A naive young girl, looking to escape from a bad family situation, falls in love with a man who turns out to be a cad, and leads her down the road to ruin.
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Tag Archives: 1940s
Young People (1940) Allan Dwan, Shirley Temple, Jack Oakie, Charlotte Greenwood, Drama
Shirley’s last film on her 20th Century Fox contract (aged 12). Her parents (Oakie, Greenwood) decide to retire from show biz so she can have a normal life.
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Magnificent Doll (1946) Frank Borzage, Ginger Rogers, David Niven, Burgess Meredith, Drama, History
Dolly Payne is adored by two leaders of the fledgling American government, James Madison and Aaron Burr. She plays each against the other, not only for romantic reasons, but also to influence the shaping of the young country. By manipulating Burr’s affections, she helps Thomas Jefferson win the presidency, and eventually she becomes First Lady of the land herself.
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Look for the Silver Lining (1949) David Butler, June Haver, Ray Bolger, Gordon MacRae, Drama, Musical, Romance
This musical biopic chronicles the vaudeville-to-Broadway story of 1920s’ star Marilyn Miller (June Haver). From her start on the boards in Findlay, Ohio, Marilyn sings and dances her way to Broadway stardom, frequently in company with her mentor, dancer Jack Donahue (Ray Bolger).
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Pagliacci (1948) Mario Costa, Tito Gobbi, Gina Lollobrigida, Onelia Fineschi, Drama, Musical
The fiery performance, conducted by Giuseppe Morelli with the Rome Opera Chorus and Orchestra, knocks all recent digital efforts into a cocked hat. A few cinematic liberties seem permissible to me and this is surely one of the best films of an opera.
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Podobizna (1948) Jirí Slavícek, Otomar Krejca, Ljuba Skorepová, Vladimír Smeral, Drama, Horror
People are afraid of the usurer Chazaj and are convinced that he is the bearer of evil. One day Chazaj pays a visit to the poor artist Simon Jordán and asks him to paint his portrait. Simon agrees but as he progresses with the work his mind conjures up terrible thoughts and in the end he commits suicide.
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The Phantom Rider (1946) Spencer Gordon Bennet, Robert Kent, Peggy Stewart, LeRoy Mason, Action, Adventure, Western
Indian agent Fred CArson is secretly the leader of a band of outlaws, using his official position to loot the U.S. Government if Indian allotment money. Aided by Ceta, the tribal Medicine Man, Carson directs raiding and robbing activities, both against the Indians and the local ranchers.
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The Trouble with Women (1947) Sidney Lanfield, Ray Milland, Teresa Wright, Brian Donlevy, Comedy
Milland is charming as Gilbert Sedley, an innocent professor – he’s apparently been isolated working in the Orient too long – who is baffled by his strong reactions to a young newspaper reporter, Kate Farrell (Teresa Wright). Why does he think of Niagara Falls whenever he’s around her?
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Träumerei (1944) Harald Braun, Hilde Krahl, Mathias Wieman, Friedrich Kayßler, Drama, Musical
Clara Wieck meets the talented Robert Schumann in her father’s Leipzig music school. And entirely against her father’s wishes, who thinks only of her future artistic career, she falls in love with Robert. The final break comes after a successful tour as a pianist at the side of Franz Liszt.
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Tobacco Road (1941) John Ford, Charley Grapewin, Gene Tierney, Marjorie Rambeau, Comedy, Drama
Shiftless Jeeter Lester and his family of hillbilly stereotypes live in a rural backwater where their ancestors were once wealthy planters. Their slapstick existence is threatened by a bank’s plans to take over the land for more profitable farming; subplots involve the affairs and marriages of son Dude and daughter Ellie May.
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