Matt McHugh Movies
Actor Matt McHugh was born into a show business family, joining his parents, his brother Frank, and his sister Kitty in the family stock company as soon as he learned to talk. Matt came to Hollywood to repeat his stage role in the 1931 film adaptation of Elmer Rice's Broadway hit Street Scene. He continued to have sizeable film assignments for the next few years (notably the bourgeois Italian bridegroom Francesco in Laurel and Hardy's The Devil's Brother [1933]) before settling into bits and minor roles. A dead ringer for his more famous brother Frank McHugh, Matt projected an abrasive, sardonic screen image; as such, he was utilized in such rough-edged roles as cab drivers, bartenders and mechanics. Matt McHugh's best screen opportunities in the '40s came with his supporting roles in the 2-reel comedy output of Columbia Pictures; he appeared in the short comedies of Andy Clyde, Hugh Herbert, Walter Catlett, The Three Stooges and many others, most often cast as a lazy or caustic brother-in-law. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1935
MGM loaned Myrna Loy to Paramount to co-star with Cary Grant in the roller coaster-paced romantic drama Wings in the Dark. Loy plays daredevil aviatrix Sheila Mason, who marries Ken Gordon (Grant), a flyer with serious aspirations to set groundbreaking world records. When Ken is accidentally blinded just before he jets off for Paris, Sheila prompts him to continue working at any cost. He decides to become a writer, dictating his work and mailing it off to several magazines; all he receives for his trouble is a pile of rejection slips, but Sheila doesn't let him know that. In the mean time, he works out a fantastic invention -- a plane designed for "blind flying," which enables the pilot to command the craft without the use of his eyes. His plane is repossessed for lack of payment, cluing him into what Sheila has been up to with his articles. Infuriated, he severs all communication with her. In an effort to drive Grant out of her mind, Sheila then undertakes a Moscow-to-Manhattan flight and thus attempts to set a new world record of her own. But on the last leg of her journey -- over Boston -- she becomes surrounded by thick blankets of heavy fog, and cannot locate the airport. At the last moment, Ken steals his own plane from Roosevelt Field, takes it up, and uses it to guide Sheila back to the ground, where he declares his undying love and devotion to her. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Myrna Loy, Cary Grant, (more)
- 1940
While paging through a scrapbook, Dr. Wyman (Robert Sterling) recalls his college days. Though preferring to stick to his studies, Wyman was strong-armed into joining the football team because of his athletic abilities. Sure enough, his gridiron activities caused his grades to drop, while his dalliance with seductive Janice (Katherine Aldridge) endangered his campus romance with Lee (Jean Rogers). It took his best pal Garrett (Russell Gleason) to put Wyman's priorities in order. An excellent early showcase for Robert Sterling, Yesterday's Heroes is also a treat for serial fans, featuring former "Dale Arden" Jean Rogers and future "Nyoka the Tiger Woman" Katherine Aldridge in prominent roles. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Rogers, Robert Sterling, (more)
- 1938
This film is one of acclaimed director Fritz Lang's less noted achievements, a mixture of romance, comedy, drama, and satire. It includes three songs by the famed Kurt Weill, including "The Right Guy for Me." George Raft plays Joe Dennis, an ex-convict working in a department store. The store's boss, Mr. Morris (Harry Carey), likes to hire ex-cons. Joe falls in love with Helen (Sylvia Sidney), who hides the fact that she is on parole until after they marry. Since parolees can't wed, the marriage is illegal. Distraught, Joe organizes a gang to rob Morris' store. Helen intervenes and tries to convince the gang members that the potential take isn't worth the risk of returning to prison. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sylvia Sidney, George Raft, (more)
- 1940
This episode in MGM's "Crime Does Not Pay" series takes on election fraud. It gives a behind-the-scenes account of how gangsters and crooked politicians conspire to fix elections and install their own candidates instead of the ones who were legally elected and warns that public apathy can lead to the erosion of the democratic process. ~ Brian Gusse, All Movie Guide
