Jean Gillie Movies

When a man dies under suspicious circumstances, the law must decide if it was murder or an accident. Francis Macomber (Robert Preston) is a wealthy, carefree gentleman who hires Robert Wilson (Gregory Peck), an expert hunter, as his guide when he sets off on a safari in Kenya. Francis' wife Margaret (Joan Bennett) regards her husband as a fool and a coward, and before long, she develops a strong attraction to Robert -- which she does not bother to keep secret. However, Robert informs her that as a matter of personal ethics, he would not consider becoming involved with her. After several weeks on the African savannah, Francis feels himself changing; he's developed a new bravery and sense of confidence, and as a test of himself, he one day stands in the path of a charging buffalo as he prepares to shoot. However, shots ring out from behind him, and Francis falls dead. Margaret insists that she was trying to kill the animal before it could trample Francis and missed, but given her well-documented contempt for her husband, the widow finds herself on trial for murder. The Macomber Affair was based on the short story "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber" by Ernest Hemingway, though director Zoltan Korda found it necessary to rework the material (with the input of the featured cast) in order to appease the industry censors of the day. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

This gripping, gritty film noir begins as a mortally wounded physician staggers into the apartment of a vicious vixen, the leader of a notorious gang of thieves. Shots ring out, and the police rush to the scene. Sergeant Leonard gets there to find the doctor dead, and the woman failing fast. As she lay gasping she decides to tell the sergeant the whole terrible story that began when she got involved with a cop-killing robber who was captured and sentenced to death. Before his fateful date with the gas chamber, he lets the rest of the gang know where he hid the $40,0000 they netted from the caper; he, with her help, also arranges to ingest the doctor's newly developed drug, an antidote to cyanide, to escape his "execution." The plot works, and eventually, the gangster is back in business. He gives his girl half of the map, but unfortunately gets shot by a rival before he can give her the other half. The ruthless woman and another gang member then force the doctor to assist them with their search. They are heading off to the location, when the double-crossing she-devil kills the other gangster in a horrible manner and continues on with the doctor. They find the chest containing the loot and they get an awful surprise. The woman begins laughing hysterically as if on the verge of a full-blown break down. She shoots the doctor and then flees, thereby bringing the story up to the present. Just before she dies, the ruthless woman reveals the astonishing contents of the chest. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Whenever one sees a title like The Gentle Sex, one braces oneself for an ironic switcharound. The supposedly gentle girls of the title--seven in all--are actually determined young British moderns who go into military service during World War II. In true "Army bomber crew" fashion, the film explores the widely varied backgrounds of the ladies involved, showing the events which led them to their patriotic commitment. As propaganda, Gentle Sex served its wartime purpose; as entertainment, it holds up reasonably well after five decades. The film was coproduced and codirected by actor Leslie Howard, who functions as narrator and (according to one source) can be glimpsed from behind in a couple of scenes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this comedy, father and son shipwrights join the River Patrol Service and find themselves inadvertently involved with spies. The trouble begins when the two find themselves mixed up in a spy ring and learn that a man carrying a time bomb has parachuted into the river. Now the two heroes must get it before it destroys the city. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this British drawing room comedy, a wealthy socialite falls in love with the a young woman from the lower class. Her mother owns a boarding house and at first, the socialite turns up his blue-blooded nose at them. But then he begins learning more about their lives and gradually changes his mind. He then decides to take his girl to his family's country estate for a weekend. His snooty mother is appalled and tries to stop them. Eventually, with the butler's assistance, romance prevails. This is the third remake of the story. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this comedy, a battleship captain has a large party to celebrate their next voyage and is dismayed to find that two glamorous women are still aboard after they set sail and cannot turn back. To protect them, and himself, he hides the unwilling stowaways in his quarters. Unfortunately, they are too soon discovered and mayhem ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this happy musical, two business partners find themselves in all sorts of romantic trouble. One of them is planning to marry his secretary, and the other, who is engaged to an aristocrat, advises him to fire her before proposing. The fellow does, but unfortunately, the distraught secretary, not knowing why she was released, attempts to drown herself in a river. Fortunately the other partner rescues her and takes her back to his apartment to warm up. He begins pouring brandy down her and she gets uproariously drunk. He then takes her to a high-society party where the woman's behavior is so outrageous that her escort's fiancee walks out. In the end, the man ends up proposing to her and happiness somehow ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Adapted from a popular West End stage musical, This'll Make You Whistle has been refashioned as a suitable vehicle for Jack Buchanan. Surprisingly, all of the music has been excised from the film version, denying Buchanan the opportunity to display his considerable singing and dancing skills. No matter: the star is in fine fettle, cast as a playboy who's trying to ditch the blue-nosed guardian of his fiancee (Bobbie Rivers). Somehow this requires our hero to pose as a notorious forger, a masquerade he pulls off all too well. This'll Make You Whistle takes place on the French Riviera, which looks suspiciously like a British seaside resort. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

After spending time working as dialogue director on a number of films, Carol Reed made his directorial debut as co-director of It Happened in Paris. Based upon a French play by Yves Mirande, Paris stars John Loder as Paul, the artistically-inclined son of an American millionaire. Serious about his work, he has moved to Paris, where he can find inspiration and study the masters. While there, he finds inspiration of a different sort in the form of the beautiful Jacqueline, played by Nancy Burne. Thinking that his wealth is a handicap, Paul lies and pretends that he is poor. In time-honored fashion, this causes some complications, but eventually all is revealed and the two lovers are set on the course to living happily ever after. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi