is trapped by winter weather and its own internal conflicts. It is run by a stern matriarch, Ma Bridges (Beulah Bondi), who lords it over her weak, alcoholic husband (Philip Tonge) and her bitter, unmarried daughter, Grace (Teresa Wright). The three sons squabble constantly. Staying at the ranch is a young neighbor, Gwen Williams (Diana Lynn), who is smitten with one of the sons, Harold (Tab Hunter). But the arrogant Curt (Robert Mitchum) wants to take control of the ranch and take possession of Gwen too. During the winter, a black panther has been killing the cattle on the ranch. Curt and the third brother, the quiet Arthur (William Hopper), set out to kill the panther, but when Curt leaves to get more food, the cat kills Arthur. The grief-stricken family blames Curt, who then sets out on his own to kill the beast.

Fabulous outdoors color adventure film which re-combines Robert Mitchum & Teresa Wright after their noir western from 1947: Pursued (which is also available from this website)

Trader Horn (1931) - 122 mins

Starring Harry Carey, Edwina Booth, Duncan Renaldo, Mutia Omoolu & Olive Carey

Directed by W.S. Van Dyke

Aloysius "Trader" Horn (Harry Carey) is a white explorer in Darkest Africa. Travelling up a heretofore undiscovered river, Horn and his young companion Peru (Duncan Renaldo) experience strange and disturbing behavior from the native population. As Horn explains: "When the Masai and the Kukua Tribes get together, the devil is certainly involved." Along with their native tracker Renchero (Mutia Omoolo), Horn and Peru encounter Mrs. Edith Trent (Carey's wife Olive Golden), whom Horn calls "the bravest woman in all of Africa," and who is determined to trek above the perilous Opanga Falls in search of her missing daughter Nina, rumored to be the captive of the Isorgi tribe.

A major undertaking for M-G-M and the first non-documentary production to be filmed in Africa.

Oscar Nominated for Best Picture!

Trade Winds (1938) - 93 mins

Starring Fredric March, Joan Bennett, Ralph Bellamy, Ann Southern, Sidney Blackmer & Thomas Mitchell

Directed by Tay Garnett

Joan Bennett plays a young woman who believes she's killed bigtime crook Sidney Blackmer. She changes her hair color from blonde to brunette and escapes from San Francisco to parts unknown. Former police detective Sam Wye (Fredric March) is hired to track down Bennett, which he does in the company of two assistants, wisecracking Ann Sothern and dimwitted Ralph Bellamy. March's chase takes him all over the world but when he finally catches up with Bennett, he falls in love with her. As the police net tightens, Wye doesn't know which way to turn

Its impossible to overestimate this great film. A great cast (with Bellamy and Southern fabulous in support roles), excellent story & script make this film one of the best adventure/mystery/comedy movies ever filmed.

Very rare and not the best of prints but an absolutely unmissable experience!

Trail of Robin Hood (1950) - 68 mins

Starring Roy Rogers, Jack Holt, Rex Allen, Allan "Rocky" Lane, Monte Hale, Ray "Crash" Corrigan, Kermit Maynard, Tom Tyler & Tom Keene

Directed by William Witney

Roy comes to the rescue of veteran cowboy star Jack Holt (playing himself) when the latter's Christmas-tree business is jeopardized by greedy rivals. With the aid of several other western stars, Roy thwarts main bad guy Mitch McCall (Clifton Young) and allows misguided lumber baron J. Corwin Aldridge (Emory Parnell) to see the error of his ways

The film's best scene is the climactic rally of Republic's top cowboy heroes. After Rex Allen, Allan "Rocky" Lane, Monte Hale, Tom Tyler, Ray "Crash" Corrigan, Kermit Maynard, Tom Keene and William Farnum have ridden up and taken their bows, in gallops veteran western "heavy" George Cheseboro, who also wants to help Jack Holt but is shunned by the others. Cheseboro wins them over by explaining "after 20 years of being beaten up by Holt, he's reformed me."

Republic's Trail of Robin Hood is one of the most entertaining and likable of Roy Rogers' starring films.

Chock full of Republic stable of "B" western veterans playing themselves but … no Dale Evans!

Nicely Restored uncut Trucolor print!

There are several Roy Rogers westerns (ALL UNCUT) available from this (INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES) section of the website: Cowboy and the Senorita (1944), Bells of Rosarita (1945), Bells of San Angelo (1947), Springtime in the Sierras (1947), Bells of Coronado (1950), Trigger, Jr. (1950) & Trail of Robin Hood (1950).

Additionally, a nice 6 DVD collection of 18 uncut Roy Rogers Westerns can be found in the "B" WESTERN SERIES section of this website.

The Trail of the Lonesome Pine (1936) - 102 mins

Starring Henry Fonda, Fred MacMurray, Sylvia Sidney, Fred Stone, Nigel Bruce & Robert Barat

Directed by Henry Hathaway

To the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia comes Jack Hale (Fred MacMurray) to arrange the clearance of the path for a new railroad. Mountain girl June Tolliver (Sylvia Sidney) falls in love with Fred, which incurs the enmity of Sidney's boyfriend Dave Tolliver (Henry Fonda). It also puts Fred in the middle of a long-standing feud between June's family and another mountain clan. Hostilities alternately erupt and simmer until June's youngest brother Buddie is killed by a feud-inspired dynamite blast.

Paramount's first outdoor Technicolor feature from the John Fox Jr. novel.

Oscar Nominated for Best Music

Trail Street (1947) - 84 mins

Starring Randolph Scott, Robert Ryan, Anne Jeffreys, George 'Gabby' Hayes & Steve Brodie

Directed by Ray Enright

A Kansas town is without a Marshal and the nearby farmers are unable to grow crops due to the summer drought and trail riders that run cattle over their land. Bat Masterson arrives to bring law and order whilst his Deputy accidentally finds a variety of wheat that will withstand the drought. But the farmers are giving up and leaving and Bat must convince them to stay. He wants them to continue farming and also help round up the local gang of outlaws & criminal ranch owners

Robert Ryan has a great role in this exciting western.

The Train (1964) - 133 mins

Starring Burt Lancaster, Paul Scofield, Jeanne Moreau, Suzanne Flon, Michel Simon & Wolfgang Priess

Directed by John Frankenheimer

John Frankenheimer directs Burt Lancaster in the tense spy thriller in which Lancaster plays Labiche, a French railway inspector. Allied forces are threatening to liberate Paris, so Col. Franz von Waldheim (Paul Scofield) is ordered to move the priceless works of art from the Jeu de Paume Museum to the fatherland. The head of the museum (Suzanne Flon) attempts to convince Labiche that he should sabotage the train on which they are transporting the art. Labiche is more focused on destroying a trainload of German weapons. After his friend is killed trying to stop the train with the art, and after a consciousness-raising conversation with a hotel owner (Jeanne Moreau), Labiche resolves to save the antiquities.

Oscar Nominated for Best Story & Screenplay, this film pits two great Academy Award winning actors (Burt Lancaster & Paul Scofield) against each other in a titanic battle of wits.

Lancaster and Frankenheimer had worked together previously on Seven Days in May which is also available from this website.

Then, of course there were his fabulous adventure films: The Flame and the Arrow (1950), Ten Tall Men (1951), The Crimson Pirate (1952), South Sea Woman (1953) & His Majesty O'Keefe (1954).

All of the above are available from this website

And how about a Lancaster film that includes elements of the above, namely a gritty & powerful action/adventure outing? - check out Rope of Sand (1949) - which is also available from this website

Trapped (1949) - 78 mins

Starring Lloyd Bridges, Barbara Payton, John Hoyt, James Todd & Russ Conway

Directed by Richard Fleischer

When nearly perfect counterfeit 20-dollar bills start turning up, the Treasury Department recognizes them as the work of Tris Stewart (Lloyd Bridges), a man already doing a long prison stretch. They offer Stewart a break on his sentence if he'll help them find out who got hold of his old plates, but he initially refuses. Some weeks later, while being transferred to another prison, Stewart escapes from custody. But it turns out that this is a set-up to free Stewart to search for the plates with a treasury agent keeping tabs on him. However Tris turns on the T-man and escapes for real. What Stewart doesn't know is that the agents expected and desired this move, believing that he would only go for the plates if he thought he could make some money from the bills and get out of the country with his girlfriend Laurie (Barbara Payton). They've got her apartment bugged, and one of their own men, Downey (John Hoyt), has been put in place as a customer at the nightclub where she works, quietly establishing himself as a man with some angles of his own and a yen to know her better. What follws is an extended series of split-second plot developments with several neat twists.

Lloyd Bridges is excellent in this film - a powerful presence thanks to a nice role and a good script.

Trapped is nice follow-on from Secret Service Investigator (1948), a similar story (dealing counterfeit plates) and again starring Lloyd Bridges in a leading role - also available from this website

Richard Fleischer directed a string of impressive nourish "B" dramas in Bodyguard (1948), The Clay Pigeon (1949), Follow Me Quietly (1949), Trapped (1949), Armored Car Robbery (1950) & The Narrow Margin (1952) - with that latter earning an Oscar Nomination - before moving up to the majors with Violent Saturday (1955) - all of which are available from this website

Treasure of the Golden Condor (1953) - 93 mins

Starring Cornel Wilde, Constance Smith, Finlay Currie, Walter Hampden, Anne Bancroft & George Macready

Directed by Delmer Daves

Jean-Paul (Cornel Wilde) rebels against his bondage to his uncle, the Marquis de St. Malo (George Macready), and journeys to the far-off Mayan hills of Guatemala seeking a hidden treasure. He is the rightful heir to his uncle's title and lands, and goes to Guatemala to win his fortune and come back and claim his heritage.

A Technicolor remake of 1942's Son of Fury with both films were based on the same novel by Edison Marshall.

Great adventure film!

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) - 124 mins

Starring Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston, Tim Holt, Bruce Bennett & Barton MacLane

Directed by John Huston

Dobbs and Curtin meet up in Mexico, and go to work for a contractor, Pat McCormick, who takes them away to remote site and tells them they will be paid when the job is finished. When they are finished, they return to town to find McCormick to get their wages. McCormick gives them a few dollars, and says he'll just go to the bank and pick up the payroll for them. Dobbs and Curtin then meet up with an old prospector, who claims the hills are still full of gold, and if they can get the cash, he'll go with them. They eventually get the cash from McCormick and all three set off for the hills as good friends, but will they return that way?

An out-and-out classic adventure

Academy Award wins for Best Supporting Actor (Walter Huston), Best Director (John Huston) & Best Screenplay (John Huston) - a real family affair

Trent's Last Case (1952) - 90 mins

Starring Michael Wilding, Margaret Lockwood, Orson Welles & John McCallum

Directed by Herbert Wilcox

A society woman (Margaret Lockwood) is accused of murdering her businessman husband (Orson Welles). Called to piece the clues together is Inspector Trent (Michael Wilding), on the verge of retiring from detection. He learns that the dead man was a louse, providing the wife with plenty of motive. But what is the real truth and will it come out?

Classic "whodunit" from the Brits but released through the auspices of Republic Pictures.

Trigger, Jr. (1950) - 68 mins

Starring Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, Pat Brady, Gordon Jones, Grant Withers & Peter Miles

Directed by William Witney

The manager of a traveling show, Rogers is wintering at a ranch belonging to wheelchair-bound Colonel Harkrider (George Cleveland) and his daughter Kay (Dale Evans). Harkrider's grandson Larry (Peter Miles), whose mother was killed during a a circus bareback riding performance, grows up with a paralyzing fear of horses.

Roy wants to purchase a wild stallion accused of being a killer but his bid is turned down and the stallion instead condemned to death. Unbeknownst to Roy, however, Monty Manson (Grant Withers), who heads a crooked "Range Patrol," saves the beast and uses it to terrorize the area's horse-breeders. Putting two and two together, Roy attempts to unmask Manson for the criminal he is but is ambushed by the patrol. The stallion, meanwhile, attacks both Colonel Harkrider and Roy's horse Trigger, Jr. but is chased off the property by Trigger himself. Overcoming his fears, Larry mounts Trigger, Jr. and joins the party searching for Roy

According to Roy Rogers himself, this action-packed western remained one of his favorites.

Excellent uncut Trucolor print!

Additionally, a nice 6 DVD collection of 18 uncut Roy Rogers Westerns (which includes Trigger, Jr.) can be found in the "B" WESTERN SERIES section of this website.

Trooper Hook (1957) - 81 mins

Starring Joel McCrea, Barbara Stanwyck, Earl Holliman, Edward Andrews, John Dehner & Susan Kohner

Directed by Charles Marquis Warren

Cavalry officer Sgt. Clovis Hook (Joel McCrea) is sent to rescue Cora Sutliff (Barbara Stanwyck), who had been captured by Indians years earlier. Upon reaching the Indian village, Hook discovers that Cora, forced into marrying the chief, has a young son whom she refuses to desert. After intensive persuasion, Cora permits Hook to bring herself and her son back to her (former) husband, Fred Sutliff (John Dehner), the latter who refuses to have anything to do with the child.

