Harry Fleischmann Movies

This might be a film about junk mail...but it isn't. Wallace Beery and Marjorie Main are teamed again for this rambunctious western comedy. Beery plays a horse thief who romances saloon owner Main. His goal is to marry the lady and take over her lucrative mail route. He accidentally becomes a hero; she completes the reformation. Jackass Mail made money, but it just wasn't the same as the classic Wallace Beery/Marie Dressler combo of the 1930s. Great title, though. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Rear Admiral Stephen Thomas' (Charles Laughton) spoken tribute to "the finest Naval officer I knew" provides the framework for the wartime flag-waver Stand By For Action. Robert Taylor stars as Gregg Masterman, a flippant socialite who comes to realize his obligation to his country when he is called to active duty during WW II. Determined to get sea duty, Lt. Masterman is passed over by Admiral Thomas in favor of Lt. Cmdr. M. J. Roberts (Brian Donlevy), who, unlike our academy-trained hero, rose from the ranks to his present position of authority. Any differences between Masterman and Roberts are forgotten in the climactic attack against a formidable Japanese "super-battleship." Though there's precious little room for romance in this essentially all-male entertainment, Stand by for Action offers Robert Taylor a brief dalliance with up-and-coming MGM starlet Marilyn Maxwell. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

MGM tried to recapture the magic of the Wallace Beery/Marie Dressler films of the 1930s with Barnacle Bill. Beery is teamed with Marjorie Main, a Dressler "type" who had a roughneck style all her own. In the film, grumbly old fisherman Beery spends most of his screen time avoiding Main, who intends to trap him into matrimony. The rest of the time, Beery must contend with a daughter he never knew he had and with landlubbers who want to rob him of his seagoing livelihood. Barnacle Bill was one of six MGM films costarring Wallace Beery and Marjorie Main, an experience neither star enjoyed very much. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This remake of Penthouse (33) stars Walter Pidgeon as a smooth attorney with a few embarrassing friends. One of these is a gangster (Leo Carrillo) whom Pidgeon has successfully defended. When Pidgeon must go after his "pal" for murder, he is forced to go into hiding. He is also compelled to set up house with a sexy nightclub entertainer (Virginia Bruce), whose encyclopedic knowledge of the gangster's illicit activities will come in handy in court. It doesn't have quite the same bite as Penthouse, thanks mainly to tighter censorial restrictions; the nightclub singer, for example, was a hooker in the original. Both films were based on the same story by Arthur Somers Roche. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Through a miscarriage of justice, John Ingram (Edward G. Robinson) is convicted of a crime he did not commit and sentenced to a long stretch on a chain gang in the deep South. In time, Ingram flees to Oklahoma, where he makes a living fighting oil fires under an assumed name. Several years later, he has a successful business, a loving wife (Ruth Hussey), and a child. But he still lives in fear that his secret will be revealed, and one day he's visited by William Ramey (Gene Lockhart). Ramey admits that he committed the crime for which Ingram was convicted; he proposes that they meet with the authorities together, and Ramey will sign a confession that will clear Ingram's name. But Ramey instead double-crosses Ingram, putting him back on the chain gang while Ramey lays claim to his business. Before long, Ingram learns that his wife and child are nearly broke thanks to Ramey's gutting of his once-thriving business, and he decides that he must once again escape if he is to protect the safety of his family. Blackmail marked one of Edward G. Robinson's first "good guy" roles after making his name in a series of gangster epics; a year later, he would be starring in prestigious biopics, such as Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet and A Dispatch From Reuters. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In this western, a cowboy rides into Mesa and finds that he bears remarkable resemblance to a dead man. Actually he is the dead man, but instead of suffering a death, he suffered a blow to the head that caused amnesia five years before. After staying in the town a while, his memories begin to return. He then enlists the aide of some Texas friends to help him bring law to the wild western town. By the story's end, he has fully regained his memory and is able to reclaim his wife and ranch. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This "Thin Man" derivation stars William Gargan and Orien Heyward as Dwight and Penelope Stanford. A mystery writer, Dwight enjoys impersonating his fictional hero and solving mysteries on his own. Much to the discomfort of the cops, Dwight insists upon tackling the baffling murder of old man Stettin (Tully Marshall). Then, much to the discomfort of Dwight, Penelope demands to tag along and offer her own theories. Thus when Penelope finds herself in dire peril, the film's title can be offered as explanation. It's odd that the police are baffled in She Asked for It; anyone in the audience could have told them whodunit from the third reel onward. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide