Paul Kelly Movies

In this drama, a reporter marries a socialite with a bad ticker. The gold-digging reporter is well aware of her delicate condition, and he and his girlfriend conspire to kill her. He shoots her, but does not realize that she was dead from a heart attack before the bullet entered her body. He is later captured and convicted. The detective who caught him was well aware that the woman died of heart failure, but he decided to say nothing. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this propaganda film, a courageous group of Chinese children risk their lives to assist downed American pilots escape the ruthless Japanese oppressors. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The old bromide about a group of avaricious heirs waiting for an old millionaire to die is trotted out in Grissly's Millions. A coterie of disreputable-looking heirs are gathered in the home of the wealthy man (Robert H. Barrat). A murder is committed, and all present fall under suspicion, including stars Paul Kelly and Virginia Grey (both of whom had been "hidden killers" in previous mystery movies, so the audience is kept guessing). Directed by western specialist John English, Grissly's Millions goes through its familiar paces at a fast clip, with a few unexpected twists along the way. The biggest "mystery," however, is why Republic Pictures would choose that unappealing title! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The third installment in Universal's low-budget "Inner Sanctum" mysteries, Dead Man's Eyes promises a great deal more than screenwriter Dwight W. Babcock can deliver. Lon Chaney Jr. stars as Dave Stuart, a struggling artist promising his fiancée Heather Hayden (Jean Peters) that he will marry her as soon as he finishes a portrait of beautiful Tanya Czoraki (Acquanetta). The jealous Tanya causes Dave to have an accident that blinds him. According to eye specialist Dr. Sam Welles (Jonathan Hale), Dave's sight can only be restored by a cornea transplant and Heather's father, "Dad" Hayden (Edward Fielding), promptly wills the unfortunate young man his own eyes. When Dad is found killed, Dave becomes the obvious suspect but Welles nevertheless goes ahead with the operation. Tanya, meanwhile, has her suspicions about the identity of the killer, but before she can reveal the name to Heather, she, too, is killed. Although the operation seems at first to have been a failure, Dave regains his sight just in time to unmask the killer, who is made to confess. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Though it bears the same title as an earlier Gene Autry western, Roy Rogers' The Man from Music Mountain isn't a remake. Rogers is appropriately cast as a cowboy who's hit it big as a radio singing star. Returning to his hometown for a special remote broadcast, Roy finds himself in the middle of a deadly feud. Nothing will be settled so long as cattleman Victor Marsh (Paul Kelly) resorts to villainy to achieve his goals. Fortunately, the newly deputized Roy figures out a way to straighten out the mess without undue bloodshed. Rogers' leading lady this time out is the multitalented Ruth Terry, who was in just about every other Republic B-picture of the mid-1940s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this crime drama, an ambitious law student begins working for a corrupt finance company and becomes the neighborhood pennypincher. He is romantically interested in a wealthy young woman, but unfortunately, he is being pursued by a neighborhood girl. His company assigns him to repossess the girl's father's taxi cab. The law student's friends try to dissuade him from this path. They eventually succeed, and the fellow turns the company in to the authorities. Mayhem ensues, but in the end, he wins the wealthy woman's heart and goes on to found a credit union for his former neighbors. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This RKO Radio programmer reunites Edmund Lowe and Victor McLaglen in an enjoyable rehash of their earlier Quirt-and-Flagg antics in What Price Glory. The two venerable action stars are respectively cast as Curtis and McGinnis, who after several years' hiatus rejoin the Marines as sergeants. While stationed in San Diego, they duke it out over the attentions of toothsome cabaret singer Vi (Binnie Barnes), who turns out to be linked up with a gang of enemy saboteurs. The plot is secondary to the comedy in this outing, with most of the laughs generated by a tasteless but undeniably hilarious routine involving a speech impediment. In addition, the producers managed to cram six songs into the proceedings, most of them performed by the King's Men Quartet and Six Hits and a Miss. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Tough-guy actor (on-screen and off) Paul Kelly starred in this typical war-time serial about a police officer going undercover in order to smash a spy ring. The ring is led by fifth columnist Thyssen (Robert O. Davis), who has knowledge that the Americans are developing a secret formula for manufacturing synthetic rubber. Barton (Kelly) attempts to "steal" the formula and is captured by Thyssen. Joining the gang, he learns of their plans, which he immediately leaks to girl Friday Anne Nagel. Disguising himself as "The Black Commando," Barton manages to prevent the spy ring from stealing the formula, surviving the usual serial perils along the way. A flagrant attempt at duplicating the success of Republic Pictures' Spy Smasher (1942), The Secret Code nevertheless emerged as one of Columbia's better serial efforts, in no small way due to Kelly's taut performance and a surprising (for Columbia) lack of stock footage. The serial was released as a feature film overseas. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

In this patriotic war drama, a unit of Army recruits train for a parachute corps. One is an arrogant football star who finds jumping a kick. Another is a coward who eventually finds his courage. Finally there is a chronic bumbler. The coward and jock find themselves competing for the affections of an indecisive young woman. The filmmakers of this movie paid careful attention to detail and was made with the cooperation of the 501st Parachute Battalion at Fort Benning, Georgia using actual paratroopers. The viewer is taken through every stage of a jump including folding the chute at the beginning. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

All that MGM's Ziegfeld Girl lacks is Technicolor; otherwise, the film has talent and "sock" entertainment value in abundance. The story focuses on three showbiz hopefuls-Judy Garland, Hedy Lamarr and Lana Turner-and the efforts to attain the lofty status of "Ziegfeld Girl." Garland is compelled to leave her family vaudeville act; she bids her dad Charles Winninger a tearful farewell, and later falls in love with Turner's brother Jackie Cooper. In her bid for success, Lana forgets all about her faithful boyfriend James Stewart, who turns to bootlegging to come up to the financial stature of Lana's new beau, socialite Ian Hunter. Lamarr nearly dumps her impoverished violinist husband Philip Dorn as she climbs the ladder of success. There are happy endings in store for two of the three female leads, but we'll let you watch the film yourselves to find out who wins and who loses. Featured in the cast are Tony Martin, Edward Everett Horton, Eve Arden, Dan Dailey, and, in a poignant cameo as a wardrobe woman, the "ever popular" Mae Busch. Song highlights include "Minnie from Trinidad", "You Never Looked So Beautiful Before", "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows", "Laugh? I Thought I'd Split My Side", "Caribbean Love Song", "Whispering", "Mr. Gallagher and Mr. Shean" (performed by Charles Winninger and the surviving half of the Gallagher-and-Shean duo, Al Shean-who happened to be the Marx Bros.' uncle), "You Stepped Out of a Dream" and "You Gotta Pull Strings." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

"Mr. and Mrs. North" started as a series of comic articles about a Park Avenue married couple, written by Richard and Frances Lockridge. One of these articles was "The Norths Solve a Murder", which was adapted as a stage play by Owen Davis Sr. and was later spun off into a popular radio and TV comedy-mystery series. The Davis play made it to the screen in 1941 as Mr. and Mrs. North, with Gracie Allen (in a rare appearance without George Burns) as dizzy socialite Pamela North and William Post Jr. as her long-suffering husband Jerry. Upon returning home from a vacation, Pam North opens her closet door--and out pops a dead body. As it turns out, all the suspects are close friends of the Norths, a fact that encourages Pam to gently interfere in the ongoing murder investigation conducted by Lt. Weygand (Paul Kelly). A second murder serves only to send Pam off on another flight of convoluted logic, but somehow or other the case is solved and justice is served. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Hollywood films about the Revolutionary War almost invariably lost money at the box office, and The Howards of Virginia was no exception, despite the presence of Cary Grant in the lead. Most of the story takes place in the colonial capital city of Williamsburg, Virginia, where Matt Howard (Cary Grant) dedicates himself to the causes of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. Remaining faithfully at Matt's side through his early years as a frontiersman and on into his life among the "landed gentry" is his wife Jane Peyton Howard (Martha Scott), the sister of unregenerate royalist Fleetwood Peyton (Cedric Hardwicke).

Most of the high points of the Revolution are herein recreated, including the Stamp Act riots, the Boston Tea Party, and Patrick Henry's "Give me Liberty" speech. Curiously, however, director Frank Lloyd stages these scenes in a flat, near-throwaway fashion; even the inflammatory Henry (Richard Gaines) is hampered by unimaginative camera angles. Other historical personages parading through the film include Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, played respectively by Richard Carlson and George Houston. Though it's rather rough sledding in its feature-length version, The Howards of Virginia plays quite well in the half-hour abridgement prepared by Columbia for schoolroom showings. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this drama, six street-wise tough girls try to imitate the older sister of one who became a gangster's wife and lives a comfortable life. Unfortunately, because she married a crook, the young woman is sent to prison along with her man. When she is finally released, she gets hooked up with an ex-lover who sets her on the straight and narrow. The newly redeemed big sister attempts to help her little sister and her pals, but does not succeed until one of the gals is killed during a petty robbery at as department store. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide