Stephen Crane Movies
Actor Stephen Crane played in a few Columbia films during the 1940s, but may best be remembered as one of Lana Turner's husbands. He himself was married many times and went on to run a popular Beverly Hills restaurant. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide- 1945
Based on a play by Leslie Storm, Tonight and Every Night is a musical wartime morale booster in which star Rita Hayworth is but one of a lively ensemble. Set in battle-scarred Britain, the action takes place in a seedy old music hall, which never misses a performance even at the height of the "blitz". Five times a day like clockwork, American-born entertainer Rosalind Bruce (Rita Hayworth) and her British cohorts put on a show for their ever-appreciative audiences. Along the way, a romance develops between Rosalind and RAF pilot Paul Lundy (Lee Bowman). Providing excellent support are Janet Blair as the troupe's plucky ingenue and Broadway alumnus Marc Platt as the entourage's resident eccentric dancer. The individual numbers are inventively staged, with one scene creatively harnessing the Technicolor process in an eye-popping manner seldom seen in 1940s films. All that Tonight and Every Night lacks is a memorable score, though Rita's solo number "Anywhere" enjoyed brief hit-parade popularity. Incidentally, one of the chorus girls is a slim-and-trim Shelley Winters! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rita Hayworth, Lee Bowman, (more)
- 1945
Warner Baxter makes his fourth appearance as Dr. Robert Ordway, criminal-turned-criminologist, in Crime Doctor's Courage. This time, Ordway investigates the murder of fortune-hunter Gordon Carson (Stephen Crane), not long after his marriage to wealthy Kathleen Carson (Hillary Brooke). It's just possible that Kathleen, taking into consideration the mysterious deaths of Carson's previous wives, may have killed her husband out of self-preservation. Ah, but there are several other suspects around and about, including a brace of Spanish dancers (Lupita Tovar and Anthony Caruso), an eccentric young man (Robert Scott) and a mystery novelist (Jerome Cowan). Murder-movie buffs will probably glom onto the killer's identity long before Dr. Ordway does. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Warner Baxter, Hillary Brooke, (more)
- 1944
Nina Foch plays the title role in this rather dull horror melodrama from Columbia Pictures. Investigating his father's murder Bob Morris (Stephen Crane) and his Transylvanian girlfriend Elsa (Osa Massen) come to suspect the mysterious Celeste Latour (Foch), who calls herself a Gypsy princess. And, sure enough, when Elsa gets to close to the truth, Celeste casts a spell on her that turns the girl into a cat. But only briefly and Celeste is eventually cornered in the Latour family crypt. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nina Foch, Stephen Crane, (more)
