Sigrid Gurie Movies
Legend has it that producer Samuel Goldwyn, under the impression that actress Sigrid Gurie was born in Norway, eagerly promoted his discovery "the new Garbo" and "the Sweetheart of the Fjords"--only to furtively retract his publicity campaign when it was revealed that Gurie hailed from Brooklyn. While Gurie was indeed born in Flatbush, she was raised in Norway and Sweden by her Scandinavian parents, returning to Brooklyn upon reaching adulthood. She was introduced to filmgoers in the 1938 Goldwyn epic The Adventures of Marco Polo; the blame for the failure of this film is often placed on the inexperienced Gurie's lovely shoulders, but in fact Marco Polo would have been an embarrassment no matter who filled the leading-lady slot. She went on to give worthwhile performances in such films as Algiers (1938), Three Faces West (1940) and Voice in the Wind (1944), but she never caught on with the public. Sigrid Gurie had been retired for over 20 years when she died of an embolism at the age of 58. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1948
As Cold-War melodramas go, Sofia goes pretty well. Set in a backlot version of Turkey, the film stars Gene Raymond as former OSS man Steve Roark. Assigned to rescue two atomic scientists from Russia and spirit them across the Iron Curtain, Steve discovers that one of the scientists is his ex-lover Linda Carlsen (Sigrid Gurie). Meanwhile, sultry cabaret singer-turned-spy Magda Onescu (Patricia Morison) offers her services to both the Allies and the Communists, hoping to be financially renumerated by both sides (Guess how she ends up?) Some of the espionage techniques are amusing, especially when the rascally Russians are so easily fooled by the simplest subterfuges. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Raymond, Sigrid Gurie, (more)
- 1948
Economically filmed in Mexico, Sword of the Avenger is essentially a Latin-flavored version of The Count of Monte Cristo. During a 19th-century Philippine insurrection, Spanish sailor Roberto Balagtas (Ramon Del Gado) is falsely accused of fomenting the revolt. After a lengthy internment Roberto escapes from prison, obtaining a treasure map along the way. With his new-found wealth, Roberto returns to Manila under an assumed name, determined to destroy his enemies. Sigrid Gurie plays Maria Louisa, Roberto's sweetheart-turned-rebel leader. Throughout the film, analogies are drawn between the despotic rulers of the Philippines and the recently defeated Nazis, bringing a contemporary touch to the proceedings. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sigrid Gurie, Ralph Morgan, (more)
- 1944
Originally slated for PRC release, Voice in the Wind was eventually distributed by United Artists. The film was directed by the estimable Arthur Ripley, a graduate of 2-reel comedies who aspired to bring art with a capital "A" to the cinema. Francis Lederer stars as Jan Foley, an amnesiac Czech musician who has suffered mightily under Nazi tyranny. Living under a new identity on the island of Guadalupe, Jan tries to recall his past life while working for crooked refugee-smuggler Angelo (Alexander Granach). During a moment of crisis which results in Angelo's death, Jan suddenly regains his memory. He hurries back to the bedside of his ailing wife Marya (Sigrid Gurie), hoping against hope that he won't be too late to start life anew with her. As one critic put it, the film "could be bluntly described as one of the pictures that is considered brilliant because everybody dies at the end." Though Arthur Ripley's self-conscious symbolism doesn't wear too well, Voice in the Wind deserves credit for going against the grain of conservative Hollywood assembly-line entertainment. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Francis Lederer, Sigrid Gurie, (more)
Though the filmmakers claimed they were writing a biography of Nazi minister Dr. Joseph Goebbels, this film is actually highly fictionalized and filled with patriotic propaganda. The story attempts to explain Goebbels' madness, blaming it on a love affair gone awry when he was a young aspiring playwright. The love in question was a young actress who spurns him. Goebbels cannot bear the rejection and swears that he will spend his life getting revenge upon her and those around her. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Claudia Drake, Paul Andor, (more)
- 1940
Those wily Egyptians are once again selfishly attempting to keep the treasures of the Pharaohs to themselves in this rough-and-tumble melodrama from Universal. The wiliest of them all is one Abbadi (George Zucco), who leaves no stone unturned in his quest for possession of the fabulous "seven jewels of the seventh pharaoh," which American archeologist Professor Wyndham (Wright Kramer) obligingly has excavated. The elderly professor is easily gotten rid of, but Abbadi also faces Police Inspector Joachim (Rod LaRocque), a rather more formidable foe. Soon, knives are whizzing through the air, swarthy natives abduct pretty maidens, and a couple of All-American archeologists crack wise and perform daring stunts. Sigrid Gurie, Samuel Goldwyn's version of the "Edsel," is star-billed and The Dark Streets of Cairo also employs Ralph Byrd, Eddie Quillan, and, seething in the background, Katherine DeMille. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sigrid Gurie, Ralph Byrd, (more)
The Refugee was the original release title for the offbeat John Wayne vehicle Three Faces West. Wayne, Sigrid Gurie and Charles Coburn are starred as John Philips, Leni Braun and Leni's father Dr. Braun, who like so many other victims of the Depression are forced to move bag and baggage from the Dust Bowl to the West Coast. A fugitive from fascist oppression in Austria, Dr. Braun hopes to carve out a new existence for himself and his daughter Leni by tilling the soil, but she is more interested in being reunited with her Austrian boyfriend Eric von Scherer (Varno) once she arrives in Oregon. In charge of the migration westward is John Phillips who loves Leni but keeps his feelings to himself. But when Leni discovers that her sweetheart has thoroughly embraced the Nazi cause, she finds solace in the arms of the faithful Phillips. Among the screenwriters of The Refugee was Samuel Ornitz, later one of the blacklisted Hollywood Ten. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Wayne, Sigrid Gurie, (more)
- 1939
Though running a mere 75 minutes, Rio has enough plot for ten movies. Basil Rathbone and Sigrid Gurie, previously teamed in The Adventures of Marco Polo, head the cast as crooked French financier Paul Reynard and his wife Irene. Sentenced to a ten-year term in a French penal colony for bank fraud, Paul wonders if his wife will remain faithful to him. At first glance it seems that he has nothing to worry about: Irene and family friend Dirk (Victor McLaglen) head to Rio to arrange for Paul's escape, with Dirk vowing to shield Irene from any and all sexual predators. But once she's landed in the Brazilian capital, Irene falls in love with red-blooded American engineer Bill Gregory (Robert Cummings). Upon emerging from his dank prison cell, Paul realizes that he's lost his wife forever to a better man. Seeking revenge, he prepares to shoot Bill in cold blood, but good old Dirk intervenes, paving the way for a happy ending -- for everyone but Paul, that is. Though he plays a thoroughly unsavory character, Basil Rathbone ends up the most sympathetic person in the film, and as such he's the only real reason to sit through the melodramatic convolutions of Rio. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Basil Rathbone, Victor McLaglen, (more)
- 1939
Sigrid Gurie, the Swede from Brooklyn who in 1938 was touted as Sam Goldwyn's answer to Garbo, was taking whatever work she could get in 1939. Forgotten Woman casts Gurie as a woman unjustly sent to prison. Four years go by before the DA unearths new evidence that proves her innocence. But first, the guilty party must be rounded up--and that's no walk in the park, since the miscreant is an influential gangster. Forgotten Woman ran its course, made back its cost, then became the Forgotten Movie. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eve Arden, William Lundigan, (more)
Gary Cooper stars in this lavish and often comic retelling of the life of the famed Italian explorer. Marco Polo (Cooper) crosses the sea in search of treasure and adventure, with the help of his loyal if cowardly sidekick Binguccio (Ernest Truex), and finds both in China, where as the nation's first European visitor he is introduced to several practical innovations, such as pasta and explosives. He is also introduced to Kublai Khan (George Barbier), China's wise and benevolent Emperor, and the Emperor's lovely daughter, Princess Kukuchin (Sigrid Gurie). Romance begins to bloom between Marco and the Princess, but Ahmed (Basil Rathbone), the Emperor's ill-tempered assistant, also has his eyes on the Princess, and he is determined to win her hand and usurp Kublai Khan as China's leader. The Adventures of Marco Polo was part of a major star build-up that producer Samuel Goldwyn had engineered for actress Sigrid Gurie, but much of Goldwyn's publicity eventually backfired when it was learned that his Norwegian discovery, "The Siren of the Fjords," was born in the less exotic locale of Brooklyn, New York. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gary Cooper, Sigrid Gurie, (more)
This Hollywood remake of the French Pepe le Moko adheres so slavishly to its source that it utilizes stock footage from the original film, and even picked its actors on the basis of their resemblance to the French cast. Contrary to legend, star Charles Boyer never says "Come wizz me to zee Casbah"; as master criminal Pepe le Moko, he's already in the Casbah, a crook-controlled safe harbor which protects Pepe from the French authorities. Pepe's friendly enemy, police inspector Joseph Calleia, treats his pursuit of Pepe like a chess game, patiently waiting for his opponent to make that one wrong move. The ever-careful Pepe has the misfortune to fall hopelessly in love with tourist Hedy Lamarr (in her first American film). A combination of events, including the betrayal of Pepe by his castaway lover Sigrid Gurie and Hedy's tearful return to her ship when she is misinformed that Pepe is killed, lures the hero/villain into the open. Arrested by Calleia, Pepe begs for one last glance at his departing sweetheart. At this point in the French version, Pepe cheated the hangman by killing himself; this would never do in Production Code-dominated Hollywood, so Algiers contrives to have Pepe shot while trying to escape. Algiers was remade in 1948 as a musical, Casbah, starring Tony Martin. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Boyer, Hedy Lamarr, (more)