Joel McCrea is nicely teamed with Barbara Stanwyck in this interesting multi-layered western drama. They had previously combined almost 20 years earlier for Union Pacific (1939), below.

Tropic Zone (1953) - 94 mins

Starring Ronald Reagan, Rhonda Fleming Estelita Rodriguez, Noah Beery Jr., Grant Withers & John Wengraf

Directed by Lewis R. Foster

It's always fun to watch Ronald Reagan play a slightly disreputable type, and Tropic Zone is no exception. Reagan stars as Dan McCloud, a self-styled "banana expert" who is hiding out in a mythical South American country for obscure political reasons. Motivated by greed, McCloud comes to the aid of banana-plantation owner Flanders White (Rhonda Fleming), whose livelihood is threatened by covetous Lukats (John Wengraf). Redeemed by love, McCloud turns honest, rallying Flanders' workers and tenant farmers to form a united front against the crooked Lukats and his chief henchman Nelson (Grant Withers).

Tropic Zone was another winner from Paramount's Pine-Thomas production team - nicely photographed in color, it combined the talents of Reagan & Fleming under the careful eye of director Lewis R. Foster - they had previously joined up for 1952's Hong Kong (also available from this website)

The Turning Point (1952) - 85 mins

Starring William Holden, Edmond O'Brien, Alexis Smith, Tom Tully & Ed Begley

Directed by William Dieterle

Edmond O'Brien stars as an idealistic state's attorney assigned to crack down on a crime syndicate. This proves more dangerous than first suspected, since the syndicate has a number of city officials in its pocket - including the father of one of the investigating committee's chairpersons. William Holden is the crusading newspaperman who attempts to help O'Brien, but even his efforts are compromised by deeply entrenched political corruption.

Inspired by the real-life Senate investigations of 1951, this is a great film with a powerful climax - Holden & O'Brien together - fabulous!

Twelve O’Clock High (1949) - 132 mins

Starring Gregory Peck, Hugh Marlowe, Gary Merrill, Millard Mitchell & Dean Jagger

Directed by Henry King

When the U.S. 8th Army Air Force 918th Bombardment group is ordered on their fourth harrowing mission in four hard days, Brigadier General Frank Savage (Gregory Peck) demands "maximum effort." The bombers are forced to fly lower, to fly farther, and to test themselves - overspent and fatigued – to the very limit. When the dedicated Lt. Col. Ben Gately (Hugh Marlowe) speaks out in their defense, Savage mercilessly takes over command. Much of the story deals with his struggle to whip his group into a disciplined fighting unit in spite of heavy losses, and withering attacks by German fighters over their targets. Actual combat footage is used in this tense war drama

Oscar winner for Best Supporting Actor (Dean Jagger) as well as Oscar nominations for Best Picture & Best Actor (Gregory Peck)

20 Million Miles to Earth (1957) - 82 mins

Starring William Hopper, Joan Taylor, Frank Puglia, John Zaremba, Thomas Browne Henry & Tito Vuolo

Directed by Nathan Juran

When the first manned flight to Venus returns to Earth, the rocket crash-lands in the Mediterranean near a small Sicilian fishing village. The locals manage to save one of the astronauts Colonel Robert Calder (William Hopper), the mission commander whilst a young boy also recovers what turns out to be a specimen of an alien creature. While being subjected to laboratory experimentation, the "Ymir" begins growing by leaps and bounds, and before long the gigantic monstrosity has escaped and is wreaking havoc in Rome.

Another of special-effects wizard Ray Harryhausen's efforts - and it’s a winner!

The 27th Day (1957) - 75 mins

Starring Gene Barry, Valerie French, George Voskovec, Arnold Moss & Stefan Schnabel

Directed by William Asher

Five different people from five different countries suddenly disappearing from view. They have been gently abducted by the agent (Arnold Moss) of a faraway dying planet, who gives each of the five earthlings a "killing capsule" that will destroy everything on Earth and allow the residents of the alien planet to re-colonize the planet - but which will be ineffective if not used after 27 days. In typical Cold War fashion, the representatives of the "good" countries (including Gene Barry) refuse to utilize the capsules, while the Soviets, (personified by Azemat Janti and Stefan Schnabel) intend to deploy the capsules for their own nefarious purposes.

Yes, its a locked-in-the-fifties science fiction film, with Gene Barry returning to the genre after the success of War of the Worlds 4 years earlier. Lower in budget (and back to B&W), its nonetheless a good action / adventure film.

The Two Mrs. Carrolls (1947) - 99 mins

Starring Humphrey Bogart, Barbara Stanwyck, Alexis Smith, Nigel Bruce & Isobel Elsom

Directed by Peter Godfrey

Struggling artist Gerry Carrolll meets Sally whilst on holiday in the country. A romance develops but he doesn't tell her he's already married. Suffering from mental illness, Gerry returns home where he paints an impression of his wife as the angel of death and then promptly poisons her. He marries Sally but after a while he finds a strange urge to paint her as the angel of death too and history seems about to repeat itself.

Two O'Clock Courage (1945) - 68 mins

Starring Tom Conway, Ann Rutherford, Richard Lane, Lester Matthews & Jane Greer

Directed by Anthony Mann

After nearly running over him with her cab, a girl picks up a fare who claims to have amnesia. As he fumbles to remember the basic facts of his identity, she becomes interested in the stranger and decides to help him in his search. But as the pieces of the puzzle begin to fall into place, and her interest becomes more personal, the stranger finds that he is the prime suspect in a murder case.

Basically a light-hearted mystery programmer in the style of the 1940s, Two O'Clock Courage claims attention by virtue of having been directed by Anthony Mann, before his legendary collaboration in film noir with cinematographer John Alton. One of film noir veteran Jane Greer's first screen roles.

Two of a Kind (1951) - 75 mins

Starring Edmond O'Brien, Lizabeth Scott, Terry Moore, Alexander Knox & Griff Barnett

Directed by Henry Levin

Cardsharp Michael "Lefty" Farrell (Edmond O'Brie)n gets more than he bargained for when he links up with con artists Brandy Kirby (Lizabeth Scott) and Vincent Mailer (Alexander Knox). The trio plot to fleece the wealthy McIntyre couple out of ten million dollars by having O'Brien pose as the couple's long-lost son. When the husband, William (Griff Barnett) refuses to change his will, Farrell and Mailer plan to bump him off. Lefty may be a crook, but he's no murderer.

Excellent noir with O'Brien in another fabulous role

Two Years Before the Mast (1946) - 98 mins

Starring Alan Ladd, Brian Donlevy, William Bendix, Barry Fitzgerald, Howard Da Silva & Albert Dekker

Directed by John Farrow

Based on a book by Richard Henry Dana, Jr., this gruelling saga of shipboard oppression is set in the mid-19th century. Charles Stewart (Alan Ladd), the wealthy son of a Boston shipowner, is hijacked by Amazeen (William Bendix), the first mate on a ship bound for California. Francis Thompson (Howard Da Silva) is the tyrannical captain of the Pilgrim who was booted out of the U.S. Navy for mistreating his sailors. Now he wants to set a record sailing time, and he and Amazeen mete out severe punishment for the slightest of infractions. They even deny the men permission to go ashore and pick fruit when they stop in California. Without fruit, the men develop scurvy and begin to mutiny. Stewart allies himself with the author Dana (Brian Donlevy), whose brother died on one of Captain Thompson's previous voyages. Dana wants to write an expose of Thompson. Stewart steals guns and tries to take over the ship, but Amazeen subdues and imprisons him.

Another strong Alan Ladd performance in a well directed adventure.

Tycoon (1947) - 128 mins

Starring John Wayne, Laraine Day, Cedric Hardwicke, Judith Anderson, James Gleason, Anthony Quinn & Grant Withers

Directed by Richard Wallace

Johnny Munroe is a tough builder and engineer who, along with partner Pop Mathews, has been hired by tycoon Frederick Alexander to pull off the difficult task of building a railroad tunnel in the Andes Mountains. Although Johnny and Pop think that it would be far easier to lay the train tracks on a bridge spanning a river, Frederick insists on a tunnel. The contractors get to work despite their qualms over the project, but complications quickly arise.

Adding to the tension is a romance that blossoms between Johnny and Maura, Frederick's daughter -- a relationship the magnate will do anything to end.

This is a genuine (would-be) screen epic! RKO went all out with this one - color - great cast & locations - and a running time that suggests BIG in every way. Yet now strangely forgotten, despite the fact that its John Wayne doin' what he does best!

Uncertain Glory (1944) - 102 mins

Starring Errol Flynn, Paul Lukas, Lucile Watson, Faye Emerson & James Flavin

Directed by Raoul Walsh

Errol Flynn plays French criminal Jean Picard, a craven coward whose many misdeeds have earned him a date with the guillotine. Detective Marcel Bonet (Paul Lukas) intends to see that Picard keeps his appointment with the executioner, despite the fact that there's a war on. When the Nazis capture 100 French hostages to force a resistance saboteur to surrender himself, Picard offers to pose as the saboteur and thereby save the lives of the innocent villagers.

A different Errol Flynn in this interesting WWII film

Uncle Silas (1947) (aka The Inheritance) - 98 mins

Starring Jean Simmons, Katrina Paxinou, Derrick De Marney, Derek Bond & Sophie Stewart

Directed by Charles Frank

A young heiress of a vast fortune finds herself under the guardianship of her Uncle Silas, who has evil plans for obtaining her fortune.

Well appointed thriller with a breakout performance from Jean Simmons

Unconquered (1947) - 146 mins

Starring Gary Cooper, Paulette Goddard, Howard Da Silva, Boris Karloff, Cecil Kellaway & Ward Bond

Directed by Cecil B. DeMille

The story begins in England in the 1760s, as Abigail Martha Hale (Paulette Goddard), unjustly accused of a crime against the Crown, is sentenced by the Lord Chief Justice to 14 years' forced servitude in North America. Carted off to the auction block, Abigail is highly coveted by slavemaster Martin Garth (Howard da Silva), but the highest bidder turns out to be Virginia militiaman Captain Christopher Holden (Gary Cooper). Having been jilted by his aristocratic fiancee Diana, Holden harbors no romantic feelings for Abigail, but he's determined not to let her fall into Garth's grimy clutches. The patriotic Holden also knows that Garth, who is married to the daughter of Indian chief Pontiac has been trading firearms to the Ottawas. The treacherous Garth later participates in the "Pontiac Conspiracy," an allegiance of 18 Indian nations forsworn to wipe out every colonist on the East Coast.

Cecil B. DeMille's first postwar production, this $5 million Technicolor spectacular is as historically suspect as any DeMille epic, but is still marvelous escapist entertainment.

Oscar Nomination for Visual Effects

Gary Cooper: forever the great adventurer - these Gary Cooper titles are available from this website are:

Under Capricorn (1949) - 117 mins

Starring Ingrid Bergman, Joseph Cotten, Michael Wilding, Margaret Leighton & Cecil Parker

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Set in Australia in the early 19th century, the film concerns the tribulations of Lady Henrietta (Ingrid Bergman), who was driven out of her home in disgrace after eloping with unkempt stableman Sam Flusky (Joseph Cotten). Accused of the murder of Henrietta's brother, Flusky has been transported to Australia, where he starts life anew as a prosperous businessman, even while his wife descends further and further into alcoholism and self-hatred. When her cousin Charles Adare (Michael Wilding) comes to visit, Henrietta falls in love with him; she also confides that it was she, and not Flusky, who was responsible for her brother's death.

Returning to his old Elstree Studios headquarters in England, Alfred Hitchcock did some of his best work with Hume Cronyn's adaptation of the James Bridie novel Under Capricorn.

The Undercover Man (1949) - 85 mins

Starring Glenn Ford, Nina Foch, James Whitmore, Barry Kelley & David Wolfe

Directed by Joseph H. Lewis

Frank Warren (Glenn Ford) started out as an accountant, but now serves as an investigator for the Treasury Department. His job has frequently required him to go undercover, masquerading as a criminal to get the goods on the top-level tax-law violators that his unit targets. But now his assignment is to gather evidence on the operations of the nation's number-one crime boss and get proof of the income that he and his lieutenants are not declaring, and this proves not only frustrating but dangerous.. He's ready to quit until the mother of a witness-turned-victim tells him about what life was like in Italy under the Black Hand, and why she came to America to raise her sons. Warren and his men make one last attempt to get the proof they need, tracing signatures and handwriting to get evidence implicating a small man in the operation, using it to turn him and going for bigger fish. Finally, even the shyster lawyer who has been dogging Warren every step of the way ends up in the sights of the feds, and the mob turns its attention to getting rid of this new "liability" and taking care of Warren as well.

Glenn Ford in top form in this nourish thriller!

Underground (1941) - 95 mins

Starring Jeffrey Lynn, Philip Dorn, Kaaren Verne, Mona Maris & Peter Witney

Directed by Vincent Sherman

Jeffrey Lynn plays an impressionable young European who is intoxicated by the "glories" of National Socialism leading up to WWII. Lynn's brother, Philip Dorn, is on the opposite side of the fence as an announcer for an underground Resistance radio station. At first scornful of his brother's activities, Lynn soon learns that Hitler isn't the saint he believed him to be, especially after several of his friends are liquidated by the Gestapo. Lynn belatedly joins his brother's cause and, at the risk of his own life, helps the Resistance thwart a band of fifth columnists.

Under My Skin (1950) - 86 mins

Starring John Garfield, Micheline Presle, Luther Adler, Orley Lindgren & Noel Drayton

Directed by Jean Negulesco

Set in Paris, Under My Skin stars John Garfield as a washed-up jockey who has stolen money from a crooked gambler (Luther Adler). Anxious to escape with his life, Garfield leaves his young son (Orley Lindgren) in the care of his nightclub chanteuse girlfriend (Micheline Presle). While on the lam, Garfield has a change of heart and decides to make good for his son's sake. The gambler catches up with the jockey and demands that he throw an upcoming race, or else.

Under My Skin was based on the Ernest Hemingway story My Old Man.

Underwater Warrior (1958) - 91 mins

Starring Dan Dailey, James Gregory, Ross Martin, Raymond Burr & Alex Gerry

Directed by Andrew Marton

An Ivan "Sea Hunt" Tors production, this film is the true story of naval commander Francis D. Fane who leads the way in U.S. Navy underwater breathing apparatus testing for use in underwater demolitions. The exciting underwater sequences include actual footage of divers swimming with sharks and a 300-foot dive.

Song & dance man Dan Dailey does a great job as Fane is this excellent adventure story.

The Undying Monster (1942) - 60 mins

Starring James Ellison, Heather Angel, John Howard, Bramwell Fletcher & Heather Thatcher

Directed by John Brahm

Ever since the suicide of its patriarch, the Hammonds, an old and wealthy English family has seemingly lived under a curse. When a number of murders occur on the Hammond estate, Scotland Yard inspector Bob Curtis (James Ellison) and his garrulous female assistant Christy (Heather Thatcher) are sent out to investigate. Everyone on the premises: Helga Hammond (Heather Angel), her brother Oliver (John Howard), family doctor Geoffrey Covert (Bramwell Fletcher), family servants Mr. and Mrs. Walton (Halliwell Hobbes and Eily Malyon), seems to know more than he or she is letting on. Only in the final few minutes of the film is the horrible family secret revealed and the murderer dispensed with.

Atmospherically directed by John Brahm and a well-crafted variation on Universal's "Wolf Man" series.

The Uninvited (1944) - 99 mins

Starring Ray Milland, Ruth Hussey, Donald Crisp, Cornelia Otis Skinner, Dorothy Stickney & Alan Napier

Directed by Lewis Allen

Roderick Fitzgerald (Ray Milland) and his sister, Pamela (Ruth Hussey), buy a house on the Cornish seacoast, never suspecting that it is a "bad" house, subject to haunting. Before long, Roderick and Pamela are visited by Stella Meredith (Gail Russell), whose late mother, it is said, is the house ghost. It is further supposed that the ghost means to do Stella harm. Stella's grandfather Commander Beech (Donald Crisp) is close-mouthed on the issue, but it is clear he knows something that he isn't telling. Sure enough, there is a secret to the manor: it is inhabited by not one but two ghosts, one of whom is merely trying to shield Stella from harm.

The Uninvited remains one of the spookiest "old dark house" films ever made and it is a rarity among Hollywood ghost stories in that does not cop out with a "logical" ending.

Union Pacific (1939) - 135 mins

Starring Joel McCrea, Barbara Stanwyck, Akim Tamiroff, Robert Preston, Brian Donlevy & Anthony Quinn

Directed by Cecil B. DeMille

One of the last bills signed by President Lincoln authorizes pushing the Union Pacific Railroad across the wilderness to California. But financial opportunist Asa Barrows hopes to profit from obstructing it. Chief troubleshooter Capt. Jeff Butler (Joel McCrea) has his hands full fighting off Barrows' agent, gambler Sid Campeau (Brian Donlevy) - whose partner Dick Allen (Robert Preston) is Jeff's war buddy and rival suitor for engineer's daughter Mollie Monahan (Barbara Stanwyck). Who will survive the effort to push the railroad through at any cost?

Cecil B. DeMille takes us back to the 1860s, then rebuilds the first intercontinental railroad in Union Pacific - this spectacular was a big hit with audiences of 1939, craving a booster shot of flag-waving.

Oscar Nominated for Best Special Effects

McCrea & Stanwyck were to re-team almost 20 years later for Trooper Hook (1957), above.

Union Station (1950) - 81 mins

Starring William Holden, Barry Fitzgerald, Nancy Olson, Lyle Bettger, Jan Sterling & Allene Roberts

Directed by Rudolph Maté

Lt. William Calhoun (William Holden) goes into action when Lorna Murchison (Allene Roberts), the sightless daughter of millionaire Henry Murchison, is kidnapped by ruthless Joe Beacon (Lyle Bettger). The abduction is witnessed by Joyce Willecombe (Nancy Olson), Murchison's secretary. Using the handful of clues provided by Joyce, Calhoun and his associate, Inspector Donnelly (Barry Fitzgerald) do their best to track down the kidnapper.

Union Station is a tense crime thriller in the tradition of The Naked City (1948) which is also available from this website.

The Unknown Man (1951) - 86 mins

Starring Walter Pidgeon, Ann Harding, Barry Sullivan, Keefe Brasselle & Lewis Stone

Directed by Richard Thorpe

Highly respected defense attorney Dwight Bradley Mason (Walter Pidgeon) is able to clear young Rudi Wallchek (Keefe Brasselle) of a murder rap. When it's all over, however, Rudi lets slip a careless comment which leads Mason to believe that his client was guilty after all. Using the evidence at hand, the attorney retraces his steps, only to discover that one of the town's leading citizens is a criminal mastermind.

Walter Pidgeon in an excellent role, which well suits his everyman, ethical gentleman persona

The Unsuspected (1947) - 103 mins

Starring Joan Caulfield, Claude Rains, Audrey Totter, Constance Bennett, Hurd Hatfield & Fred Clark

Directed by Michael Curtiz

Alexander Grandison (Claude Rains) spookily recites murder mysteries on his radio show, with intimate and excruciating details. The reason he's so good and popular is that some of the murders he presents really are his own. He kills one of his female workers, but her fiancée, Steven Francis Howard (Michael North), threatens to take revenge for her death. Howard tries to convince Grandison's niece, Matilda Frazier (Joan Caulfield), that he is her long-lost husband. Much mystery and intrigue follows.

Director Michael Curtiz masterfully directs this excellent thriller from a novel by Charlotte Armstrong.

Up Periscope (1959) - 112 mins

Starring James Garner, Edmond O'Brien, Andra Martin, Alan Hale Jr., Carleton Carpenter & Edd Byrnes

Directed by Gordon Douglas

Ken Braden (James Garner) is a US Navy frogman and underwater demolitions expert who is assigned to a vital mission, and to a submarine captained by Commander Stevenson Edmond O'Brien. But Stevenson is a CO who may have seen too many men die - the two immediately come into conflict over Braden's presence on the boat and his mission, a top secret foray into Japanese waters that jeopardizes the boat. The captain, in his strict adherence to regulations, makes it as difficult as possible for Braden to carry out his assignment, and Braden doesn't make matters easier between them by speaking his mind. And the crew's low morale only makes matters worse as the voyage progresses and the dangers around them mount.

A fabulous submarine adventure yarn!

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The Valley of the Gwangi (1969) - 96 mins

Starring James Franciscus, Gila Golan, Richard Carlson, Laurence Naismith & Freda Jackson

Directed by Jim O'Connolly

When a traveling Wild West show comes to town, the locals are frightened by a one-foot-tall horse that is believed to be a bad omen. Superstitious ones try to return the horse to The Valley of Gwangi to avert disaster. Tuck (James Franciscus) and T.J. (Gila Golan) try to help archaeologist Bromley (Laurence Naismith) find the tiny equine in the valley, but they unleash a prehistoric giant monster in the process.

Another tour-de-force from special effects maestro Ray Harryhausen

Valley of the Kings (1954) - 86 mins

Starring Robert Taylor, Eleanor Parker, Kurt Kasznar & Carlos Thompson

Directed by Robert Pirosh

Hard-boiled archeologist Mark Brandon is searching for ancient tombs in Egypt when he is approached by beautiful Ann Mercedes, who convinces him to help her fulfil her deceased father's life's ambition: to provide solid proof of the biblical Joseph's travels in ancient Egypt. As an ex-pupil of Ann's father, Mark accepts and the two embark on a search for the tomb of the Pharoah Ra Hotep, said to have had some connection with Joseph. The trail to the tomb is fraught with intrigue, betrayal, murder and the possibility that the tomb itself has been emptied of all its artifacts by ancient looters.

A fabulous adventure yarn!

Vanishing Point (1971) - 98 mins

Starring Barry Newman, Cleavon Little, Dean Jagger, Victoria Medlin, Paul Koslo & Robert Donner

Directed by Richard C. Sarafian

The cultist of the cults: a great chase film, starring Barry Newman as ex-marine, ex-race car driver and cop named Kowalski. He drives into Denver to deliver a car and pick up another vehicle to drive to San Francisco. To make the fifteen-hour drive to San Francisco bearable he pops a load of pep pills and drives off. Almost immediately, he is told to pull over by the police, but Kowalski refuses to stop. An exciting police chase ensues (in which we learn via flashback about Kowalski's past) whilst blind black disc jockey, Super Soul (Cleavon Little), who announces his comings and goings on his local radio show, praises Kowalski to the skies as "the last American to whom speed means freedom of the soul." Super Soul's hype makes Kowalski a media sensation and Kowalski fans mount up - as do the police cars chasing him - as he races against time to deliver both the car and himself to his San Francisco destination.

Restrained direction makes for a involving and exciting experience whilst Barry Newman is always good to watch!

Note: Fans of Barry Newman (as I certainly am) should check out The Salzburg Connection (1972) & Fear is The Key (1972) which are also available from this website

The Velvet Touch (1948) - 97 mins

Starring Rosalind Russell, Leo Genn, Claire Trevor, Sydney Greenstreet, Leon Ames & Martha Hyer

Directed by William Castle

Broadway star Valerie Stanton, breaking up with her producer-lover Gordon Dunning, unintentionally kills him. In flashback, she recalls meeting new flame Michael Morrell, and Dunning's machinations leading to the fatal argument. The next day, it appears that Valerie's former rival Marian Webster is the prime suspect. Or is suave police Captain Danbury just playing cat and mouse with her? Nicely catty dialogue.

The Verdict (1946) - 86 mins

Starring Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, Joan Lorring & George Coulouris

Directed by Don Siegel

Mr. Grodman was a respected superintendent at Scotland Yard until a mistake in an investigation caused the execution of an innocent man. He takes the blame and is dismissed, replaced by the obnoxious, gloating Buckley. Feeling vengeful, Grodman would like nothing more than to see Buckley look foolish on the job. His friend Victor Emmric, an artist with macabre tastes, wouldn't mind either and soon a mysterious murder occurs that may provide them with the chance.

Yes that’s Don Siegel directing - he went onto direct Dirty Harry & Escape from Alcatraz (did he teach Clint Eastwood all that he knows?)

Another fabulous collaboration between Greenstreet & Lorre their last of 8 such pairings

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

The Vicious Circle (1957) - 84 mins

Starring John Mills, Derek Farr, Noelle Middleton, Wilfred Hyde-White, Roland Culver & Mervyn Johns

Directed by Gerald Thomas

John Mills plays a respected doctor who comes home one evening to find the body of a murdered actress of his acquaintance. The police are summoned, and the murder weapon is found in the trunk of Mills' car. Realizing that the authorities will be useless in a case like this, Mills turns amateur sleuth to find out who's behind the frame-up.

Excellent performance by John Mills in this nourish detective yarn.

Notably the screenplay was written by Francis Durbridge who is perhaps best know as the writer of the Paul Temple radio series and subsequent movie series - both the radio & movie series are available from this website

Victim (1961) - 90 mins

Starring Dirk Bogarde, Sylvia Syms, Dennis Price, Nigel Stock, Peter McEnery & Donald Churchill

Directed by Basil Dearden

Victim was considered as a daring a film as had ever been made in England and was denied the MPAA seal when it was released to the United States. Taken at face value, Janet Green and John McCormick's screenplay is nothing new: Dirk Bogarde plays a lawyer who agrees to defend an old friend on a theft charge, only to be enmeshed in a blackmailing scheme. What set this one apart is the fact that the lawyer had once been the male lover of his client. At a time when homosexuality was a criminal offense in England, any film that depicted the gay scene in a non-judgmental light was in for a rough time. What really startled filmgoers of 1962 is that the homosexuals shown in Victim were seemingly normal, everyday blokes, a far cry from the stereotyped characters common to films.

For it's time, this movie was ground-breaking, for any number of reasons, including its superb acting. Dirk Bogarde and Sylvia Syms, in particular, were perfect in their parts.

BAFTA winner for Best Actor (Bogarde) - also nominated for Best Screenplay

Village of the Damned (1960) - 77 mins

Starring George Sanders, Barbara Shelley, Martin Stephens, Michael Gwynn, Laurence Naismith & Richard Warner

Directed by Wolf Rilla

Something is seriously amiss in the tiny British village of Midwich. At 11 a.m. one morning, every village resident suddenly falls asleep and then, just as suddenly, everyone wakes up, completely unaffected by the phenomenon. Well, not completely: virtually every woman of childbearing years has become pregnant. All the babies are born on the same night, at precisely the same moment. All look the same, weigh the same, and even have the same curious cross-hatched hair and underdeveloped fingernails. Four years later, the children have all prematurely reached the age of nine or so and all behave in a weird, conspiratorial manner, comporting themselves more like adults than kids. Resident scientist Gordon Zellaby (George Sanders), one of the fathers, surmises that the bizarre manner of the children from their zombie-like movements to their cold, staring eyes is the result of radioactivity, possibly extraterrestrial in nature. One thing is certain: the children possess powers far beyond those of ordinary mortals. And they must be stopped.

One of the most influential science fiction films of the 1960s, Village of the Damned was based on the equally eerie John Wyndham novel The Midwich Cuckoos.

The sequel: Children of the Damned (1963) is also available from this website

Violent Playground (1958) - 108 mins

Starring Stanley Baker, Anne Heywood, David McCallum, Peter Cushing & John Slater

Directed by Basil Dearden

A Liverpool street gang, bossed by hoodlum Johnny (David McCallum) is at odds with Stanley Baker a police juvenile liason officer, who is also in love with the gang leaders sister (Anne Heywood). Peter Cushing plays a priest who is caught up in proceedings which culminate in Johnny holding a classroom of children hostage

A tour de force for Baker & a career defining role for David " Illya Kuryakin" McCallum.

Violent Saturday (1955) - 91 mins

Starring Victor Mature, Richard Egan, Stephen McNally, Ernest Borgnine, Lee Marvin & J. Carrol Naish

Directed by Richard Fleischer

A number of otherwise insignificant small-town stories erupt into drama when a gang of hoodlums decides to rob the local bank. A father looking for pride in his son's eyes, a timid clerk who is a peeping tom by night, a man striving to rewin his wife's love, an Amish farmer faced with viciousness, and a proper older woman turned thief, all find themselves entangled with the bank robbers as a peaceful weekend turns violent.

One of my Dad's favourite movies.

Virginia City (1940) - 121 mins

Starring Errol Flynn, Miriam Hopkins, Randolph Scott, Humphrey Bogart, Frank McHugh, Alan Hale & Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams

Directed by Michael Curtiz

After escaping from a Confederate prison during the Civil War, Union officer Flynn vows to stop a $5,000,000 gold shipment from reaching the South. He is challenged by Southern sympathizer Randolph Scott, whose interest in the gold is patriotic, and by outlaw Humphrey Bogart whose interests are purely mercenary. Adding spice to the proceedings is Miriam Hopkins as a dance hall chanteusse-cum-Confederate spy.

The Virginian (1946) - 90 mins

Starring Joel McCrea, Brian Donlevy, Sonny Tufts, Barbara Britton, Fay Bainter & Tom Tully

Directed by Stuart Gilmore

Arriving at Medicine Bow, eastern schoolteacher Molly Woods (Barbara Britton) meets two cowboys, irresponsible Steve Andrews (Sonny Tufts) and "TheVirginian" (Joel McCrea) who gets off on the wrong foot with her mainly because she hates the violent side of frontier life. To add to his troubles, "TheVirginian" finds that his old pal Steve is mixed up with nefarious cattle rustler Trampas (Brian Donlevy) and his gang. He soon finds himself at the head of a posse after the rustlers.

Owen Wister's 1902 novel was made into a movie several times, most notably in 1929, with Gary Cooper starring. This 1946 remake of the often-filmed saga gave Joel McCrea the title role as the standing-tall cowboy in Wyoming.

The Visit (1964) - 100 mins

Starring Ingrid Bergman, Anthony Quinn, Irina Demick, Paolo Stoppa, Hans Christian Blech & Romolo Valli

Directed by Bernhard Wicki

Carla Zachanassian had a child by Serge Miller as a teenager. When Serge refused to marry her, she was driven out of town. By her own wit and cunning, she has returned as a multi-millionaire for a visit. The town lays out the red carpet expecting big things from Carla, only to learn that her sole purpose is to see Serge Miller killed.

Ingrid Bergman shines in giving a performance of style, passion and controlled rage.

The Wackiest Ship in the Army (1960) - 99 mins

Starring Jack Lemmon, Ricky Nelson, John Lund, Chips Rafferty & Tom Tully

Directed by Richard Murphy

The place is somewhere in the Pacific during WWII and the decrepit yacht USS Echo, captained by the Lt. Rip Crandall (Jack Lemmon) and crewed by misfits who don’t know how to sail, has a very specific assignment. The floating anachronism has to safely carry an Australian spy deep into enemy territory where he will be stationed to report on the Japanese fleet's activities. Since the Echo should have been dismantled and sold for its parts long ago, this assignment is not easy. As the military and its stereotypical traits are parodied with sophistication and sharp humor, the Captain and his motley crew do their best to successfully complete their mission

Loosely based on an actual incident in World War II, this is a pleasing Pacific Theatre WWII adventure (with a dash of comedy)

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Wagon Master (1950) - 86 minutes

Starring Ben Johnson, Joanne Dru, Harry Carey Jr., Ward Bond & Alan Mowbray

Directed by John Ford

The film is the outwardly simple tale of a Mormon wagon train headed for Utah. Along the way, the group, led by Elder Wiggs (Ward Bond) hook up with two horse traders Travis Blue (Ben Johnson) and Sandy Owens (Harry Carey Jr), the members of a traveling medicine show and a tribe of Navajo Indians. The group is threatened by a gang, known as the Clegg family, who have robbed an express office and murdered the clerk. This wonderful film splendidly directed by John Ford, emphasizes the virtues of solidarity, sacrifice and tolerance, and shows the director at his most masterful, in total control of the production from the casting to the bit players to the grandeur and scope of the visual compositions. Wagon Master is a superlative western. With its breathtaking scenery, brilliant performances by a cast of character actors, and an engaging sense of humor, is a superlative example of the American western. It inspired the successful and long running television series, Wagon Train

Wagon Wheels (1934) - 60 mins

Starring Randolph Scott, Gail Patrick, Billy Lee, Monte Blue, Raymond Hatton & Jan Duggan

Directed by Charles Barton

Randolph Scott plays a trail guide named Clint Belmet leading a wagon train journey from Missouri to Oregon, through Indian attacks and outlaw treachery. Murdock (Monte Blue), the main villain, foments trouble between the whites and Indians on behalf of a cartel of foreign fur traders, adding international intrigue to proceedings.

Like Rocky Mountain Mystery (1934) above, this western was adapted from a Zane Grey story.

Wagon Wheels is a remake of the 1931 Gary Cooper starrer Fighting Caravans.

Wake Island (1942) - 87 mins

Starring Brian Donlevy, Robert Preston, William Bendix, Albert Dekker & Macdonald Carey

Directed by John Farrow

In November 1941, Major Caton takes command of the small Marine garrison on Wake Island. His tendency toward spit and polish upsets the men's tropical lassitude, but Pearl Harbor changes everything. Soon the island is attacked and the Marines pull together day by day; but how long can they hold out?

One of the very best WW2 films.

Nominated for 4 Oscars including Best Picture & Best Original Screenplay

A truly fabulous WWII adventure and a great companion-piece to Air Force (1943) & Thirty Seconds Over Toyko (1944) - both of which are available from this website.

Wake of the Red Witch (1948) - 106 mins

Starring John Wayne, Gail Russell, Gig Young, Adele Mara, Luther Adler & Grant Withers

Directed by Edward Ludwig

Set in 19th Century East Indies, Wake of the Red Witch focuses on the deadly rivalry between two men of the sea. Ship's captain Rails (John Wayne) nurses a long-standing grudge against shipping magnate Van Schreeven (Luther Adler). Van Schreeven stole away Rails' love, Angelique (Gail Russell) and revenge is driving Rails to the edge. Matters are further complicated by the emergence of valuable pearls with the two captains now in mortal competition.

This film must also have held some special significance for Wayne, since he named his own production company, Batjac, after the shipping firm depicted in the picture

The Walking Hills (1949) - 78 mins

Starring Randolph Scott, Ella Raines, William Bishop, Edgar Buchanan & Arthur Kennedy

Directed by John Sturges

While tailing a murder suspect, a private detective follows the suspect into a poker game. When one of the players reveals he knows the location of a lost wagon train full of gold, everyone in the game is suddenly bound up in an expedition into the desert to find the treasure. But heat, sand, wind, and the revelation of personal secrets combine to threaten not only the treasure hunt but the lives of the hunters as well. Lust and greed collide head-on when gorgeous Chris Jackson enters the picture.

Yes that’s director John Sturges would later employ the same cat-and-mouse formula in Bad Day at Black Rock (1954).

Walk Softly, Stranger (1950) - 81 mins

Starring Joseph Cotton, Alida Valli, Spring Byington, Paul Stewart & Jack Paar

Directed by Robert Stevenson

Chris Hale is a fugitive criminal who decides to hide out in a small Midwestern town. Here, Hale makes the acquaintance of Elaine Corelli, who has had a grudge against the world since being crippled in a skiing accident. While endeavoring to help Elaine come out of her shell, Hale falls in love with her, and vows to mend his own ways. Though not released until 1950, Walk Softly, Stranger was filmed in 1948, a year before Joseph Cotten and Alida Valli were teamed in the more celebrated The Third Man. Future talk-show host Jack Paar appears in a fascinating supporting role as a suburban hubby. Walk Softly, Stranger was the last co-production between RKO and David O. Selznick's Vanguard Films

Walk the Proud Land (1956) - 89 mins

Starring Audie Murphy, Ann Bancroft, Pat Crowley, Charles Drake, Tommy Rall, Robert Warwick & Jay Silverheels

Directed by Jesse Hibbs

In 1874 John Philip Clum (Audie Murphy), an Eastern government representative, arrives in San Carlos, Arizona with the intention to uphold the peace between the settlers and the Apaches, and to encourage a form of self-government among the Indians. Realizing that he can never hope for cooperation from the Apaches so long as renegade warrior Geronimo (Jay Silverheels) is at large, Clum determines to negotiate the surrender of Geronimo - and he intends to do it alone.

Walk the Proud Land, which is the true story of Indian agent John Philip Clum, as set down on paper by Clum's son,

scores with strong characterizations and well-crafted scriptwork from Gil Doud who also wrote Murphy's To Hell and Back (1955) and Alan Ladd's Saskatchewan (1954) - both of which are available from this website.

War Arrow (1953) - 78 mins

Starring Jeff Chandler, Maureen O'Hara, John McIntire, Suzan Ball, Noah Beery Jr., & Charles Drake

Directed by George Sherman

Army Major Howell Brady (Jeff Chandler) trains a group of Seminole Indians to aid the army in quelling an impending Kiowa uprising. Commanding officer Col. Meade (John McIntire), a man with a deep abiding hatred for all Indians, thinks that Brady is crazy to trust the Seminoles. And Brady has plenty on his plate with former flame Elaine Corwin (Maureen O'Hara) realizing that the Seminole chief's daughter Avis (Suzan Ball) has fallen in love with Brady.

Warlords of Atlantis (1978) - 96 mins

Starring Doug McClure, Peter Gilmore, Shane Rimmer, Lea Brodie, Michael Gothard & Hal Galili

Directed by Kevin Connor

In 1896 the aging Professor Aitken and his son charter an expedition aboard the Texas Rose and descend into the depths in an experimental bathysphere designed by engineer Greg Collinson. But under the water they are snatched by a giant octopus and taken down to one of the five remaining of the seven sunken cities of Atlantis. As they marvel at the Atlantean super-science, they learn that the Atlanteans are really survivors from a dying Mars who are using their superior mental abilities to influence the outcome of human history and bring out mankind’s most warlike tendencies.

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

The War Lover (1962) - 105 mins

Starring Steve McQueen, Robert Wagner, Shirley Ann Field, Gary Cockrell & Michael Crawford

Directed by Philip Leacock

Loosely based on a novel by John Hersey, this WWII drama stars Steve McQueen as Buzz Rickson, command pilot of a B17 bomber, and Robert Wagner as Ed Bolland, his co-pilot. When Buzz first comes on the scene, Ed admires him for his daring and skill in executing the bombing raids over Germany. But as time goes by, Buzz starts to fall for Ed's girlfriend Daphne (Shirley Ann Field) and at the same time, Ed begins to see that Buzz is only good at piloting bombers - in civilian life he's not so good. The contrasts between the men, Buzz's internal problems, and the love triangle provide the dramatic fodder for this thought provoking actioner with a stupendous conclusion!

Steve McQueen made this film in England after concluding his TV assignment as Josh Randall in 94 episodes of Wanted: Dead or Alive. His very next film proved to be his breakout "movie" role: The Great Escape (1963).

The War of the Worlds (1953) - 85 mins

Starring Gene Barry, Ann Robinson, Les Tremanye, Robert Cornthwaite, Sandro Giglio & Paul Frees

Directed by Byron Haskin

A meteorlike object crash-lands near the small town of Linda Rosa. Among the crowd of curious onlookers is Pacific Tech scientist Dr. Clayton Forrester (Gene Barry), who strikes up a friendship with Sylvia Van Buren (Ann Robinson), the niece of local minister Pastor Dr. Matthew Collins (Lewis Martin). Because the meteor is too hot to approach at present, Forrester decides to wait a few days to investigate, leaving three townsmen to guard the strange, glowing object. Left alone, the three men decide to approach the meterorite, and are evaporated for their trouble. It turns out that this is no meteorite, but an invading spaceship from the planet Mars. The hideous-looking Martians utilize huge, mushroomlike flying ships, equipped with heat rays, to pursue the helpless earthlings. When the military is called in, the Martians demonstrated their ruthlessness by "zapping" Pastor Collins who'd hoped to negotiate a peaceful resolution to the standoff. As Forrester and Van Buren seek shelter, the Martians go on a destructive rampage. Nothing, not even an atom bomb blast can halt the Martian death machines. The film's climax occurs in a besieged Los Angeles, where Forrester fights through a crowd of refugees and looters so that he may be reunited with Van Buren in Earth's last moments of existence.

George Pal's Oscar winning camera trickery is awesome to behold - like Orson Welles' infamous 1938 radio adaptation, the film eschews H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds original Victorian England setting for a contemporary American locale, in this case Southern California.

Oscar Winner for Best Special Effects. Oscar Nominated for Best Sound

This one will blow you away!

The Warriors (1955) - 85 mins

Starring Errol Flynn, Joanne Dru, Peter Finch, Yvonne Furneaux, Patrick Holt & Michael Hordern

Directed by Henry Levin

The Warriors, Errol Flynn's final swashbuckler was retitled The Dark Avenger for its European release.

Lensed on location in Hertfordshire, England, the film stars Flynn as Edward, the "Black Prince" of England. At the end of the Hundred Years' war, Edward remains in France to guard the lands taken by his predecessor-father. He is opposed in this by Count DeVille (Peter Finch). The story comes to a rousing conclusion as Edward and his followers defend their castle against DeVille's minions. Joanne Dru costars as Lady Joan Holland.

Very nice Widescreen Color print!

Watch on the Rhine (1943) - 114 mins

Starring Bette Davis, Paul Lukas, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Lucile Watson & Beulah Bondi

Directed by Herman Shumlin

Paul Lukas (recreating his Broadway role) is a tireless anti-fascist crusader Kurt Muller. As the clouds of war gather in Europe in the late 1930s, Muller arrives in Washington DC, accompanied by his American wife Sara and their children Joshua, Bodo and Babette. The Mullers stay at the home of Sarah's wealthy mother Fanny Fannelly, who lives in her own world of society get-togethers and can't be bothered with politics. Also staying with Fanny is Rumanian aristocrat Teck de Branovis and his American wife Marthe. To protect his family, Muller keeps his "underground" activities a secret from Fanny and her guests, but de Branovis is suspicious of the mild-mannered visitor. It turns out that de Branovis is actually a Nazi sympathizer, willing to betray Muller for a price. Using blackmail as one of his weapons, de Branovis threatens to destroy all that Muller has been fighting for.

An expansion of, and improvement upon, Lillian Hellman's stage play of the same name, Watch on the Rhine was scripted by Lillian Hellman's lover Dashiel Hammett!

Academy Award winner for Best Actor - also nominations for Best Picture, Supporting Actress (Lucile Watson) & Screenplay (Dashiel Hammett)

Waterloo Road (1945) - 73 mins

Starring John Mills, Stewart Granger, Alistair Sim, Joy Shelton & Alison Leggatt

Directed by Sidney Gilliat

A very plausible story about a triangle between a woman, her soldier husband, and her new lover. Jim Colter (John Mills) has joined the services, leaving his wife Tillie (Joy Shelton) with his mother (Beatrice Varley) and sister. Tillie is lonely, meets Ted Purvis (Stewart Granger), and falls for him. It turns out that Purvis is a small-time crook and swindler and falsified his medical records in order to avoid serving in the war. Jim finds out about the affair and deserts the war to return home and settle matters. But he is set upon and beaten by Purvis' hoodlum buddies. Unchastened, Jim goes after Purvis.

It was based on a story by director Sidney Gilliat, the entire story is played out against the noisy backdrop of a country at war.

Watusi (1959) - 85 mins

Starring George Montgomery, Taina Elg, David Farrar, Rex Ingram & Dan Seymour

Directed by Kurt Neumann

Harry Quartermain (George Montgomery) is the son of the Alan who first set out on the quest for the source of Solomon's wealth, and he is determined to succeed where his father failed. He goes to Africa with his good friend Rick Cobb (David Farrar) and as they continue on their journey, Erica Neuler (Taina Elg) joins them. She is the daughter of a missionary who has been killed by a local tribe. As the trio fight off deadly snakes, crocodiles, and similar denizens of the jungle, Harry cannot hide his antagonism toward Erica. She is German, and Harry's mother was killed at sea by Germans in World War I. Only the determination to find the mines and a certain ambivalence in Harry's feelings toward Erica, and vice-versa, keep the trio united in their goal.

Great color adventure sequel to King Solomon's Mines (both versions of which are available from this INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section this website)

The Way Ahead (aka The Immortal Battalion) (1944) - 115 mins

Starring David Niven, Stanley Holloway, James Donald, John Laurie, Leslie Dwyer & William Hartnell

Directed by Carol Reed

When Winston Churchill approached David Niven about creating a film that would do for the British Army what In Which We Serve had done for the Royal Navy, he contacted Carol Reed and suggested expanding The New Lot (a 44 minute training film). The result, written by Eric Ambler and Peter Ustinov, was the acclaimed The Way Ahead. For its U.S. release, it was retitled The Immortal Battalion. The film is concerned with the training of a bunch of raw recruits into a capable and efficient fighting regiment. Niven stars as Jim Perry, a lieutenant and former ordinary guy who finds that he must learn to take a tough line in order to make his wildly diverse crew come together and understand the importance both of the war and of their place in it. Although it takes time and constant effort on the part of Perry and his sergeant, the eight men eventually overcome their different backgrounds and feelings, and transform themselves into a unit which performs its tasks with admirable skill and dexterity, preparing them for their battle against the Desert Fox in Africa. Told in a semi-documentary style, Battalion also features the screen debut of Trevor Howard.

The Web (1947) - 87 mins

Starring Ella Raines, Edmond O'Brien, William Bendix, Vincent Price, Maria Palmer & John Abbot

Directed by Michael Gordon

Leopold Kroner, formerly of Colby Enterprises, is released after five years in prison for embezzlement. Andrew Colby, claiming that Kroner has threatened him, hires lawyer Bob Regan as a secret bodyguard. Sure enough, Kroner turns up in Colby's room with a gun, and Regan kills him. Then Regan, who sticks around to romance Colby's secretary Noel, begins to suspect he's been used.

This is a excellent film with a great cast that keeps you guessing as it twists & turns - a tour de force for Edmond O'Brien and a must for his fans

Wells Fargo (1937) - 97 mins

Starring Joel McCrea, Bob Burns, Francis Dee, Lloyd Nolan, Henry O'Neill & Johnny Mack Brown

Directed by Frank Lloyd

In his first western appearance, Joel McCrea plays Ramsey McCay, troubleshooter for the newly formed partnership of Henry Wells (Henry O'Neill) and William Fargo (Jack Clark). Dedicated to maintaining a safe and speedy overland mail and freight service to the West, Wells-Fargo is at the forefront of several important historical events, including the California Gold Rush, the formation of the Pony Express and the Civil War. McCay is briefly separated from his wife Justine (played by McCrea's real-life spouse Frances Dee) during the last-named conflict, but the two are reunited late in life as Wells-Fargo celebrates its 20th year of service.

Wells Fargo contains several thrill-packed highlights, most of which would do service as stock footage in such later Paramount westerns.

Oscar Nominated for Best Sound Recording

The third of Paramount's "deluxe" westerns of the 1930s (following The Texas Rangers (1936) and The Plainsman (1936) - both of which are available from this website) was Wells Fargo was filmed on a Cecil B. DeMille scale by producer-director Frank Lloyd.

Husband and wife McCrea & Dee were to re-team more than 10 years later for Four Faces West (1948), above.

We're No Angels (1955) - 106 mins

Starring Humphrey Bogart, Aldo Ray, Peter Ustinov, Joan Bennett, Basil Rathbone & Leo G. Carroll

Directed by Michael Curtiz

The scene is French Guiana, a few days before Christmas. Humphrey Bogart, Peter Ustinov and Aldo Ray play three Devil's Island "lifers" who escape from the infamous prison and hide out amongst the free colonists. In need of clothing and money, the trio makes plans to rob milliner Leo G. Carroll and his family. The three escapees are deflected from their larcenous intent when they grow fond of Carroll, his wife Joan Bennett and their daughter Gloria Talbott. Discovering that Carroll is on the verge of bankruptcy, the convicts offer their services as household help. Complications ensue when Carroll's nasty, wealthy cousin Basil Rathbone comes calling to audit the store's books.

Yes it’s a comedy (so whats it doing here on my website) but its one of my favourites and any film with Bogie & Rathbone has to be worth a (long) look

Fabulous fun!

Werewolf in London (1935) - 75 mins

Starring Henry Hull, Warner Oland, Valerie Hobson, Lester Matthews, Lawrence Grant & Spring Byington

Directed by Stuart Walker

Henry Hull stars as botanist Dr. Glendon, whose foray through Tibet in search of a rare night-blooming "marifasa lupina" ends when he is savagely attacked by man-beast Yogami (Warner Oland). Recovering back in London, Glendon begins to undergo the hideous transformation into a wolf-like monster at the next full moon and learns that only the bloom of the marifasa can reverse his condition - a cure which is currently being sought by yet another lycanthropic predator.

Originally intended as a vehicle for Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi, this Universal production predated The Wolf Man by six years.

Westbound (1959) - 72 mins

Starring Randolph Scott, Virginia Mayo, Karen Steele, Michael Dante, Andrew Duggan & Michael Pate

Directed by Budd Boetticher

John Hayes left the Civil War behind him when he took on the job of managing the Overland Stage Lines out of a small Colorado town. Clay Putnam has not forgotten that the Confederacy lost and he plans on robbing Hayes' Overland Stage of one of its gold shipments from California to the North. He wants the gold to stay in the South to revive the Confederate cause. Meanwhile, his wife Norma complicates matters since she was Hayes' old flame, and Putnam's cronies want the gold for themselves.

A fast-paced western with a number of twists, its is an fine example of the Scott / Boetticher pairing.

The Westerner (1940) - 100 mins

Starring Gary Cooper, Walter Brennan, Doris Davenport, Fred Stone, Forrest Tucker & Chill Wills

Directed by William Wyler

The town of Vinegaroon, TX, is the home to Judge Roy Bean (Walter Brennan), who calls himself "The Only Law West of the Pecos." Bean keeps a saloon, where he also conducts trials, using his office to get fat on fines and the seizure of property, and hanging most of those who get in his way, sometimes more than one a day. Cole Hardin (Gary Cooper) is a saddle-tramp brought in on a charge of stealing a horse belonging to Bean's chief stooge, Chickenfoot. Hardin's conviction by a jury made up of Bean's hangers-on seems certain, despite his contention that he bought the horse from another man, until Hardin recognizes the judge's obsession with the English actress Lily Langtry. Hardin escapes the gallows by conning the judge into thinking he's a person friend of Langtry.

Then Hardin decides to join with the homesteaders, led by Jane-Ellen Mathews (Doris Davenport) and her father, Caliphet (Fred Stone) - they have been fighting for survival against Bean and his cattle-rancher allies every step of the way. Eventually Hardin & Bean must face off against each other!

Oscar Winner for Best Supporting Actor (Walter Brennan). Oscar Nominations for Art Direction (B&W) & Writing (Original Story)

Gary Cooper: forever the great adventurer - these Gary Cooper titles are available from this website are:

Western Pacific Agent (1950) - 65 mins

Starring Kent Taylor, Sheila Ryan Robert Lowery, Mickey Knox & Sid Melton

Directed by Sam Newfield

A contemporary crime melodrama (although the title may suggest a western - which it isn't) which tells of a railroad detective, assigned to track down an elusive robber-murderer. Whilst we get to know the culprit early on in the story (Mickey Knox in an astonishingly vicious performance), the plot requires the detective to methodically piece together the evidence before making his final move. Helping him solve the crime is the sister of a slain paymaster.

The whole story is narrated in flashback by an uncredited Jason Robards Sr.

Judged as one of the most brutal films of its era, its nevertheless a good showcase for Kent Taylor who, within a year would move into TV as Boston Blackie for that long running and well remembered series (check out the TV Series section of this website for a DVD set of episodes of this classic piece of TV)

Western Union (1941) - 95 mins

Starring Robert Young, Randolph Scott, Dean Jagger, Virginia Gilmore & John Carradine

Directed by Fritz Lang

Fritz Lang's second color film and second Western, follows the process of installing the cross-country Western Union telegraph wires while telling the story of two brothers whose destinies have brought them together. Vance Shaw (Randolph Scott) is an ex-criminal whose job is to protect the Western Union workers against attacks by gangs of bandits. But, when he learns that his renegade brother, Jack Slade, is leading one of these gangs, Vance realizes this job will not be easy. Tension increases as the daughter of Vance's boss, Sue, comes into the picture with her young and inexperienced suitor, Richard Blake (Robert Young). With Vance and Richard waging psychological warfare over Sue's affections, the Western Union lines are threatened at every turn by gangs of bandits impersonating Indians.

"Fritz Lang's striking use of Technicolor enhances the actual Western landscapes and the real Oglala Indians cast in the film. Virtuoso cinematography and signature Langian psychological suspense elevate this western tale of destiny, desire, and coming of age to a fever pitch of excitement and melodrama"

Western Union was the second Technicolor western effort from director Fritz Lang.

West Point of the Air (1935) - 89 mins

Starring Wallace Beery, Robert Young, Lewis Stone, Maureen O'Sullivan, Rosalind Russell & James Gleason

Directed by Richard Rosson

Big Mike is a tough Army flyer who longs to see his son Little Mike take to the air like himself. Little Mike's excessive attraction to the beautiful Dare Marshall strains his relationship with his father, but eventually he finds the right woman: Skip, the daughter of Army commandant General Carter.

Beery & Young form a dynamic combination in this stirring adventure.

-NEW TITLE-

Westward Ho (1935) - 61 mins

Starring John Wayne, Sheila Bromley, Frank McGlynn Jr., Jim Farley & Jack Curtis

Directed by Robert N. Bradbury

John Wyatt (John Wayne) vows to avenge the death of his parents at the hands of cattle rustlers. Years later, Wyatt is put in charge of a band of vigilantes, bent on rounding up a gang of outlaws. He discovers to his chagrin that one of the bandits is his own long-lost brother (Frank McGlynn Jr.) This revelation eventually leads Wyatt to the men responsible for the slaughter of his family.

Excellent print showing off some gorgeous location photography by Archie J. Stout

Republic Pictures first ever production!

We Were Strangers (1949) - 106 mins

Starring John Garfield, Jennifer Jones, Pedro Armendariz, Gilbert Roland, Ramon Novarro & Wally Cassell

Directed by John Huston

China Valdes joins the Cuban underground after her brother is killed by the chief of the secret police, Ariete. She meets and falls in love with American expatriate Tony Fenner. Tony develops a plan to tunnel under the city's cemetery to a plot owned by a high official, assassinate him, and blow up the whole Cuban hierarchy at the ensuing state funeral. Together with a band of dedicated revolutionaries, they begin digging.

Based on a portion of Robert Sylvester's novel Rough Sketch, We Were Strangers was scripted by frequent Huston collaborator Peter Viertel.

When Eight Bells Toll (1971) - 94 mins

Starring Anthony Hopkins, Robert Morley, Natalie Delon, Jack Hawkins & Corin Redgrave

Directed by Etienne Périer

Anthony Hopkins stars in this intereseting adventure yarn, scripted by Alistair MacLean from his novel. Hopkins is Philip Calvert, a naval secret-service agent who is assigned to find out why millions of pounds of gold bullion are being stolen under the noses of the British government. Calvert begins his investigations in the bleak Scottish Highlands. Posing as marine biologists, Calvert and his partner Hunslett (Corin Redgrave) find something fishy and hostile among the Scottish inhabitants. They also suspect that the rich and smooth Greek tycoon Sir Arthur Skouras (Jack Hawkins), who lays anchor off the coast in his luxury yacht, may be the culprit behind the pirating of the gold bullion.

A superb widescreen color print

Note: Fans of films based on Alistair MacLean's works might like to check out The Secret Ways (1961), The Satan Bug (1965), Puppet on a Chain (1971), Fear Is the Key (1972), Caravan to Vaccarès (1974), Golden Rendezvous (1977), Bear Island (1979) & River of Death (1989) elsewhere in the INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section of this website.

When Strangers Marry (1944) (aka Betrayed) - 67 mins

Starring Robert Mitchum, Kim Hunter, Dean Jagger, Neil Hamilton & Lou Lubin

Directed by William Castle

In her third film, Kim Hunter plays a waitress who comes to New York to meet her husband Dean Jagger. Kim's marriage was a whirlwind affair, and as a result she barely knows her husband. She soon discovers that Jagger may be involved in a murder and that he very well may be a homicidal maniac. Robert Mitchum, in an early role, has a crucially effective part as the former suitor who provides a steady shoulder for his one-time fiancée to lean on.

Designated by film-historian Don Miller as the finest "B" picture ever made, this film is chock full of superb cinematic touches, courtesy of director William Castle.

A cleverly constructed film noir par excellence.

When the Daltons Rode (1940) - 81 mins

Starring Randolph Scott, Kay Francis, Brian Donlevy, George Bancroft & Broderick Crawford

Directed by George Marshall

Young lawyer Tod Jackson arrives in pioneer Kansas to visit his prosperous rancher friends the Daltons, just as the latter are in danger of losing their land to a crooked development company. When Tod tries to help them, a faked murder charge turns the Daltons into outlaws. Tod is now torn between staying loyal to his friends and upholding the law. Falling in love with Bob Dalton's former fiancée Julie, also complicates his predicament.

A rattling good story with a non-stop marathon of action in the final quarter.

Where Danger Lives (1950) - 82 mins

Starring Robert Mitchum, Faith Domergue, Claude Rains, Maureen O'Sullivan & Charles Kemper

Directed by John Farrow

Faith Domergue plays Margo Lannington the wife of Frederick Lannington (Claude Rains), an elderly millionaire possessed of a sadistic streak. Robert Mitchum co-stars as Jeff Cameron, a poor soul who falls in love with Margo without knowing that she's married. During a violent confrontation with the jealous Frederick, Cameron knocks the older man out and stumbles out of the room. Upon his return, he discovers that Frederick is dead. Margo had smothered her husband during Cameron's absence, but she insists that Cameron is the killer. The desperate lovers flee to Mexico, where Cameron begins to realize that his travelling companion not what she seems.

Masterfully directed by John Farrow, Where Danger Lives is often considered one of the classic noirs.

Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950) - 95 mins

Starring Dana Andrews, Gene Tierney, Gary Merrill, Karl Maldern & Tom Tully

Directed by Otto Preminger

Cop Mark Dixon is already in trouble with his superiors for his brutal tactics when he accidentally kills a murder suspect. To protect himself, he decides to cover it up and pin the killing on a racketeer he hates and knows has committed many crimes like this in the past.

The last in Otto Preminger's trio of noir trillers starring Dana Andrews after Laura (1944) & Fallen Angel (1945). All 3 films are available from this website.

While the City Sleeps (1956) - 100 mins

Starring Dana Andrews, Ida Lupino, Rhonda Fleming, George Sanders, Vincent Price, John Barrymore & Thomas Mitchell

Directed by Fritz Lang

Multi-plotted melodrama set in a newspaper office. Andrews is the hottest hack in the outfit. Price is the ambitious new boy - inheritor of his late father's media empire - who offers a shiny new position to the man who can track down the insane killer (Barrymore) who's terrorising the city. Lang, the master of this kind of material, crafts a gripping, fast-moving neo-noir - one of the best films of his late period.

The Whip Hand (1951) - 82 mins

Starring Elliott Reid, Carla Balenda, Raymond Burr, Edgar Barrier & Lurene Tuttle

Directed by William Cameron Menzies

A reporter on a fishing vacation stumbles into a town where all the local fish have mysteriously died and the population is either too afraid to talk or is downright hostile. After some digging, the reporter discovers that a mysterious group of men have bought a local lodge and have apparently turned it into some kind of mysterious scientific laboratory. The reporter and the sister of the local doctor determine to find out exactly what is going on up there. A neat little thriller with a dash of noir.

Whirlpool (1949) - 97 mins

Starring Gene Tierney, Richard Conte, Jose Ferrer, Charles Bickford & Barbara O'Neil

Directed by Otto Preminger.

The wife of a psycho-analyst falls prey to a devious quack hypnotist when he discovers she is an habitual shoplifter. Then one of his previous patients now being treated by the real doctor is found murdered, with her still at the scene, and suspicion points only one way.

Another great piece of noir from director Preminger!

Whispering Smith (1948) - 88 mins

Starring Alan Ladd, Robert Preston, Brenda Marshall, Donald Crisp, William Demarest & Fay Holden

Directed by Leslie Fenton

Luke "Whispering" Smith is an iron-willed railroad detective whose best friend is Murray Sinclair. Sinclair's wife, Marian almost married Smith back previously. Jealousy of Luke & Marion's friendship eventually allows for Murray to believe the dubious line that villain Barney Rebstock gives him, setting him against his friend!

The story based on a novel by Frank Spearman had been filmed two times previously as a silent film.

Alan Ladd & Robert Preston together - a good mix!

White Heat (1949) - 109 mins

Starring James Cagney, Virginia Mayo, Edmond O'Brien & Steve Cochran

Directed by Raoul Walsh

James Cagney returns to the gangster film genre as Cody Jarrett, the sadistic leader of a ruthless gang of thieves. Afflicted by terrible headaches and fiercely devoted to his 'Ma,' Cody is a volatile, violent, and eccentric leader. Cody's top henchman wants to lead the gang and attempts to have an accident happen to Cody, while he is running the gang from in jail. But Cody is saved by an undercover cop, who thereby befriends him and infiltrates the gang. Finally, the stage is set for Cody's ultimate betrayal and downfall, during a big heist at a chemical plant.

The White Tower (1950) - 98 mins

Starring Glenn Ford, Alida Valli, Claude Rains, Oskar Homolka, Cedric Hardwicke & Lloyd Bridges

Directed by Ted Tetzlaff

Glenn Ford stars as American pilot Martin Ordway, who joins an expedition to scale a treacherous Swiss mountain peak. Each of the climbers has a special reason to reach the top. Dissolute French author Paul DeLambre (Claude Rains) is searching for a purpose in life; guide Andreas (Oscar Homolka) is doing his job; British naturalist Nicholas Radcliffe (Sir Cedric Hardwicke) hopes to uncover new forms of flora and fauna; Carla Alton (Alida Valli) wants to conquer the mountain that claimed her father's life; Ordway has fallen in love with Alton and wants to be near her; and ex-Nazi Mr. Hein (Lloyd Bridges) hopes to escape his past. As the climb progresses, each member of the party reveals his or her true character, and it isn't always pretty.

Originally slated to be produced by Adrian Scott and directed by Edward Dmytrk, The White Tower was assigned to Sid Rogell and Ted Tetzlaff when Scott and Dmytrk were blacklisted. Another future blacklistee, Paul Jarrico, adapted his screenplay from a novel by James Ramsey Ullman.

An excellent color adventure story filmed on location in the French Alps.

White Witch Doctor (1953) - 96 mins

Starring Robert Mitchum, Susan Hayward, Walter Slezak, Mashood Ajala & Joseph C. Narcisse

Directed by Henry Hathaway

Filmed on location, White Witch Doctor is set in the Belgian Congo, circa 1907. Professional hunter John "Lonni" Douglas (Robert Mitchum) is hired by nurse Ellen Burton (Susan Hayward) to escort her into the African interior, in hopes of finding her former mentor. Eventually they discover that the man Burton seeks has died, but Burton decides to stay around for awhile and tend to the wounds of the local witch doctor's injured son and to convince the tribesmen that "white man's medicine" is a good thing. Unfortunately, Douglas' avaricious partner Huysman (Walter Slezak) endangers the lives of himself, Douglas and Burton by going on a forbidden hunt for gold.

Based on a novel by Louise A. Steindorf, White Witch Doctor is distinguished by Bernard Herrmann's evocative musical score, wherein genuine African musical instruments are utilized.

Fabulous Color Print!

The Whole Truth (1958) - 84 mins

Starring Stewart Granger, Donna Reed, George Sanders, Gianna Maria Canale & Michael Shilo

Directed by Dan Cohen & John Guillermin

In this neat mystery, movie producer Max Poulton (Stewart Granger) gets bored with his wife, Carol (Donna Reed) and begins an affair with the fiery actress Gina Bertini (Gianna Maria Canale). In the end, he jilts his mistress and returns to his wife. The trouble begins when someone stabs the actress and he is labelled the prime suspect by a detective. Later the producer discovers that the actress is still alive, and that the detective was her husband. A real murder follows and the producer is arrested. His loyal wife launches her own investigation and proves that her husband was innocent.

A slick who-dun-it!

Wichita (1955) - 81 mins

Starring Joel McCrea, Vera Miles, Lloyd Bridges, Wallace Ford, Edgar Buchanan, Peter Graves, John Smith & Keith Larsen

Directed by Raoul Walsh

Filmed around the same time as Gunfight at the OK Corral, Wichita is another entertaining slant on the Wyatt Earp legend. Joel McCrea does his usual smooth, underplayed job as Wyatt Earp, who aims to bring law and order to the wide-open cow town of Wichita. At first he isn't interested in becoming Marshal but when cowboys "shoot up the town" and a little boy get skilled then Wyatt takes the job. He quickly finds himself in a bind: law and order or the money the cowboys bring to town. His least popular move is to take away the guns of everyone in town, no matter how important. So now he has the business people against him as well as the cowboys and its all going to come to a head. Wyatt seeks helped by his brothers James (John Smith) and Morgan (Peter Graves) along with Bat Masterson (Keith Larsen). Linking the storyline is an offscreen ballad, sung High Noon style by Tex Ritter.

A great story, well told (in cinemascope & technicolor) and with McCrea in the finest of form!

Golden Globe winner for Best Outdoor Drama!

The Wicked Lady (1945) - 104 mins

Starring Margaret Lockwood, James Mason, Patricia Roc, Griffith Jones & Michael Rennie

Directed by Leslie Arliss

In this drama, set during the reign of King Charles II, the aristocratic Lady Skelton (Margaret Lockwood) attempts to relieve the tedium of her day-to-day life by secretly acting as a highway robber. Meeting up with the rogue Captain Jerry Jackson (James Mason), the two begin a relationship. When her private and public lives begin to interfere with one another, however, Lady Skelton finds herself caught up in a tangled web of romance, danger, and jealousy

Margaret Lockwood and James Mason - what more could one want!

The Wicker Man (1973) - 90 mins

Starring Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, Diane Cilento, Britt Ekland, Ingrid Pitt & Russell Waters

Directed by Robin Hardy

A righteous police officer Sergeant Neil Howie (Edward Woodward) investigating the disappearance of a young girl comes into conflict with the unusual residents of a secluded Scottish isle in this unsettling, intelligent chiller. Brought to the island of Summerisle by an anonymous letter, Howie is surprised to discover that the island's population suspiciously denies the missing girl's very existence. Even more shocking, at least to the traditionally pious law officer, the island is ruled by a libertarian society organized around pagan rituals. Repelled by the open acceptance of sexuality, nature worship, and even witchcraft, the officer takes an antagonistic attitude towards the people and their leader, the eccentric but charming English Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee). The officer's unease intensifies as he continues his investigation, slowly coming to fear that the girl's disappearance may be linked in a particularly horrifying manner to an upcoming public festival.

Anthony Shaffer's meticulously crafted screenplay creates a thoroughly convincing alternative society, building tension through slow discovery and indirect suggestion and making the terrifying climax all the more effective. Performances are also perfectly tuned, with Woodward suitably priggish as the investigator and horror icon Lee delivering one of his most accomplished performances as Lord Summerisle.

Fabulous!

The Wild Blue Yonder (1951) - 98 mins

Starring Wendell Corey, Vera Ralston, Forrest Tucker, Phil Harris & Walter Brennan

Directed by Allan Dwan

Wendell Corey & Forrest Tucker do a Clark Gable & Spencer Tracy for Republic in this World War II story about Army Air Corps officers. In between their battles over the affections of beautiful nurse Lt. Helen Landers (Vera Ralston), Capt. Harold Calvert (Corey) and Maj. Tom West (Tucker) prepare to fly a bombing mission in the South Pacific. Before boarding their B29 Superfortress, West appears to be chickening out, but he's steadfastly at his cockpit post at takeoff time. Now whats to come?

Excellent big budget war film from Republic!

The Wild Geese (1978) - 134 mins

Starring Richard Burton, Roger Moore, Richard Harris, Hardy Krüger & Stewart Granger

Directed by Andrew V. McLaglen

A British multinational seeks to overthrow a vicious dictator in central Africa. It hires a band of (largely aged) mercenaries in London and sends them in to save the virtuous but imprisoned opposition leader who is also critically ill and due for execution. Just when the team has performed a perfect rescue, the multinational does a deal with the vicious dictator leaving the mercenary band to escape under their own steam and exact revenge.

Top flighet actioner with a jaw-droppng cast!

From the novel by Daniel Carney - Burton's role of Col. Allen Faulkner was apparently based on the real life exploits of legenary mercenary Colonel "Mad Mike" Hoare. Carney had read about Hoare's mercenary crew "5 Commando", and their incredible adventures controlling tribal violence and rescuing Westerners in the Belgian Congo during the early 1960's

Shot on location with a haunting theme song: "The Wild Geese" sung by Joan Armatrading

Wild Harvest (1947) - 92 mins

Starring Alan Ladd, Dorothy Lamour, Robert Preston, Lloyd Nolan & Richard Erdman

Directed by Tay Garnett

Alan Ladd and Robert Preston star as Joe Madigan and Jim Davis, rival grain harvesters in the Midwest's wheat country. The animosity between Joe and Jim intensifies upon the arrival of duplicitous Fay Rankin (Dorothy Lamour). Choosing Jim, Fay demands that she be supported in the manner in which she is accustomed, leading Jim inexorably into a life of crime. Ultimately, Joe and Jim will clash over the girl and Jim's criminal ways.

Alan Ladd and Robert Preston also appeared together in the following year's Whispering Smith (which is also available from this website)

Winchester '73 (1950) - 92 mins

Starring James Stewart, Shelley Winters, Dan Duryea, Stephen McNally & Millard Mitchell

Directed by Anthony Mann

Lin McAdam (James Stewart) and his friend High-Spade (Millard Mitchell) arrive in Dodge City for a shooting contest, in which the prize is a perfectly manufactured Winchester repeating rifle, referred to as "One of a Thousand" - a gun so fine that Winchester won't sell it. Lin runs across Dutch Henry Brown (Stephen McNally) in a saloon and the two would kill each other right there but for the fact that town marshal Wyatt Earp has everyone's guns. Lin wins the rifle in an extraordinary marksmanship match-up with Brown, but the latter steals the prize from him and sets out across the desert. Thus begins a battle of wits and nerves, and a pursuit to the death. The roots and raw psychological dimensions of that chase are only exposed gradually, across a story arc that includes references to Custer's Last Stand, run-ins with marauding Indians, a heroic stand with a a shady but well-intentioned grifter and a meeting with murderous sociopath named Waco Johnny Dean, plus a romantic encounter with a young, golden-hearted frontier woman. All of these story lines eventually get drawn together neatly and gracefully by director Anthony Mann, who balances the violence of the events with a lyrical, almost poetic visual language.

Written for the screen by Borden Chase who also scripted two other Stewart/Mann westerns: Bend of the River (1952) & The Far Country (1954) - see below

Perfect B&W Print! - Fabulous

James Stewart & Anthony Mann: their 5 westerns together from 1950 to 1955, rewrote the cowboy story for the big screen - their's were tough, psychological though lyric masterpieces of western cinema - beautifully photographed and expertly written stories with intriguing characters and realistic action - a blueprint for westerns of the 50s (and embraced by Budd Boetticher & Randolph Scott in their excellent collaborations in the late 1950s - see the Randolph Scott section of this website)

This, Winchester '73 (1950), was the first of this quintet of Stewart / Mann westerns (and the only one to be filmed in B&W) - others to follow were Bend of the River (1952), The Naked Spur (1953), The Far Country (1954) & The Man from Laramie (1955) - each is available from this (the INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES) section of the website. All 5 westerns in the series can also be obtained in an nice boxed set from within the Classic Movie Combinations section of this website

The Wind Cannot Read (1958) - 115 mins

Starring Dirk Bogarde, Yoko Tani, Ronald Lewis, John Frazer, Anthony Bushell & Heihachiro Okawa

Directed by Ralph Thomas

RAF officer Dirk Bogarde is assigned to learn Japanese in order to interrogate prisoners. His language instructor is the lovely Yoko Tani, daughter of an anti-Tojo businessman. Bogarde and Tani fall in love and secretly marry. Not long afterward, Borgarde is captured and tortured by the Japanese. While listening to the POW camp radio loudspeaker, he hears the voice of Tani, broadcasting anti-British propaganda.

Richard Mason based his script for The Wind Cannot Read on his own novel.

Windom's Way (1957) - 108 mins

Starring Peter Finch, Mary Ure, Natasha Parry, Robert Flemyng & Michael Horden

Directed by Ronald Neame

Dr. Alec Windom, a British medico working in the remote Far Eastern island village of Selim, feels a strong bond with the natives, and champions their cause during a tense period of romantic upheaval. Eventually, he is forced to quell a native uprising and to try to convince the colonial government and the local plantation owners to extend a measure of independence and dignity to the long-suffering islanders. Mary Ure costars as Windom's estranged wife, who comes to realize that her husband's "way" is the right one, while Natasha Parry plays a native nurse who harbors an unrequited love for the doctor.

Based on the novel by James Ramsay Ullman.

The Window (1949) - 73 mins

Starring Bobby Driscoll, Barbara Hale, Arthur Kennedy & Ruth Roman

Directed by Ted Tetzlaff

Ted Tetzlaff's "The Window" is based on the short story "The Boy Cried Murder" by Cornell Woolrich and was ably scripted by Mel Dinellire. It was remade in 1960 with the book's title. This low-budget "B" film thriller proved to be a big box-office hit for RKO. It uses the childhood fable of the boy who cried wolf once too often to its advantage, as the boy witnesses a murder and nobody believes him. NYC's tenements and tight living quarters add to the film's dreary atmosphere, and make it seem understandable that a child needs a vibrant imagination to survive in such a hell. The film does a grand job of setting up the psychological terror that ensues, and the mistrust that exists in the city between parents and their children. Though the times have changed, this taut tale nevertheless remains gripping and realistic. The modern city is not any less dangerous than the postwar years of the 1940s (undoubtedly even more dangerous). This film noir thriller exploits the meaning of the American dream to work hard for all the material things that were becoming available and ultimately find a utopia in the suburbs, as it cries out for the children left to their own devices to survive in such harsh surroundings as their parents have become too busy to raise them properly.

Special Academy Award for Bobby Driscoll's performance

Academy Award Nomination for Best Film Editing

Wing and a Prayer (1944) - 97 mins

Starring Dana Andrews, Don Ameche, Charles Bickford, William Eythe, Cedric Hardwicke & Richard Crane

Directed by Henry Hathaway

The setting is an American aircraft carrier, overseen by tough, unserving Flight Cmdr. Bingo Harper (Don Ameche). When casualties begin piling up, the pilots blame Harper, accusing him of being an indiscriminate butcher. Only when the tide of battle turns in favor of the Allies do the pilots realize that the Commodore has been right all along. Director Henry Hathaway spent several weeks aboard an actual aircraft carrier, filming genuine combat scenes. Many of these authentic sequences appear as background footage this film - making for very realistic viewing.

Witness for the Prosecution (1957) - 115 mins

Starring Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich, Charles Laughton, Elsa Lanchester, John Willimas & Henry Daniell

Directed by Billy Wilder

Having just recovered from a heart attack, fabled British barrister Sir Wilfred Robards (Charles Laughton) has been ordered by his doctor to give up everything he holds dear: brandy, cigars and especially courtroom cases. Robards' already shaky resolve to follow doctor's orders flies out the window when he takes up the defense of Leonard Vole (Tyrone Power), a personable young man accused of murdering a rich old widow. The case becomes something of a sticky wicket when Vole's "loving" German wife Christine (Marlene Dietrich) announces that she's not legally married to Robards' client and she fully intends to appear as a witness for the prosecution!

A delicious Billy Wilder mixture of humor, intrigue and melodrama, Witness for the Prosecution is distinguished by its hand-picked supporting cast: John Williams as the police inspector, Henry Daniell as Robards' law partner, Una O'Connor as the murder victim's stone-deaf maid, Torin Thatcher as the prosecutor, Ruta Lee as a sobbing courtroom spectator, and Charles Laughton's wife Elsa Lanchester as Robards' ever-chipper nurse (a role especially written for the film, so that Lanchester could look after Laughton on the set).

Adapted by Wilder, Harry Kurnitz and Larry Marcus from the play by Agatha Christie.

The Woman in White (1948) - 109 mins

Starring Alexis Smith, Eleanor Parker, Sydney Greenstreet, Gig Young & Agnes Moorehead

Directed by Peter Godfrey

Gig Young plays a 19th century painter who, while en route to a country estate, encounters a strange, ethereal young lady (Eleanor Parker) who both begs his help and insists that he keep their meeting a secret. He will meet the girl again at several crucial junctures, though she will fail to recognize him. The painter has unknowingly stumbled upon a scheme by the diabolical Count Fosco (Sydney Greenstreet) to claim an inheritance on behalf of a dissipated nobleman (John Emery); the plan involves a marriage of convenience to the hapless lady of the house (Alexis Smith), blackmail, hidden siblings, and the suppression of a dark family secret involving Fosco's neurotic wife (Agnes Moorehead).

Fabulous gothic tale from mystery writer Wilkie (The Moonstone) Collins.

Woman in the Window (1944) - 99 mins

Starring Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennett, Dan Duryea, Raymond Massey & Robert Blake

Directed by Fritz Lang

College professor Wanley and his friends become obsessed with the portrait of a woman in the window next to the men's club. Wanley happens to meet the woman while admiring her portrait, and ends up in her apartment for talk and a bit of champagne. Her boyfriend bursts in and misinterprets Wanley's presence, whereupon a scuffle ensues and the boyfriend gets killed. In order to protect his reputation, the professor agrees to dump the body and help cover up the killing, but becomes increasingly suspect as the police uncover more and more clues and a blackmailer begins leaning on the woman.

The Woman on Pier 13 (1949) - 73 mins

Starring Laraine Day, Robert Ryan, John Agar, Thomas Gomez, Janis Carter & William Talman

Directed by Robert Stevenson

Robert Ryan plays shipping executive Brad Collins, whose youthful flirtations with certain left-wing causes have made him ripe for plucking by Communist cell leader Vanning (Thomas Gomez). Threatening to reveal Collins' past, Vanning orders the executive to deliberately sabotage the shipping industry in the Frisco Bay area. Collins' wife Nan (Laraine Day) knows nothing of her husband's politics and his earlier envolvement with Christine Norman (Janis Carter) - a woman who now is back in the mix.

There's propaganda aplenty in producer Howard R. Hughes' first of several anti-Red films which he previously titled: I Married a Communist (1949)

Despite this predelection, its Classic Noir all the way!

The Woman on the Beach (1947) - 71 mins

Starring Robert Ryan, Joan Bennett, Charles Bickford, Nan Leslie & Walter Sande

Directed by Jean Renoir

Robert Ryan plays a Coast Guard Officer on medical leave suffering from trauma from a wartime torpedoing. He becomes obsessed with a woman who lives with her cruel, blind husband who may or may not be cruel or blind.

A neat though at times confusing noir from this renown director

Woman on the Run (1950) - 77 mins

Starring Ann Sheridan, Denis O'Keefe, Robert Keith, Ross Elliott & Frank Jenks

Directed by Norman Foster

Frank Johnson (Ross Elliott), sole witness to a gangland murder, goes into hiding and is trailed by Police Inspector Ferris (Robert Keith), on the theory that Frank is trying to escape from possible retaliation. Frank's wife, Eleanor (Ann Sheridan), suspects he is actually running away from their unsuccessful marriage. Aided by a newspaperman, Danny Leggett (Dennis O'Keefe), Eleanor sets out to locate her husband. The killer is also looking for him, and keeps close tabs on Eleanor.

This neat little thriller from 1950 is all the more interesting since Ann Sheridan is the woman in the title.

A Woman's Secret (1949) - 84 mins

Starring Maureen O'Hara, Melvyn Douglas, Gloria Grahame, Bill Williams & Victor Jory

Directed by Nicholas Ray

An early gem from Nicholas Ray, who would go on to greater things, but who shows his abilities here. Told in flashback, it's the story that leads to the death of singer Susan revealed as the ungrateful, selfish and deceitful protége of Marian, who has devoted her life to making Susan's career a success after her own ambitions had been thwarted.

Good cast in a well directed story.

Woman Wanted (1935) - 67 mins

Starring Maureen O'Sullivan, Joel McCrea, Lewis Stone, Louis Calhern, Edgar Kennedy & Robert Greig

Directed by George B. Seitz

Wrongly convicted of murder, Ann Gray (Maureen O'Sullivan) escapes from the police when the car taking her to prison is involved in an accident. In truth, however, the crash was arranged by gangster boss Smiley Gordon (Louis Calhern), who wants to find out how much Ann knows about his involvement in the murder. Fortunately, young lawyer Tony Baxter (Joel McCrea) shows up at the accident site ahead of Smiley's minions. Tony risks his carrer and his life by protecting Ann from both the cops and the crooks.

Director George B. Seitz went on to helm the Andy Hardy series (which is available from the Movie Series section of this website)

The Wooden Horse (1950) - 101 mins

Starring Leo Genn, David Tomlinson, Anthony Steel, David Greene, Peter Burton & Patrick Waddington

Directed by Jack Lee

Based on a true story The Wooden Horse is set in a wartime German prison camp. It being the duty for every British POW to attempt escape, internees Leo Genn, David Tomlinson and Anthony Steel hit upon a daring scheme. Building an outsized, boxlike vaulting horse, purportedly for exercise purposes, the trio begin digging a tunnel beneath the horse-right under the noses of their German captors.

One of the first of the British "prison camp getaway" genre, The Wooden Horse establishes itself in a league of its own - top drawer WWII action from the Brits!

Eric Williams adapted the screenplay from his novel The Tunnel Escape

The World in His Arms (1952) - 104 mins

Starring Gregory Peck, Ann Blyth, Anthony Quin, John McIntire, Carl Esmond & Hans Conried

Directed by Raoul Walsh

Gregory Peck and Anthony Quinn play two seal-hunting rivals in this adventure film set in the days when Alaska was a Russian territory. Peck is adventuring seafarer Jonathan Clark, who falls in love with Russian Countess Marina Selanova (Ann Blyth) while the countess is in San Francisco fleeing an arranged marriage to the vile Prince Semyon (Carl Esmond). The Countess wants to hire a ship to take her to Sitka, AK, where her uncle, General Ivan Vorashilov (Sig Rumann), is governor. Portugee (Quinn) can't raise money for the voyage, so the countess agrees to sail with Clark, and the two quickly fall in love. But Prince Semyon sails into San Francisco just as Clark and the Countess are about to be wed, and the prince abducts her and takes her to Alaska, threatening to kill her uncle if she doesn't marry him. Clark and Portugee then agree to race to Alaska, with the winner getting the other's ship and the seal catch. Clark's boat wins the race, but the Russians arrest both the men as seal poachers. Countess Marina agrees to marry Semyon if he will order the seal hunters released

Excellent big-scale adventure story!

World Without End (1956) - 80 mins

Starring Hugh Marlowe, Nancy Gates, Rod Taylor, Nelson Leigh & Christopher Dark

Directed by Edward Bernds

The first spaceship to Mars rounds the Red Planet and heads back toward Earth but runs into an unexplained phenomenon in space that accelerates the craft to such a high speed that all four men aboard black out. When they awake, they've crash-landed on a planet that they only gradually realize is Earth - but of the distant future: they have crashed through the time barrier. After they are chased by ugly "Mutates," they are taken in by the declining remnants of human civilization who live underground. It's now 2508 A.D, 400 years after an atomic war almost wiped out the human race. John Borden (Hugh Marlowe) falls in love with Garnet (Nancy Gates), daughter of Timmek, leader of the underground people - a fact that enrages Mories, who's always assumed she would someday be his. The scheming Mories tries to turn his people against the space/time travelers, but falls victim to his own nefarious plans. Learning from Deena, a servant girl from the surface of Earth, that most people up there are normal though cruelly ruled by the deformed ones, Borden and his friends take on the mutates with modern weaponry in an effort to reclaim the Earth for normal humanity.

The very first American feature film to deal with scientific time travel, World Without End had the following tagline: CinemaScope's First Science-Fiction Thriller Hurls You into the Year 2508!

X The Unknown (1956) - 81 mins

Starring Dean Jagger, Edward Chapman, Leo McKern, Anthony Newley, Jameson Clark & William Lucas

Directed by Leslie Norman

A group of soldiers on maneuvers in Scotland stumble across a gravel pit which emanates an unusual amount of radiation. Several deaths occur before the radioactive material is mysteriously stolen. Researcher Dr. Adam Royston (Dean Jagger) speculates that the thief is some sort of inhuman monstrosity dwelling at the Earth's core. He points out that past radioactive disturbances have been occurring at 50-year intervals, each followed by sudden deaths and the disappearance of the material. Royston suggests that the unknown monster has been resuscitated by humankind's recent atomic experiments.

A well-crafted piece of British horror/sci-fi from the 1950s.

This early Hammer effort has secured a "cult" following over the years - much deservedly so!

Yankee Pasha (1954) - 84 mins

Starring Jeff Chandler, Rhonda Fleming, Mamie Van Doren, Lee J. Cobb & Hal March

Directed by Joseph Pevney

Salem, Massachusetts, 1800. Mountaineer Jason Starbuck rides into town with furs to sell and dreams to fulfill. He falls in love with Roxana, who breaks her previous engagement and leaves for France to await Jason. Roxana's ship is attacked by pirates and she is sold into slavery in Morocco. Jason follows her to Morocco and must win the support of the sultan in order to continue his efforts to locate and rescue her.

A top-flight adventure film

Why not check other action / adventure films from Jeff Chandler which are also available from this website: East of Sumatra (1953) & Raw Wind in Eden (1958)

Yellow Sky (1948) - 98 mins

Starring Gregpry Peck, Anne Baxter, Richard Widmark, Robert Arthur, James Barton & John Russell

Directed by William A. Wellman

Outlaw leader James 'Stretch' Dawson (Gregory Peck) takes refuge in a frontier ghost town. The only inhabitants are Grandpa and his pretty granddaughter Constance Mae 'Mike' (Anne Baxter). Grandpa reveals that there's gold hereabouts, prompting a few of Stretch's companions, especially Dude (Richard Widmark) to plot the old man's demise and claim the treasure for themselves.

An "atmospheric" western!

Yellow Sky was based on a novel by W.R. Burnett.

Young Cassidy (1965) - 110 mins

Starring Rod Taylor, Flora Robson, Jack MacGowran, Siân Phillips, Maggie Smith & Michael Redgrave

Directed by Jack Cardiff

Rod Taylor is Cassidy, a boisterous boy who digs ditches to support his mother (Flora Robson) and sister (Sian Phillips). In his spare time, Cassidy is active with the Irish revolutionary movement against the occupying British. He still finds time enough for romance, from trahy blondes to the timid librarian Maggie Smith. Cassidy's latent writing talents are encouraged by such Irish literary giants as W.B. Yeats (Michael Redgrave) and Lady Gregory.

John Ford began the direction of Young Cassidy, but fell ill and had to relinquish his responsibilities to Jack Cardiff.

Based upon the autobiographical writings of firebrand Irish author Sean O'Casey.

Rod Taylor is terrific in this his best role!

The TV Series section of this website also contains DVD sets of Rod's two TV series: Hong Kong (1960-61) and Bearcats! (1971)

Zanzibar (1940) - 70 mins

Starring Lola Lane, James Craig, Eduardo Ciannelli, Tom Fadden, Robert Fischer & Henry Victor

Directed by Harold D. Schuster

Lola Lane and James Craig play explorers working on behalf of the British government. They have been assigned to venture deep into the wilds of Africa to retrieve the sacred skull of a long-deceased Sultan. Whoever possesses the skull will have total control over the native population - which is why several sinister gentlemen also covet the skull. A reactivated volcano provides a rip-roaring climax for this Universal second feature which has the feel of an old-time adventure serial, with perils plaguing the heroine, one at a time, in rapid series.

Zanzibar was based on a pair of short stories written by Maurice Tombragel and Maurice Wright, who collaborated on the screenplay.

Considered a "cult" film, this print has undergone significant digital restoration here and is now of quite nice quality!