Anne Froelick Movies
- 1950
Harriet Craig is the third film version of George Kelly's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Craig's Wife. Joan Crawford stars as the title character, a thoroughly selfish woman who prizes her house and her possessions above all else. Harriet Craig is even willing to spoil the business opportunities of her husband Walter (Wendell Corey) to avoid losing her precious home. When her self-involvement causes turbulence in the romantic life of her cousin (K.T. Stevens), and when her husband's eyes are finally opened to his wife's true nature, Harriet Craig is at long last hoist on her own petard. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joan Crawford, Wendell Corey, (more)
- 1947
Barry Fitzgerald's distinctive brand of Irish blarney, which was wonderful in small doses, leaned towards the precious and boring when he was given a leading role. In Easy Come, Easy Go, Fitzgerald portrays an inveterate horse player who refuses to allow his grown daughter (Diana Lynn) to get married. His motives are less paternal than materialistic: Fitzgerald has been spending all his daughter's hard-earned money at the racetrack. The old duffer reforms by fade-out time, allowing Lynn to choose between her pompadoured swains Sonny Tufts and Dick Foran. This bears no relation to the 1968 Elvis Presley musical of the same name, beyond the fact that both pictures were released by Paramount. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barry Fitzgerald, Diana Lynn, (more)
- 1945
Based on the novel by Augusta Tucker, the provocatively titled Miss Susie Slagle's is actually a leisurely, sentimental story set in a turn-of-the-century boarding house. The title character, played by Lillian Gish, is the house's landlady, catering exclusively to young doctors and nurses in training. Miss Susie Slagle takes pride in the fact that not one of her boarders has ever failed medical school, but for a while it looks as though this perfect record will be spoiled by Elijah Howe Jr. (Bill Edwards), the seemingly irresponsible son of one of Susie's former tenants (Ray Collins). The bulk of the storyline is carried by med student Pug Prentiss (Sonny Tufts), who carries on a romance with Howe Jr.'s sister Margaretta (Joan Caulfield, in her film-starring debut). Flamboyant comic actor Billy DeWolfe is uncharacteristically restrained as pragmatic third-year student Ben Mead, though the script contrives to allow DeWolfe to do one of his celebrated female-impersonation routines! In true open-ended fashion, the film ends as it begins, with Miss Susie Slagle welcoming another crop of students to her lodgings. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Veronica Lake, Sonny Tufts, (more)
- 1944
The Master Race argues persuasively that, although it appeared that the Nazis would lose WW2, it was foolish to assume that Hitler's legacy would not insinuate itself into the postwar era. Nazi bigwig Von Beck (George Coulouris) arrives in a small Belgian village on the eve of its liberation by the Allied troops. It is Von Beck's plan to foment disharmony and bigotry amongst the villagers, thereby laying the groundwork for a German victory in the next war. But Von Beck soon discovers that the populace isn't quite as gullible as the herrenvolk had been when Hitler rose to power. Still, the film ends with a warning: the only way to avoid future world conflict is to thoroughly crush the instigators of the present war. Ironically, after hostilities ceased, Herbert J. Biberman, cowriter-director of The Master Race, was castigated by the anti-Red brigades for being, among other things, a "premature anti-fascist." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Coulouris, Osa Massen, (more)
- 1941
In this melodrama, a loyal research psychologist escapes from Budapest after the nature of his work is discovered. He resettles in Scotland and soon resumes his work. His benefactors provide him a female assistant, and at first the stubborn scientist is not pleased. Eventually the two fall in love. Not long after the research is finished, they marry and for a time the two are happy. But then a terrible fire erupts and the assistant/wife dies trying to protect the researcher's valuable notes. The distraught doctor dedicates the rest of his work to her memory and then heads to China to work as a medical missionary. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Stephenson, Geraldine Fitzgerald, (more)
