Mae Clarke Movies

Fish-market worker Johnny O'Hara (James Arness) is named as a suspect when his boss -- with whom he had a dispute the previous day -- is shot to death in an apparent robbery. When he's arrested, his family appeals to their old friend James Curtayne (Spencer Tracy), who was once a renowned criminal attorney but is now in civil practice. He resists their entreaties until he realizes that no decent attorney will handle the case properly; his daughter (Diana Lynn) watches with alarm, however, for we soon learn that Curtayne is an alcoholic, and that the major factor in his life that pushed him over the edge was the stress of having someone's life in his hands. He discovers soon enough just how much Johnny's life is in his hands when his client refuses to level with him about his real whereabouts on the night of the murder. He also realizes as the trial starts precisely how rusty he is in the courtroom, and the old stresses return -- and with them, his drinking. Curtayne not only manages to lose the case but destroys his career when he tries to buy off a larcenous prosecution witness. His client facing a death sentence and his own life and career in ruins, he's seemingly hit bottom, but then new evidence surfaces, of a nature that not even the ambitious prosecutor (John Hodiak) can ignore. Recognizing that his client was actually innocent and also acting in his silence -- however stupidly -- from the noblest of motives, Curtayne is willing to redeem himself by putting his own life on the line, confronting a killer who has taken more than one life without any compunction whatsoever, and who has no reason to spill anything.

The People Against O'Hara was a well-made, largely location-shot crime drama set in New York City, but it wouldn't have been nearly so prestigious a movie were it not for the presence of Spencer Tracy in the role of Curtayne. Ironically enough, he only agreed to do the film on the condition that his friend Pat O'Brien, who hadn't been in a major studio release in a couple of years, be given a large role, which he got as the lead detective on the case, and O'Brien and Tracy get a couple of really good scenes together. The film also includes an unbilled appearance by Charles Bronson, who was still working as Charles Buchinski in 1951, and is highlighted by a superb prominent supporting performance by William Campbell, who seems to quietly relish every nuance of his portrayal of a totally slimy character. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

Re-edited from the serial King of the Rocket Men, this adventure is an account of a scientist who dons a jet-pack in order to pursue a madman. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide

Ezio Pinza stars as the title character, a prince who falls for nightclub singer Fredda Barlo (Lana Turner) when the two meet on vacation in Italy. After more than a decade, they reunite, only now Barlo is a Hollywood superstar and Imperium has ascended to the throne of king. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide

Two real-life events were incorporated into the plot of the 1951 MGM musical Royal Wedding. One, the marriage of Fred Astaire's sister Adele to a British nobleman had occurred years earlier; the other, the wedding of England's Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip was only four years in the past. MGM would probably have gotten Royal Wedding out closer to the Elizabeth-Philip nuptials, but the picture had leading-lady problems; every girl who was cast either became pregnant, ill, or otherwise unavailable. Finally, Jane Powell was cast as the sister and partner of American-entertainer Fred Astaire. The plot has Astaire and Powell heading to Merrie Olde England to perform at the palace. Once they've arrived, Powell breaks up the act when she falls in love with blueblooded Peter Lawford. Astaire himself finds romance in the form of Sarah Churchill (daughter of Sir Winston), and the four happy campers gleefully attend the titular Windsor Castle wedding. Also in the cast is Albert Sharpe, fresh from his Broadway triumph in Finian's Rainbow, and Keenan Wynn, hilarious as twin cousins. The plot is so light that it threatens to float away at times, but Royal Wedding sticks in the memory thanks to its first-rate musical numbers. The Astaire/Powell duets are entertaining enough; the real magic, however, occurs in Astaire's two solos: the hat-rack duet and the now-legendary tap-dance on the ceiling (even knowing how this cinematic legerdemain was accomplished does not detract from its brilliance and virtuosity). Because it has slipped into public domain, Royal Wedding is one of the most easily accessible of all the Fred Astaire musicals. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In their never-ending efforts to create a movie series to match the success of "The Thin Man," MGM came up with the fast-paced programmer Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone. Based on characters created by Craig Rice, the film stars James Whitmore as lawyer and part-time sleuth John J. Malone (this character had previously appeared in several other films, as well as the radio series The Amazing Mr. Malone). In his efforts to track down an embezzler, Mr. Malone boards a train heading for New York. Meanwhile, Mrs. Hattie O'Malley (Marjorie Main), a raucous widow from Montana, is also travelling to New York to claim her prize money from a radio contest. During the journey eastward, the man whom Malone is seeking ends up dead. Thanks to Mrs. O'Malley's well-intentioned interference, Malone ends up being accused of murder. How this mismatched pair manages to solve the mystery and save their own hides is good for several laughs. Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone didn't result in a series, though James Whitmore and Marjorie Main make a surprisingly copacetic screen team. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Singing cowboy Jimmy Wakely was in his final year of movie stardom when Gun Runner was released by Monogram. Wakely has more action than songs this time out, as he searches for an old pal who has gone sour and is selling guns to the Indians. The pathos of this situation is counterpointed by the pig-bladder comedy of Dub "Cannonball" Taylor. The leading-lady lineup is an interesting one: co-starring with Wakely are Noel Neill, the future Lois Lane on TV's Superman, and Mae Clarke, she of the "grapefruit massage" in 1931's Public Enemy. The comparatively sympathetic villain is portrayed by real-life sharpshooting champ Kenne Duncan. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Daredevils in the Clouds was one of Republic's several attempts to transform former cowboy star Robert Livingston into a non-cowboy leading man. With customers and creditors breathing down his neck, Terry O'Rourke (Livingston), the head of Polar Airways, does his best to bring his planes in on time. Johnny Martin (James Cardwell), top man at Trans-Global Airlines, covets O'Rourke's business, and will do anything-even commit murder-to gobble up Polar's clientele. Mae Clarke, who hadn't had a leading role in years, is quietly effective as Kay Cameron, a grounded aviatrix who carries a torch for her boss O'Rourke. The film is distinguished by the excellent miniature and special-effects work of the Lydecker Brothers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This peppy wartime musical stars Bing Crosby as radio crooner Johnny Cabot, the heartthrob of millions. To escape his frenzied fans, Johnny joins the Navy, where is he ordering to aid a WAVE recruiting drive. He is helped(?) in this endeavor by Betty Hutton, amusingly cast in a dual role as twin sisters Susie and Rosemary, one a shy retiring brunette, the other a bold and brassy blonde (Vera Marshe doubles for Hutton is some scenes). Part of Johnny's recruiting strategy is to stage a musical show, as good an excuse as any for a steady stream of bouncy musical numbers. This is the film in which Bing Crosby and Sonny Tufts, both in blackface, introduce the Johnny Mercer-Harold Arlen standard "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive." Sharp-eyed viewers will spot Yvonne de Carlo, Mona Freeman, Mae Clarke, and Noel "Lois Lane" Neill in small roles. Here Come the Waves was partially remade by Martin & Lewis as Sailor Beware. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Though cheaply produced in the time-honored tradition of PRC Productions, The Lady from Chungking was nothing if not timely. Anna May Wong heads the cast as Kwan Mei, the aristocratic leader of a band of Chinese partisans. Operating secretly, Kwan Mei's compatriots wage vicious guerilla warfare against the occupying Japanese troops. The oddly chosen supporting cast includes Harold Huber as a Japanese general and Mae Clarke as White Russian patriot; the nominal leading men, are pair of downed Flying Tigers pilots, are played by general-purpose actors Ric Vallin and Paul Bryar. The second of Anna May Wong's films for PRC, The Lady From Chungking was a distinct step down from the first, Bombs over Burma, which benefited from the directorial knowhow of Joseph H. Lewis. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Sailors on Leave stars William Lundigan as sailor Chuck Stephens, who has borrowed so much money from his fellow gobs that he's in debt up to his eyelids. Chuck's shipmates decide to get even with him by arranging a "fake" marriage with cafe songstress Shirley Ross that turns out to be genuine. Naturally, the two despise each other, at least until fadeout time. Staving off the inevitable final clinch is a silly subplot involving stolen jewels. Shirley Ross, who three years before this Republic programmer was filmed had introduced "Thanks For the Memory" with Bob Hope in Big Broadcast of 1938 (38), is here paired with the ever-popular Bill Shirley in four forgettable musical interludes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Jack Holt is so tight-jawed in Outlaws in the Orient that one wonders how his bridgework will hold up. Holt plays Chet Eaton, a troubleshooting mail-plane pilot dispatched to the oil fields of the Gobi desert. Here he runs afoul of local bandit Ho-Fang (Harold Huber), who threatens dire consequences if Chet doesn't pay an exorbitant fee for protection. Not that our hero is above a bit of larceny himself; in fact, heroine Joan (Mae Clarke) has quite a time trying to balance Chet's bloated expense account. Outlaws of the Orient was directed by Ernst B. Schoedsack of King Kong fame, who photographed most of the aerial footage himself (some of the desert footage was reportedly lifted from Schoedsack's never-completed film about Lawrence of Arabia). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The first musical comedy from the Grand National assembly line, Hats Off stars John Payne and Mae Clarke as rival press agents Jimmy Maxwell and Jo Allen. Both have been assigned to stir up publicity for separate expositions at the 1936 Texas Centennial (newsreel footage of which predominates throughout the film's short running time). To throw Jimmy off the track, Jo pretends to be a schoolteacher, but by the time the ruse has been revealed, the two leading characters have fallen in love. Payne and Clarke perform a duet of the film's best song, "Twinkle Twinkle Little Song," while comic soubrette Helen Lynd socks across two novelty numbers, "Little Odd Rhythm" and "Let's Have Another." Hats Off represented John Payne's first leading role, launching a career that would last well into the early 1960s; it was also the first screenwriting credit for future cult-favorite director Samuel Fuller. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide