James Craig Movies

This early comedy from director Michael Powell centers around a number of corporate researchers who are trying to discover a way to flameproof celluloid. (The tests are performed on little celluloid "dolls.") The team is headed by a Chief Chemist, who as the movie opens, announces that he will soon be retiring, due to health concerns. His replacement is likely to be the only woman of the group (Mary), which fact causes a great deal of grumbling among the male co-workers. One in particular, by the name of Thompson, is vociferously against the idea of having a female as a boss. Although another co-worker, John, believes that Mary's credentials, not her gender, should be all that matter, his weak protest falls on deaf ears. Thompson comes up with a plan to derail Mary's promotion, suggesting that one of the men should pretend romantic interest in her, under the assumption that this will distract her from her work and make her uninterested in pursuing the position of Chief Chemist. John is chosen as the one to woo her, and despite his earlier protestations, he agrees. John succeeds in gaining Mary's affection -- and in falling in love with her himself into the bargain - but she is chosen to lead the lab anyway. Thompson devises a new plan that will impede the company's research efforts, hopefully resulting in Mary being fired. At the same time, events conspire so that John must be let go -- at which point Thompson claims a new discovery of John's as his own. Fortunately, things get sorted out in time for a reuniting of the lovers and a happy ending for all. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide

Paramount borrowed John Wayne from Republic Pictures for the studio's second screen version of Zane Grey's Born to the West, which was also the Western's original release title. A couple of drifters, Dare Rudd (Wayne) and Dinkie Hooley (Sid Saylor), arrive in a Wyoming town hoping for a handout from Dare's rancher cousin, Tom Fillmore (Johnny Mack Brown). Dare takes but one look at Tom's girlfriend, Judy Worstall (Marsha Hunt), and decides to stay in town. He obtains the job of chuck wagon cook, but Judy, who is falling for the charming newcomer, convinces Tom to give Dare a job with more responsibilities. To get rid of a potential rival and to prove Dare's irresponsibility once and for all, Tom assigns his cousin the job of selling the herd. Unbeknownst to either Tom or Dare, however, saloon owner Bart Hammond (Monte Blue) also has his greedy eye on the herd and sets a trap for Dare. Hell Town used quite a bit of stock footage from the original silent version, Born to the West, which had starred Jack Holt. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Sometimes mistakenly referred to as Bride of the West, this superior "Hopalong Cassidy" entry packs every conceivable ingredient for surefire entertainment into its 55 minute. Hoppy (William Boyd) plays it cool as he seeks out a stagecoach robber. Once he's determined who the guilty party is, Hoppy and his saddle pals Windy Halliday (George-not yet "Gabby Hayes) and Lucky Jenkins (Russell Hayden) swing into action. The script is by Nate Watt, a former director who knew his onions so far as nonstop action was concerned. Pride of the West was the 17th installment in the Hopalong Cassidy series, and there was more where that came from. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Regarded as the best of Columbia's "Lone Wolf" B-picture series, The Lone Wolf Spy Hunt stars Warren William as Michael Lanyard, a onetime criminal known as the Lone Wolf. He is determined to remain reformed for the sake of his daughter (Virginia Weidler), but a gang of foreign spies abducts Lanyard and force him to steal the blueprints for a secret anti-aircraft gun. Ever the ladies' man, Lanyard has two lovelies to contend with here: dizzy heiress Ida Lupino and seductive spy Rita Hayworth (just prior to her superstardom). Lone Wolf Spy Hunt is a remake of 1929's The Lone Wolf's Daughter, and like the earlier film is based on the character created by Louis Joseph Vance. Incidentally, the character of the daughter would never be seen or heard from after this 1939 film, though Warren William would make seven more appearances as the Lone Wolf. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This second entry in Columbia's new "Blondie" series is every bit as delightful as the first. When Dagwood Bumstead (Arthur Lake) heads off for a long-awaited fishing trip, his loving wife Blondie (Penny Singleton) assumes Dag's duties at the offices of J. C. Dithers (Jonathan Hale). Unfortunately, our hero finds himself in a compromising position with pretty stranger Dottie (Dorothy Moore), endangering both his job and his marriage. The film's highlights include an energetic jitterbug contest and a terrific variation on the old "Any husband who's expected home should leave right now" gag. Blondie Meets the Boss was heralded by a specially filmed trailer in which the Bumstead's son Baby Dumpling (Larry Simms) thanked the audience for the excellent response to the first Blondie picture and inviting the viewers to come back for more (which they did-28 times!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Seldom was the identity of a "mystery" villain so obvious than in the 15-chapter Columbia serial Overland With Kit Carson. Bill Elliot plays the title character, who teams with cavalry lieutenant Brent (Richard Fiske) to rid the West of the mysterious megalomaniac known only as "Pegleg." While on the job, Carson falls in love with Spanish aristocrat Carmelita (Iris Meredith), who like the rest of the cast is heading Westward by wagon train. As the expedition moves ever forward, the elusive Pegleg does his best to sabotage the wagons and kill off anyone who tumbles to his true identity. He needn't have gone to all that trouble: it won't be hard for the viewer to guess who the villain really is once the cast list of Overland with Kit Carson is flashed upon the screen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A scientist's greatest invention proves to be his darkest curse in this thriller that was part of Columbia and star Boris Karloff's "mad doctor" series. Karloff stars as Dr. Henryk Savaard, a brilliant heart expert who has created a pump that will allow him to place a patient in a state of death so that vital organs can be replaced with few problems. His first experiment on a human quickly goes awry when his nurse Betty (Ann Doran) sends for the police. The experiment is interrupted leaving the young man dead and Savaard in jail. He is sentenced to hang, but unleashes a bitter diatribe against his executioners promising to avenge his death. After his hanging, Savaard's assistant, Stoddard (Joseph DeStefani), hooks up the corpse to the heart pump and resurrects his boss. Several months pass and a local reporter (Robert Wilcox) discovers that six of the jurors in the case have mysteriously committed suicide -- all by hanging. The newsman's investigation leads him to follow the judge, the prosecutor, nurse Betty, and the surviving jurors to a specially arranged meeting at Savaard's former home. There, they are stunned to discover that Savaard is not only alive, but planning to execute them one by one every 15 minutes. As the bodies quickly begin to pile up, it is through the one person close to Savaard's heart that they can hope to make it out alive. ~ Patrick Legare, All Movie Guide

The assistant to a railroad president battles an evil empire builder in this 13 chapter adventure serial produced by Henry MacRae for Universal. The Hartford Transcontinental Railroad is advancing the line through Hell's Gate Pass when the project is stalled by an attack of marauding Indians. The raid is organized by King Carter (Harry Woods), who considers the land to be his, and a renegade half-breed known as Snakeye (Charles Stevens). During the skirmish, the railroad president's daughter, Claire Hartford (Anne Nagel), is kidnapped, and it is up to Jeff Ramsay (Dick Foran), Hartford's assistant, and his friend Tex Houston (Tom Fadden) to recover the girl. The war over the railroad line continues for 12 additional chapters until Ramsay and Carter meet face to face at the battle of Black Hawk. The Carter gang is wiped out by Ramsay and his new friend, Jim Jackson (James Craig) and a peace treaty is signed with Chief War Eagle (Chief Yowlachie). A star of Warner Bros. music Westerns in the mid '30s, Dick Foran, whose uncanny resemblance to Howdy-Doody was apparently never a handicap, is perhaps best remembered for playing Bette Davis' young suitor in The Petrified Forest (1936) and for starring opposite Abbott & Costello in Ride 'Em Cowboy (1942). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Set in the South Seas, Seven Sinners stars Marlene Dietrich as a cabaret singer whose reputation as a troublemaker has gotten her kicked out of one port of call after another. Once more causing a riot, Dietrich takes refuge on the first ship out, together with her underhanded cohorts Broderick Crawford and Mischa Auer. During her next stopover at the Seven Sinners Cafe, Dietrich meets handsome Naval officer John Wayne. He falls in love with her, much to the consternation of island governor Samuel S. Hinds, who knows that any romantic entanglement with Dietrich invariably results in dissension, disarray and brawls. He tells her to lay off Wayne or she'll be deported. But Dietrich insists upon performing one last song for the Duke...and sure as shootin', a battle royal ensues. This time, however, Wayne works tirelessly behind the scenes to solve everyone's problems. Maintaining the fascination level of Seven Sinners is a limitless array of top character actors, including Oscar Homolka, Billy Gilbert, Albert Dekker and Reginald Denny. The film was remade in 1950 as South Sea Sinner, starring Shelley Winters and--are you holding on to something?--Liberace. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Though Ginger Rogers' starring vehicles always turned a profit for RKO Radio, many filmgoers thought of Rogers only in terms of "Fred Astaire's partner." Others considered her a delightful comedienne, but no great shakes as a dramatic actress. Thus it was both a personal and professional triumph when Ms. Rogers walked home with an Oscar for her performance in Kitty Foyle. Based on Christopher Morley's Story of an American Girl, the film, told in flashback, relates the progress of working-girl Kitty Foyle (Ginger Rogers) as she pursues her Cinderella dreams. While employed at a department store, Kitty is wooed by Dennis Morgan, scion of a wealthy Philadelphia family. She flirts with the notion of marrying Morgan for his money, but decides that he's a bit too weak-willed for her tastes. Kitty enters into a romance with poor-but-dedicated doctor James Craig, then does an about-face by accepting Morgan's proposal. She quickly runs afoul of Morgan's snobbish family, who are so tightly bound by centuries-old tradition that Kitty is moved to exclaim "You mean to say you let all those dead people tell you what do?" She walks out on Morgan, then discovers that she's pregnant. Even after the trauma of delivering a stillborn child, Kitty is too proud to go back to Morgan. When true-blue Craig comes back into her life, Kitty, repeating her favorite phrase "By Judas Priest!", decides to forego money for love. Though successful to the tune of an $860,000 profit in 1940, Kitty Foyle seems stilted and over-rehearsed when seen today, save for the refreshing spontaneity of Ginger Rogers' performance. The film's best scene is the opening montage of the American Woman's "progress" once she enters the workplace (an uncredited Heather Angel is the central character in this delightful pantomimic vignette). Featured in the cast of Kitty Foyle is director Sam Wood's daughter Katherine Stevens, better known as K.T. Stevens. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Lola Lane and James Craig play explorers working on behalf of the British government. Lane and Craig have been assigned to venture deep into the wilds of Africa to retrieve the sacred skull of a long-deceased Sultan. Whoever possesses the skull will have total control over the native population--which is why several sinister gentlemen with Teutonic accents (America wasn't in the war yet, so no nationalities, please) also covet the skull. A reactivated volcano provides a rip-roaring climax for this Universal second feature. Zanzibar was based on a pair of short stories written by Maurice Tombragel and Maurice Wright, who collaborated on the screenplay. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this western, a retired marshal must once again put on his badge to protect his town from the vicious desperadoes that killed his girl friend's father. The girl uses her shooting prowess to assist them. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide