Charles G. Clarke Movies

The first of Nancy Carroll's talkie films for Paramount had already been released when Fox's silent Sin Sister was taken off the shelf. Carroll is cast as Pearl, a vaudeville dancer stranded somewhere in Alaska. With no local Equity office in the vicinity, Pearl is obliged to accept the hospitality of a wealthy family which has itself been stranded in the Great White North. An ill-tempered fur trader and a looney Eskimo both lust after Pearl, but she is rescued by Peter Van Dykeman (Lawrence Gray), her hosts' male secretary. Despite the presence of four screenwriters in the credits, it would seem as if Sin Sister was made up as it went along. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The 1937 Thirteenth Chair was the third film version of the 1919 stage melodrama by Bayard Veiller. Dame Mae Whitty dominates the proceedings as Mme. La Grange, a phony mystic who is on hand when a man is killed during one of her seances. The killing takes place in the home of a provincial British Indian governor, and the victim was a blackmailer whom everyone present had good reason to despise. Complicating matters for Mme. La Grange is the fact that one of the suspects, Nell O'Neill (Madge Evans) is her own daughter. Dissatisfied with the manner in which brusque Scotland Yard inspector Marney (Lewis Stone) is investigating the case, La Grange takes matters in her own hands, stage-managing a second seance so that the guilty party will be frightened into a confession. More slickly produced than the 1929 version of Thirteenth Chair, the remake isn't quite as enjoyable, lacking two vital ingredients: Margaret Wycherly and Bela Lugosi, the earlier version's Mme. LaGrange and Inspector Marney. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Having previously portrayed England's Queen Elizabeth I in 1939's The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex, Bette Davis reprises the role in the Technicolor-and-Cinescope costumer The Virgin Queen. Harry Brown and Mindret Lord's screenplay proposes that Elizabeth's relationship with adventurer Sir Walter Raleigh (Richard Todd) was somewhat more than cordial. Raleigh is depicted as a charming opportunist, who deliberate leads the Queen on in order to further his chances of heading an expedition to the New World. Complications ensue when Sir Walter falls in love with lady-in-waiting Beth Throgmorton (Joan Collins). Not to be believed for a single moment, The Virgin Queen works well on a swashbuckler level, with Davis outacting everyone in sight-even such veteran scene-stealers as Herbert Marshall, Dan O'Herlihy, and Jay "Caligula" Robinson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this lively comedy, a humble Italian barber wins the Irish sweepstakes. Unfortunately, he has misplaced the ticket. Mayhem ensues as the family turns things topsy-turvy to find it. The baby then becomes the prime suspect for hiding it. Things get hilarious as the adults try to get the infant to tell them where the ticket is. Fortunately, the ticket is found and prosperity ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The only thing genuinely brave about Three Brave Men is the second word in the title. The film is based on the true story of a Navy employee who was fired as a security risk, then took the case to court to prove his loyalty to the United States. Ernest Borgnine plays the victimized employee, whose life is ruined simply because he once briefly participated in an alleged "Pinko" organization. Borgnine and his family are ostracized from the community when word leaks out about his so-called disloyalty. Lawyer Ray Milland takes Borgnine's case; he pleads so eloquently on behalf of his client's patriotism that the navy, represented by Eisenhower lookalike Dean Jagger, reinstates Borgnine. The problem in Three Brave Men is in how the material is approached. Instead of attacking the atmosphere of paranoia that fostered the Communist "witch hunts" of the 1950s, the crucifixion of Borgnine is treated as a necessary evil in the interests of "democracy." The low point comes at the end, when Ray Milland profusely thanks the Navy for their open-mindedness before his client has been exonerated. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This sequel to 1943's My Friend Flicka stars Roddy McDowell, recreating his role in the earlier film. The son of a horse rancher (Preston S. Foster), McDowell takes it upon himself to train Thunderhead, a white colt with the same rebellious streak that distinguished its mother (Flicka). Thunderhead helps McDowell round up several horses that had been stolen from his father, and also attracts the attention of a racing aficionado (Ralph Sanford). Once fully grown, Thunderhead indicates that he'd be happier running wild, so McDowell tearfully but proudly gives the horse his freedom. Like My Friend Flicka, Thunderhead, Son of Flicka was based on a novel by Mary o'Hara. The original film would engender one more sequel, Green Grass of Wyoming (48), and later would inspire a brief TV series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The second film version of Ben Ames Williams' magazine serial Jubilo, and the second to star Will Rogers, Too Busy to Work takes considerably more liberties with the source material than the original 1919 Jubilo. Once again, Rogers is cast as a lovable hobo named Jubilo (after the old spiritual of the same name), but this time there is a compelling reason for his vagabond existence. While Jubilo was off fighting in WW1, his wife ran off with another man, taking their baby daughter Rose with her. Upon his return to the States, Jubilo took to the road, hoping some day to find his daughter (the wayward wife having died just before War's end). Arriving in a small town, Jubilo learns that his now-grown daughter Rose (Marian Nixon) has been raised by a widely respected judge and his wife, and is blissfully unaware of her true identity. Assessing the situation, Jubilo decides to leave well enough alone, and not tell the girl that he's her real daddy. But before he can shamble out of Rose's life, Jubilo must first smooth the path of true love by clearing Rose's sweetheart Dan Hardy (Dick Powell) of a false criminal charge. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Though its title and cast suggests a lighthearted romantic comedy, Trouble for Two is actually a fairly faithful adaptation of three of Robert Louis Stevenson's "Suicide Club" stories. Robert Montgomery stars as incognito Prince Florizel, who is lured to a gathering of strange characters devoted to suicide and murder. One of the conclave members is the enigmatic Miss Vandelur (Rosalind Russell) -- who, unbeknownst to Florizel, is actually the princess he is slated to marry. It soon develops that the Suicide Club is being used as a blind by a gang of international terrorists, bent on toppling Florizel from his throne. Louis Hayward has a fascinating bit as "The Man with the Cream Tarts," whose burning desire to end his own life leads Florizel into the clutches of the villains. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Three bank robbers (J. Carroll Naish, Lee Marvin, Stephen McNally) case a small Arizona mining town prior to pulling a holdup. The audience get to know the various townsfolk as they're scrutinized by the crooks. Victor Mature plays a man who is a disappointment to his son because he didn't serve in the war. Tommy Noonan is a meek bank manager with a habit of spying on a pretty customer as she undresses in her second-story bedroom. Sylvia Sidney is a petty thief who has deposited her stolen funds in the bank. Margaret Hayes is the cheating wife of a local leading citizen, who is killed in the holdup. And Ernest Borgnine is a pacifistic Amish farmer, forced to take violent action when his children are threatened by the criminals (Borgnine's pitchfork-wielding scene was reproduced for the print ads of this film, leading some critics to assume that he was the villain!) The hero of the day turns out to be the "unheroic" Mature, who after being kidnapped by the crooks frees himself and prevents their escape. Violent Saturday is based on a novel by William I. Heath. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Gaunt, aristocratic-looking character-actor H.B. Warner was slightly miscast as author Frank Hamilton Spearman's popular railroad detective Whispering Smith. The detective had earlier been played by J.P. McGowan in a 1916 serial version starring McGowan's wife Helen Holmes which was itself remade in 1927 starring Wallace MacDonald. A George O'Brien "B"-western variation came in 1935 and the durable detective was portrayed by Alan Ladd in 1948. (A cheap 1952 version set in, of all places, London, and a 1960s television series are not even worth mentioning.) In 1926, however, the property was in the hands of Cecil B. DeMille's company, PDC, who not only cast the less-than-heroic-looking Warner, but teamed him with the extremely modern Lilyan Tashman, a clotheshorse more at home in the boudoir than in a rough-and-tumble action melodrama. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

In this college campus musical comedy from director James Tinling, the first film in which John Wayne received billing (though it's as Duke Morrison), Lois Moran stars as Mary, a pretty young singer who is sought after by two competing composers. Wayne plays Phil, one of the two rival songwriters who are vying not only for the girl, but for a 1,500-dollar prize for writing the best show tune. Mary agrees to sing each of their entries in the contest, but in the end she can only choose one of the young men. Songs include "Too Wonderful for Words," by William Kernell, Dave Stamper, Paul Gerard Smith, and Edmund Joseph; "Stepping Along," also by Kernell; and "Shadows," by Con Conrad, Sidney Mitchell, and Archie Gottler. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

This domestic comedy is the final episode of the 17-film "Jones Family" series. The story begins as restless Father decides to leave the simplicity of small-town life for the sophistication and excitement of the city, so he sells the family drugstore and moves his family to the Big Apple. Soon they find themselves surrounded by con men, and sleazy women trying to steal everything they own. Mayhem ensues until they decide they've had enough and hightail it for the safety of home. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide