Stanley Fields Movies
Bulky, foghorn-voiced Stanley Fields was a professional prizefighter before becoming a vaudeville comedian. He came to Hollywood when the movies began to talk, establishing himself as a scowling villain. One of his biggest early film roles was the gang boss who gives torpedo Edward G. Robinson his first big break in Little Caesar (1931). Thereafter, Fields frequently popped up unbilled but never unnoticeable, as witness his spirited performance as a hillbilly theatre patron in Show Boat (1936). Fields' foreboding brutishness made him an excellent foil for such comedians as Wheeler and Woolsey (Cracked Nuts [1931] and Girl Crazy [1932]) Eddie Cantor (The Kid From Spain [1932]) and Laurel and Hardy (Way Out West [1937]). Evidently changing agents in the late 1930s, Stanley Fields enjoyed some of his most sizeable screen assignments in the years just prior to his death in 1941, notably the practical joke-playing crime czar in the 1939 John Garfield vehicle Blackwell's Island. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1941
In this western, a schoolteacher battles for women's rights in mid 19th century Wyoming. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Loretta Young, Robert Preston, (more)
- 1941
In this musical comedy, a motley band of musicians have only their extreme poverty in common. They end up writing a hit and getting a recording contract. The trouble is, the composer's works are never played without another band member doctoring them up to make them swingier. Fortunately, the composer isn't too averse to the changes as he has just won the heart of the beauty who sings his revamped songs. Songs include: "Where Did You Get That Girl?" (Harry Puck, Bert Kalmar, sung by Helen Parrish), "Sergeant Swing," "Rug-Cuttin' Romeo" (Milton Rosen, Everett Carter). ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leon Errol, Helen Parrish, (more)
When a young man is in trouble, his sister puts herself in danger to save him. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1940
It's ironic that leading man Jack Holt, who in real life was deathly afraid of flying, should appear in so many aviation-oriented pictures. In The Great Plane Robbery, racketeer Joe Colson (Noel Madison) is released from jail three months before the expiration of his $500,000 life insurance policy. The plane on which Colson's flying home is hijacked by several of his old underworld cronies, who hope to collect on the policy by killing Joe-and, of necessity, everyone else on board. But insurance investigator Mike Henderson (Jack Holt), another passenger, isn't about to let that happen. The first half of the film is a mini-"Grand Hotel", giving way to three climactic reels of nonstop action and suspense. The heroine is played by Vicki Lester, who "borrowed" her screen name from the character played by Janet Gaynor in the original A Star is Born (1937). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Holt, Stanley Fields, (more)
- 1940
A lumber camp provides the setting for this romantic drama that chronicles the love between a nightclub singer, her new husband, a lumberjack, and her old flame, who also happens to be working in the same camp. When the singer spies her former love, the affair is rekindled. Unfortunately, neither wants to hurt her gentle new husband. When he spies them embracing, he gets angry and sets them on a runaway train. Fortunately, he reconsiders his actions before it is too late and unhitches their car before the train hurtles off a steep cliff into a deep gorge. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Payne, Gloria Dickson, (more)
- 1940
Previously filmed in 1930 with Lawrence Tibbett and Grace Moore, the robust Sigmund Romberg operetta New Moon was given another airing in 1940 as Nelson Eddy-Jeanette MacDonald vehicle. Set in 18th century Louisiana, the story concerns the relationship between haughty plantation owner Marianne de Beaumanoir (MacDonald) and her handsome bondservant Charles (Eddy). Actually a French nobleman in disguise, Charles leads his fellow bondsman in revolt, commandeering a ship and heading out to sea. He ends up capturing a vessel carrying Marianne and a cargo of mail-order brides. Though the bondsmen and the brides get along just fine, the romance between Marianne and Charles is noticeably strained, but the French Revolution comes along to solve everyone's problems. The soaring Romberg musical score includes such favorites as "One Kiss", "Stout-Hearted Men" and "Lover Come Back to Me", all performed con brio by the stars. Comedian Buster Keaton, whose supporting role was cut from the final release print of New Moon, can still be glimpsed among the bondsmen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeanette MacDonald, Nelson Eddy, (more)
- 1940
In addition to being a fine Western in its own right, this film served to introduce perhaps Hollywood's oddest romantic couple: the gruff but lovable Wallace Beery and the tart but lovable Marjorie Main. Beery plays "Reb" Harkness who, with his Mexican pal Pete (Leo Carrillo), is almost caught red-handed attempting to rob a train carrying General Custer (Paul Kelly) and the cavalry. Double-crossed by his partner and with the cavalry in hot pursuit, Reb escapes to Wyoming where he finds shelter on a ranch belonging to orphaned Lucy Kinkaid (Anne Rutherford) and her kid brother Jimmy (Bobs Watson). The local ranchers are battling an unscrupulous empire builder, Buckley (Joseph Calleia), and Reb is involuntarily dragged into the feud. When plain-speaking blacksmith Mehitabel (Marjorie Main) loses her brother to Buckley's bullets, Reb takes matters into his own hands, and with the help of Custer's men, he manages to end Buckley's reign of terror. Casting plain-looking, twangy Marjorie Main as Beery's leading lady was a stroke of genius. The two actors complimented each other to the nth degree, and Main was seen as a worthy replacement of the late Marie Dressler. As a result, the former stage actress (Dead End) was put under a seven-year contract by MGM, who co-starred her with Beery in Barnacle Bill (1941), The Bugle Sounds (1941), Jackass Mail (1942), Rationing (1944), and Bad Bascomb (1946). Wyoming, which also benefitted from fine performances by Henry Travers as a sly sheriff and Stanley Fields as Buckley's chief henchman, was filmed on location at Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and the Grand Tetons National Park by a director, Richard Thorpe, who had worked in the Western field since the silent days. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wallace Beery, Leo Carrillo, (more)
- 1940
This wartime drama is set in 1936 and begins at the Winter Olympics. It centers on the three medalists of a skiing competition. The gold was awarded to a Russian, the silver to a Finn, and the bronze to an American. During the awards ceremony, the three pals proudly announce that war is a thing of the past. The story jumps three years into the future. Now the Russo-Finnish War is raging on the mountainous Manerheim border. Most of the battles are fought on skis and all of the 1936 Finnish team is there to save their country. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Philip Dorn, Luli Deste, (more)
- 1940
While Cesar Romero could usually be relied upon to ladle out the charm in his film roles, Romero's handful of appearances as O. Henry's "Cisco Kid" were disturbingly cold and distant. In Viva Cisco Kid, the "Robin Hood of the Old West" and his sidekick Pancho (Chris-Pin Martin) save a stagecoach from being held up. Cisco falls in love with pretty passenger Jean Rogers, little knowing that the girl's father (Minor Watson) is one of the masterminds behind the robbery. Actually papa is under the evil influence of bigwig Stanley Fields, who intends to kill everyone associated with him and escape with the booty. Cisco prevents Fields from further indiscretions and wins the girl in the bargain. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cesar Romero, Jean Rogers, (more)
- 1939
This gangster film is based upon fact as it tells the tale of a determined reporter who has decided to make sure a certain notorious gangster gets his just desserts. It takes a long time, but eventually the reporter succeeds and the gangster is sent up river. Unfortunately, once there, he becomes the leader of the prisoners and, though incarcerated, is soon up to his old tricks of trying to corrupt local politicians and the warden. The obsessed journalist is infuriated and so gets himself sent to prison to stop the gangster once and for all. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Garfield, Rosemary Lane, (more)
- 1939
In this entry in the long-running series, the Dead End Kids are freshly out of reform school when they find themselves victimized by the tough, corrupt head of the Hell's Kitchen Shelter. A reformed racketeer tries to help out, but he winds up violating his parole and getting sent back to prison. As he goes, he gets some satisfaction out of seeing the crooked superintendent sent up the river too. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Billy Halop, Bobby Jordan, (more)
- 1939
Pat O'Brien is his usual likably obnoxious self in the Warner Bros. newspaper yarn Off the Record. While trying to smash a numbers racket, star reporter Breezy Elliot (O'Brien) takes tough young numbers-runner Mickey Fallon (Bobby Jordan) under his wing. The kid gets a job as a copy boy, earning the enmity of one and all because of his inability to keep his fists to himself. Mickey redeems himself-and, by extension, Breezy-when he engineers the capture of his gangster brother Joe Fallon (Alan Baxter). The romantic angle is handled by Breezy's gal Friday Jane Morgan (Joan Blondell), who eventually agrees to marry the hero only if he adopts the troublesome Mickey as his son (gee, things were so much simpler in the movies!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pat O'Brien, Joan Blondell, (more)
Exile Express was the last film produced by Grand National Pictures, and a worthy farewell it was. Anna Sten, former Sam Goldwyn protegee and the wife of Exile Express producer Eugene Frenke, stars as Nadine Nikolas, a young European girl whose chances of becoming an American citizen are scotched when she is implicated in a murder. About to be deported, Nadine is rescued by reporter Steve Reynolds (Alan Marshall), who suspects that the killing was engineered by a gang of international spies. One delightful scene permits the haughty Ms. Sten to "let herself go" by dancing an energetic jitterbug. Directed by Universal contractee Otis Garrett, Exile Express is a satisfying blend of comedy, romance, and edge-of-the-seat suspense. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anna Sten, Alan Marshal, (more)
- 1939
Granite-jawed Jack Holt plays a dual role in Columbia's Fugitives at Large. Civil engineer George Storm (Holt) finds himself in dutch with the Law thanks to the activities of his lookalike, outlaw Tom Farrow (also Holt). Arrested by the authorities after being framed by Farrow, Storm escapes to mete out his own brand of justice. Sweet-faced Patricia Ellis essays a change-of-pace role as a wisecracking gun moll. Though Columbia's Jack Holt vehicles still did a modicum of business in 1939, Fugitive at Large ignited few fires at the box-office. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Holt, Patricia Ellis, (more)
- 1939
Trouble follows an American photojournalist in Paris when he meets an exotic woman in Marseille. Initially he had come to France to chronicle an Arab rebellion masterminded by a jewel thief who was supposed to have died. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Preston S. Foster, Lynn Bari, (more)
- 1939
A genuine oddity, Life Returns was originally filmed by Universal Pictures in 1935. The story, concerning the efforts by researchers Onslow Stevens and Lois Wilson to find a means to briefly bring dead animals back to life for research purposes, was built around the actual accomplishments of Dr. Robert E. Cornish of the University of California-Berkeley. On May 22, 1934, Cornish was successful in reviving a dog that had been pronounced dead: the actual footage of this experiment was incorporated into Life Returns. Presumably because of its controversial subject matter, the film was shelved by Universal and never released by that studio. It finally received distribution in January 1939 via a small-time firm called Scienart Pictures, which also took credit for producing the film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Onslow Stevens, Lois Wilson, (more)
- 1939
In this comedy set during WW I, two crazy vaudevillians try their new act out on their agent. He thinks it is a real dud and the boys end up working as mule skinners in France. While there, they meet a French officer's American daughter. Mayhem ensues when they are mistaken German spies necessitating their escape in a hot-air balloon. Unfortunately, the balloon ends up in Germany, and now the duo must get back to France. Along the way, they capture a German genera. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Withers, The Ritz Brothers [Al, Jimmy, Harry], (more)
- 1939
Banking on the popularity of the Warner Bros.' boxing saga Kid Galahad (37), the studio rushed into production with another, similarly titled prizefight picture. In Kid from Kokomo, Wayne Morris once more plays a small-town rube who's good with his fists. The "kid" becomes convinced that a drunken harridan (May Robson) is his mother, and invites her to move in with him. Since the old lady is a kleptomaniac, it doesn't take long for the law to breathe down Morris' neck. Pat O'Brien hangs around as Morris' manager, while Joan Blondell and Jane Wyman supply the feminine interest. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pat O'Brien, Wayne Morris, (more)
- 1938
In this musical comedy, the Ritz Brothers inherit a racehorse but are unable to make money from him because they cannot come up with the $1,000 needed to enter him in the big race. The two get involved with the race anyway when they overhear a group of Russian jockeys conspiring to ruin the race. The brothers then masquerade as the crooked riders and mayhem ensues. Songs include "With You On My Mind," "Why Not String Along With Me?" (Lew Brown, Lew Pollack; sung by Merman), "International Cowboys" (Ray Golden, Sid Kuller, Jule Styne). ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- The Ritz Brothers [Al, Jimmy, Harry], Richard Arlen, (more)
This Hollywood remake of the French Pepe le Moko adheres so slavishly to its source that it utilizes stock footage from the original film, and even picked its actors on the basis of their resemblance to the French cast. Contrary to legend, star Charles Boyer never says "Come wizz me to zee Casbah"; as master criminal Pepe le Moko, he's already in the Casbah, a crook-controlled safe harbor which protects Pepe from the French authorities. Pepe's friendly enemy, police inspector Joseph Calleia, treats his pursuit of Pepe like a chess game, patiently waiting for his opponent to make that one wrong move. The ever-careful Pepe has the misfortune to fall hopelessly in love with tourist Hedy Lamarr (in her first American film). A combination of events, including the betrayal of Pepe by his castaway lover Sigrid Gurie and Hedy's tearful return to her ship when she is misinformed that Pepe is killed, lures the hero/villain into the open. Arrested by Calleia, Pepe begs for one last glance at his departing sweetheart. At this point in the French version, Pepe cheated the hangman by killing himself; this would never do in Production Code-dominated Hollywood, so Algiers contrives to have Pepe shot while trying to escape. Algiers was remade in 1948 as a musical, Casbah, starring Tony Martin. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Boyer, Hedy Lamarr, (more)
- 1938
Clarence Brown directed this heart-tugging piece of Americana, set during the Civil War era. Walter Huston plays a stern family patriarch, a preacher who thrusts his family into poverty in order to set an example for his parishioners. As a result, his son (James Stewart) grows up to resent him. He looks to travel East and go to medical school, but his father's iron-fisted vow of poverty holds him back from education. Defying the father, his mother (Beulah Bondi) sells off part of her dowry to finance her son's education. The young man travels East and becomes so embroiled in his studies he neglects to stay in contact with his family, returning only when he receives news of his father's death. After father's passing, he goes off to war as a doctor, leaving his mother abandoned back home. Having heard nothing from her son since his departure for the Civil War, mother thinks he may have died and contacts President Lincoln (John Carradine) to investigate his whereabouts. Surprisingly, Lincoln responds to the mother's pleas and seeks to find out about the status of her son. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Walter Huston, James Stewart, (more)
- 1938
With Panamint's Bad Man, the brief film starring career of singing cowboy Smith Ballew came to an end. The star plays Kimball, a good guy who poses as a bad guy to gain the confidence of outlaw chieftan Gorman (Noah Beery Sr.) Kimball assumes the identity of Black Jack (Stanley Fields), a Texas desperado who spends most of the picture behind bars. Much of the film is played for laughs, especially when the likeable Black Jack discovers to his chagrin that he's been unwittingly helping the feds in bringing Gorman to justice. Heroine Evelyn Daw is on hand solely to provide an enthusiastic audience for Smith Ballew's song renditions. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Smith Ballew, Evelyn Daw, (more)
Gary Cooper stars in this lavish and often comic retelling of the life of the famed Italian explorer. Marco Polo (Cooper) crosses the sea in search of treasure and adventure, with the help of his loyal if cowardly sidekick Binguccio (Ernest Truex), and finds both in China, where as the nation's first European visitor he is introduced to several practical innovations, such as pasta and explosives. He is also introduced to Kublai Khan (George Barbier), China's wise and benevolent Emperor, and the Emperor's lovely daughter, Princess Kukuchin (Sigrid Gurie). Romance begins to bloom between Marco and the Princess, but Ahmed (Basil Rathbone), the Emperor's ill-tempered assistant, also has his eyes on the Princess, and he is determined to win her hand and usurp Kublai Khan as China's leader. The Adventures of Marco Polo was part of a major star build-up that producer Samuel Goldwyn had engineered for actress Sigrid Gurie, but much of Goldwyn's publicity eventually backfired when it was learned that his Norwegian discovery, "The Siren of the Fjords," was born in the less exotic locale of Brooklyn, New York. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gary Cooper, Sigrid Gurie, (more)
- 1938
In this crime comedy, a fortune is stolen and every gangster in town is looking for it. They all end up staying at a young woman's inn. The crooks all end up jailed thanks to the work of an innocent fountaineer. Not only does he collect a substantial reward, he returns the missing loot and wins the heart of the innkeeper. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joe E. Brown, Jane Wyman, (more)
