James C. Eagles Movies

A rare comedy from director John Ford, this story about a WWII soldier trying to gain some respect is based on the published war memoirs of Sy Gomberg. Bill Kluggs (Dan Dailey) is the first man in his small West Virginia town to enlist, and his father Herman (William Demarest) and the locals give him a big sendoff. But Bill returns from boot camp, assigned to be a gunnery instructor at a new air base in his hometown. While other boys go off to war, Kluggs becomes a local laughingstock. When a bomber pilot falls ill, however, Kluggs replaces him on a secret mission. He falls asleep on the plane and bails out over the French countryside. Found by Resistance fighters, Kluggs accompanies them on a dangerous mission to take pictures of a German V-2 base. To get him out of the country, the Resistance fighters then stage a mock wedding between Kluggs and the fetching Yvonne (Corinne Calvet), whom Kluggs hates to leave behind when he flees to London. Returning home after only a few nights away, Kluggs is attacked by his own father, who mistakes him for a spy. The townsfolk suspect that he deserted the service and heap more scorn on him. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi

Flight for Freedom was an "a clef" version of the Amelia Earhart story. Rosalind Russell plays the Earhart-like aviatrix Tonie Carter, who spends the early part of the film fighting against the aviation industry's prejudice against woman pilots. Tonie establishes a reputation as "the Lady Lindbergh", setting flight records on a near-weekly basis. Along the way, she falls in love with an agreeable flying ace (Fred MacMurray), much to the dismay of her conservative flight instructor (Herbert Marshall). The film's ending expands on speculation regarding Amelia Earhart's disappearance during a 1937 flight; Tonie Carter flies off on a secret mission to aid the Pacific war effort, then vanishes before completing her task. Flight for Freedom was produced for RKO by Floyd Odlum, whose wife Jacqueline Cochran was herself a renowned aviatrix. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Inasmuch as diminutive Frankie Darro was Hollywood's foremost portrayer of jockeys, it should come as no surprise that Darro heads the cast of Racing Blood. The story begins when young Frankie Reynolds (Darro) rescues a crippled nag from the glue factory. With faith and perserverance Frankie builds the horse into a champion racer, only to be kidnapped by the villains on the eve of the Big Race. Escaping from his captors, our hero commandeers an ambulance (a bit "borrowed" from Joe E. Brown's Alibi Ike) and makes it to the racetrack in the nick o' time. Darro's frequent costar Kane Richmond plays stable owner Clay Harrison, who in the last reel proves a suitable love interest for Frankie's sister Phyllis (Gladys Blake). Minimal comedy relief is provided by black actor Fred Toones, once again demeaningly billed as "Snowflake". ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Tom Keene, formerly George Duryea and latterly Richard Powers, made his final starring appearance in the Monogram western The Painted Trail. Keene is cast as a former federal agent who is drawn out of retirement to stem the activities of smugglers Boss (Leroy Mason) and Driscoll (Walter Long). Disguising himself as an outlaw, our hero gains the confidence of the two desperadoes, only to be found out at the least appropriate time. Rest assured that Keene saves the day and manages to march ingenue Ann (Eleanore Stewart) to the altar. Painted Trail wraps things up with a spectacular shootout, with the hero on one side of the Mexican border,and the villains on the other. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Paramount's resident "big mouth" Martha Raye was afforded her first top-billed screen assignment in Hideaway Girl. The script would have us believe that rambunctious heroine Helen (Raye) is a high-society debutante with a fondness for singing. The plot is set in motion by a stolen necklace, apparently stolen by Helen. She's innocent, of course, as is another suspect named Mike (Robert Cummings) whom she pretends to marry to save him from arrest. The meaning of the film's title is clarified in the final scene, wherein Helen hides herself on the yacht of the actual thief (Monroe Owsley). In the tradition of Martha Raye's signature tune "Mister Paganini," Hideaway Girl serves up a forgettable little ditty called "Beethoven, Mendelsohn and Liszt." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Ostensibly based on the life of World War I flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker, whose smiling visage opened each of the 13 chapters, this fanciful serial depicted the travails of a globe trotting airline company. It seems that a villain known only as The Dragon (Arthur Loft) is determined to sabotage the company, who in desperation hires daredevil pilot Ace Drummond (John King) to investigate. By the time of the serial's 13th and final chapter -- "The World Akin" -- Drummond has not only managed to destroy The Dragon but also reunited lovely Peggy Trainor (Jean Rogers) with her long lost father (Montagu Shaw) and discovered a hidden mountain containing a fortune in jade. A former band singer with Ben Bernie, the rather bland John King later became "Dusty" King and enjoyed a minor career in B-Westerns. A legendary serial queen, blonde Jean Rogers gained her lasting reputation that same year when Universal cast her as Dale Arden in Flash Gordon. An edited feature version of Ace Drummond was released later in 1936 as Squadron of Doom. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

In this drama, a teen is adopted from a reform school by a wealthy couple. They own horses and the boy becomes a jockey. His father was also a rider, but he got involved with crime. The young rider soon finds himself being framed by gamblers who are using his father's reputation against him. Finally the young man clears his name and wins the English Derby. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

A curious mix of B-Western heroics and gangster film melodramatics, Sunset Range was the first of two very low-budget Westerns Hoot Gibson would make for Gower Gulch company First Division Productions. Mary Doran, a blonde starlet who had played gangster's molls during the heyday of that genre in the early 1930s was cast as Bonnie Shea, a Chicago girl whose brother Eddie (James Eagles) is a member of a gang headed by hoodlum Grant (Walter McGrail). When Bonnie is leaving to take over her brother's Arizona ranch, Grant forces Eddie to hide the loot from the gang's latest bank heist in her suitcase. In Arizona, Bonnie immediately faces staff problems when sloppy cowhand Reasonin' Bates (Gibson) refuses to work for a lady. But despite Reasonin's early misgivings, he and his fellow cowboys show a united front when Grant and his gang of city slickers arrive to retrieve the loot. As usual in these low-budget affairs, Gibson earned certain casting privileges and Sunset Range featured several long-time associates of the popular star, including Fred Humes, Fred Gilman and stunt-men Len and George Sowards. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Randolph Scott stars in this adequate Zane Grey adaptation. Lawman Larry Sutton (Scott) is assigned to solve a series of murders occurring at a radium mine. Among the suspects is mine owner Mrs. Borg, played by legendary Broadway star Leslie Carter in a rare film appearance. The key to the mystery would seem to be a sinister Chinese gent named Ling Yat (Willie Fung), but he proves to be one of many red herrings. Hoping to beat Sutton to the solution is local sheriff Tex Murdock, played by veteran vaudevillian Chic Sale. With so much high-powered talent, it's small wonder that many reviewers failed to mention the ingenue, a young actress named Anne Sheridan. A remake of the 1922 film Golden Dreams (the original title of the Zane Grey novel), Rocky Mountain Mystery was reissued as Vanishing Pioneer. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

One of the first major Hollywood films to seriously address America's ongoing mistreatment of its Indian population, Massacre is more admirable for its intentions than its execution. The film was inspired by the activities of John Collier, commissioner for the Bureau of Indian Affairs during Franklin Delano Roosevelt's first term. A staunch advocate for Native American rights, Collier had been far more effective than his predecessors in this pursuit, effectively purging much of the corruption and bigotry then prevalent in the administration of the Indian Reservation system. The film's John Collier counterpart, a man named Dickinson (Henry O'Neill), turns out to be less important to the storyline than Joe Thunder Horse, the "assimilated" college-educated Sioux portrayed by Richard Barthelmess. Upon the death of his father, who was the tribal chieftain, Joe returns to the reservation of his youth, only to discover that his people are dying of various diseases and are being systematically cheated of their possessions and basic rights by crooked Indian agents. He heads to Washington in hopes of righting these wrongs, only to experience prejudice and hatred all along the way. Eventually successful in his efforts, Joe casts away the last vestige of his "white" existence by giving up socialite Norma (Claire Dodd) in favor of Sioux maiden Lydia (Ann Dvorak). The optimism of the final reels is sorely at odds with the rest of the picture, which paints a bleak portrait of an oppressed people under the thumb of corrupt, rapine petty tyrants (colorfully represented by Dudley Digges as the worst of the batch). The deck-stacking is a bit hard to take at times (surely there must have been some Indian agents who weren't substance abusers and lechers), but it's undeniably effective in the usual over-the-top Warner Bros. tradition. The film's oddest scene (and the one which has drawn the most attention from William K. Everson and other prominent film historians) finds a stereotyped African American valet (Clarence Muse) looking disdainfully upon the Indians as his racial inferiors! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The world of horse racing provides the backdrop for this episodic drama. Much of the story is set at the Luray Springs Hotel where the characters wait for the running of the Capitol Handicap. The main story focuses upon Colly Tannyer, a pretty young handicapper who must wrangle up $10,000 so she can bet on a special horse. He former lover, Cuff Billings, helps her out under the condition that if the horse loses, she must make love to him. She agrees, and unfortunately, her steed places third. Fortunately, Cuff is more honorable than she though and he ends up romancing her. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

New York Police Commissioner Mulroney opens Penal Code with a stern warning for parents about keeping the children off the streets and out of gangs. The rest of the film provides a grim example of what could happen if they do not heed him as it tells the tale of a young man's descent into criminalhood and eventually jail. After serving his time, he tries to reform, but finds his bad-reputation clinging to him tartar to a tooth. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

William Faulkner's novel Sanctuary was a notorious bestseller upon its publication in 1931, and while it was successful enough that Paramount Pictures quickly snapped up the film rights, they were forced to change enough of the story to make it fit for the screen (even in the "pre-code" era) that by the time it reached theaters the title had been changed to The Story of Temple Drake. Temple (Miriam Hopkins) is a free-spirited girl being raised by a well-respected judge (Guy Standing) after the death of her mother. Temple has a wild streak and a taste for liquor and men she can bend to her will, and while principled lawyer Stephen Benbow (William Gargan) wants to marry her, she's not willing to settle down. While joyriding with Toddy Gowan (William Collier Jr.), a young man with more bravado than sense who wrecks their car, Temple ends up in the decaying home of Lee Goodwin (Irving Pichel), who with leering, sharp suited gangster Trigger (Jack La Rue) makes and sells moonshine. While Lee's life Ruby (Florence Eldridge) and dim-witted helper Tommy (James Eagles) try to protect Temple, cold-hearted Trigger shoots Tommy, rapes Temple and takes her away to the city, where she falls into a relationship with the gangster governed by both attraction and fear. While the most sordid aspects of Sanctuary were excised by screenwriter Oliver H.P. Garrett and director Stephen Roberts, The Story of Temple Drake was still quite controversial on its initial release, and within a few months of its release, Will Hayes and Joseph Breen overhauled the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America's production code and strengthened enforcement of its guidelines on content, making it virtually impossible for a major studio to make a film like it again until the 1960s. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi