
Frances and Richard Myles (Joan Crawford and Fred MacMurray) are newlyweds honeymooning in Europe on the eve of World War II. Unexpectedly, they find themselves commissioned by the British secret service to secure the plans for a new secret weapon masterminded by the Nazis (involving magnetic mines). The trail leads them to Innsbruck where they arouse the suspicions of a Gestapo chief.
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Author Archives: rarefilm
Tea for Two (1950) David Butler, Doris Day, Gordon MacRae, Gene Nelson, Comedy, Musical, Romance

In this reworking of “No, No, Nanette,” wealthy heiress Nanette Carter bets her uncle $25,000 that she can say “no” to everything for 48 hours. If she wins, she can invest the money in a Broadway show featuring songs written by her beau, and of course, in which she will star. Trouble is, she doesn’t realize her uncle’s been wiped out by the Stock Market crash.
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Strangers on a Train (1951) Alfred Hitchcock, Farley Granger, Robert Walker, Ruth Roman, Crime, Film-Noir, Thriller

In Alfred Hitchcock’s adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s thriller, tennis star Guy Haines (Farley Granger) is enraged by his trampy wife’s refusal to finalize their divorce so he can wed senator’s daughter Anne (Ruth Roman). He strikes up a conversation with a stranger, Bruno Anthony (Robert Walker), and unwittingly sets in motion a deadly chain of events. Psychopathic Bruno kills Guy’s wife, then urges Guy to reciprocate by killing Bruno’s father. Meanwhile, Guy is murder suspect number one.
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Cop Hater (1958) William Berke, Robert Loggia, Gerald S. O’Loughlin, Ellen Parker, Crime, Drama, Mystery

The hardworking detectives of the 87th Precinct in an unnamed city during a massive heat wave investigate the seemingly random murders of policemen.
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Dr. Akagi / Kanzô sensei (1998) Shôhei Imamura, Akira Emoto, Kumiko Asô, Jacques Gamblin, Comedy, Drama, History

Dr. Akagi, a rural physician in Japan during WWII, wages a one-man crusade against hepetitis, earning him a reputation as “Dr. Liver.” But his fanatic campaign brings him into disfavor with the Japanese army, and as the war seems more and more hopeless for the Japanese, Dr. Akagi finds himself increasingly a scapegoat.
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The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975) Norman Tokar, Bill Bixby, Susan Clark, Don Knotts, Family, Comedy, Western

Three orphaned siblings are forced upon confirmed bachelor Donovan (Bixby) in a 19th century boom town of Quake City, CA. After an earthquake shakes the area, the children find a large gold nugget worth tens of thousands of dollars. But their newfound wealth is causing more problems than it’s solving, so they agree to “give” the gold to two bumbling outlaws (Knotts & Conway). But they only way they can get the gold is to steal it from the bank vault where it’s being held for safe keeping.
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Column South (1953) Frederick De Cordova, Audie Murphy, Joan Evans, Robert Sterling, Western

As Lt. Jed Sayre struggles to prevent pre-Civil War tensions and a racist commanding officer from triggering war between the U.S. Cavalry and Navajo Indians, he finds his efforts are being undermined by the machinations of Confederate sympathizers.
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So Long at the Fair (1950) Antony Darnborough, Terence Fisher, Jean Simmons, Dirk Bogarde, David Tomlinson, Drama, Film-Noir, Mystery

Vicky Barton and her brother, Johnny, take a trip to the 1896 Paris Exhibition. They both sleep in seperate rooms in a hotel. When the sister gets up the next morning, she finds her brother and his room had disappeared and no one will even acknowledge that he was ever there. Now Vicky must find out what exactly happened to her brother.
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The Sleeping City (1950) George Sherman, Richard Conte, Coleen Gray, Richard Taber, Crime, Film-Noir, Drama

At Bellvue Hospital, New York, an intern is shot in the head by an unknown killer. Inspector Gordon of the 9th Precinct finds no obvious leads but senses an undercurrent of mystery at the hospital; enter Detective Fred Rowan, whose medical background enables him to pose as an intern. Through wheels within wheels, Rowan finally penetrates to a secret, dirty racket…and nurse Ann Sebastian, whom he’s been dating, may be mixed up in it.
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King Richard and the Crusaders (1954) David Butler, Rex Harrison, Virginia Mayo, George Sanders, Adventure, History, Romance

In 1191, King Richard the Lionhearted, along with several other European monarchs, is in the Holy Land intent on retaking Jerusalem from the Saracens. There is much infighting and outright treachery in the European encampment encampment however. Two nobles in particular, Sir Giles Amaury and Conrad of Montferrat, want to eliminate the English king and attempt to have him assassinated. Severely wounded and on his death bed, Richard is brought back to health by a Saracen doctor recruited by one of his loyal knights, Sir Kenneth of the Leopard. The king recovers from his wounds but when he hears that Sir Lawrence wishes to marry Lady Edith Plantagenet, the knight is banished only to be taken in by the very doctor who treated the king and who has an altogether different identity.
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