Carl Knowles Movies
Director Victor Fleming's final film features Ingrid Bergman as a vivid and luminous Joan of Arc, the 15th-century French peasant girl who led the French in battle against the invading English, becoming a national hero. When she was captured, tortured, and ultimately executed by the English, she was made a Catholic saint. Bergman's Joan is a strong and spiritual figure who proves her devotion to the Dauphin (Jose Ferrer), later to become the King of France. Joan is compelling as she wins an alliance with the Governor of Vaucouleurs and the courtiers at Chinon, leads her army in the Battle of Orleans, is betrayed by the Burgundians, and edicts that "our strength is in our faith." ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ingrid Bergman, Selena Royle, (more)
- 1945
At 88 minutes, Here Come the Co-Eds is one of the longest of Abbott & Costello's Universal starring vehicles, and though not necessarily the best, it manages to sustain a high comic content throughout. The scene is a financially strapped girl's college, where professional dancer Molly (Martha O'Driscoll) lands a scholarship. Molly's manager-brother Slat (Bud Abbott) has arranged this as a means to publicize his sister's showbiz career, which angers the college's chairman of the board (Charles Dingle), who threatens to foreclose on the school. To keep tabs on Molly and also find ways of raising the mortgage money, Slats and his pal Oliver (Lou Costello) takes jobs as school caretakers, immediately running afoul of ill-tempered groundskeeper Johnson (Lon Chaney Jr.) One of Slats' schemes involves a championship basketball game, in which Oliver, hypnotized into thinking that he's petite female student "Daisy Dimple", effortlessly sinks one basket after another (Costello, a top high school athlete, performed these scenes without the aid of a double). What ultimately saves the college is a concert by Phil Spitalny and his all-girl orchestra, featuring "Evelyn and Her Magic Violin." While the obligatory chase scene in Here Come the Coeds (this time involving a sailboat on wheels!) is a disappointment, several of Abbott & Costello's comic setpieces are hilarious, notably the time-honored "Jonah and the Whale" routine and the "oyster in the chowder" bit. Funniest line: while performing a musical duet with costar Peggy Ryan, Costello sighs "I feel just like Donald O'Connor." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, (more)
Former president Ronald Reagan may have genuinely believed that he was referring to a real-life act of selfless wartime bravery whenever repeating his "We'll bring this one down together" anecdote. In fact, he was merely quoting a scene from the above-average World War 2 drama A Wing and a Prayer. The setting is an American aircraft carrier, overseen by tough, unserving flight officer Don Ameche. When casualties begin piling up, the pilots blame Ameche, accusing him of being an indiscriminate butcher. Only when the tide of battle turns in favor of the Allies do the pilots realize that Ameche has been right all along. Director Henry Hathaway spent several weeks aboard an actual aircraft carrier, filming genuine combat scenes. Many of these authentic sequences appear as background footage in A Wing and a Prayer; sometimes the process work is convincing, sometimes it isn't, but please remember that this film was made long, long before the advent of computer technology. Dana Andrews, William Eythe, Richard Jaeckel, Harry Morgan (billed as 'Henry Morgan' here), Richard Crane, Glenn Langan, Reed Hadley and Bob Bailey are among the ready, willing and able Fox contractees appearing in A Wing and a Prayer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don Ameche, Dana Andrews, (more)
- 1941
The taciturn William Elliott stars in this above-average entry in Columbia's "Wild Bill Hickock" B-Western series. Returning to town with Larry Armstrong (Richard Fiske), an old friend he has just saved from a lynch mob, Hickock learns that Mitch Carew (Dick Curtis), a prison parolee, has killed Dan Woodworth (John Dilson), and is now attempting to buy Woodworth's store as a front for his nefarious schemes. Larry, who is embittered about the low wages being paid by the area's ranchers, opts to join Carew's gang of thugs. Wild Bill, meanwhile, is courting Woodworth's Eastern-bred niece Ann (Luana Walters), but the girl scoffs at his old-fashioned western ways. Alarmed that Larry has been involved in a stage robbery, Bill arranges to meet his old friend. Their rendezvous turns hostile and as Wild Bill is about to leave, Stringer (Leroy Mason), one of Mitch's stooges, takes a shot at him. Returning fire, Bill accidentally shoots and kills Larry. Blaming himself for the death of his friend, Bill vows to bring Mitch to justice. But when Ann once again denounces her suitor's western code of ethics, Bill offers to give up his guns and become "a peaceful man." When he learns that Mitch is waiting for him, our hero straps on his guns once again and goes to meet his destiny. A shootout in the street finally ends Mitch's reign of terror. Realizing that he will never be able to forsake the code of the west, Bill bids Ann a fond farewell and leaves town. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Luana Walters
