
June, 1911. Among the dignitaries from the Balkan State of Carpathia in London for the coronation of King George V and Queen Mary is the Regent, His Serene Highness the Grand Duke Charles. The London foreign office places great importance on Carpathia because of an unstable geopolitical situation with Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany set to overthrow its monarchy government if allowed. The Regent, a Prince originally from Hungary, and the most recent and now deceased Queen married for convenience. As such, the Regent has spent time with a series of lady friends while on his travels in his somewhat “free” state. In meeting one of those London women, music hall actress Maisie Springfield, and the company of her current production “The Coconut Girl”, the Regent instead has his eyes set on one of the minor players in the show, American actress Elsie Marina. When seemingly simpleminded Elsie receives a party invitation from the Regent for that evening, Elsie is not so simpleminded to understand …
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Tag Archives: 1950s
The Unguarded Moment (1956) Harry Keller, Esther Williams, George Nader, John Saxon, Drama, Mystery, Thriller

A woman has recently been murdered. A teacher at the nearby high school receives threatening notes from a student. Read More »
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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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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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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The Cariboo Trail (1950) Edwin L. Marin, Randolph Scott, George ‘Gabby’ Hayes, Bill Williams, Western

Jim Redfern dreams of owning his own cattle ranch and along with his partners Mike Evans and Ling heads off on the Cariboo Trail into the interior of British Columbia. There’s a gold rush on and along the way they’re joined by old-timer Grizzly Winters, a prospector who hasn’t had much luck of late. They soon come up against Frank Walsh whose men stampede their cattle. Evans is severely injured forcing Redfern to amputate his left arm. Evans hates him for that and will have nothing to do with him or his dream of the cattle ranch. Walsh owns the local town making it difficult for Redfern to get re-established. Things begin to go his way when he finds gold.
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Beware My Lovely (1952) Harry Horner, Ida Lupino, Robert Ryan, Taylor Holmes, Crime, Drama, Film-Noir

Helen Gordon hires Howard Wilton as a handyman to do chores around her house. She doesn’t know what she’s let herself in for. Insecure and paranoid, Wilton thinks everyone, including Helen, is against him. He suffers from memory lapses and extreme mood swings. She’s soon a prisoner in her own house after Wilton locks the doors and tears out the telephone. His mood swings from violence to complacency but after Helen gets a message to the police via a telephone repairman, she finds he is still in the house.
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