Mary Howard Movies

This biopic highlights the illustrious careers of "the touchdown twins," Heisman Trophy winners Felix "Doc" Blanchard (Mr. Inside) and Glenn Davis (Mr. Outside) two football heroes from West Point. Featured in the story are actual archival clips of their games. The drama centers around the decision the two must make: should they go pro or should they stay in the Army? They choose the latter. Blanchard and Davis made this film during the 60-day leave they were granted after graduating from the academy. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Thru Different Eyes is a remake of the 1929 film of the same name. The original was hailed for its creative use of sound and subjective photography; the remake is a standard crime melodrama, elevated slightly by an engaging narrative gimick. In trying to explain how the American judicial system works, district attorney Steve Pettijohn (Frank Craven) harks back to a murder conviction predicated upon circumstantial evidence. Going over the testimony of the witnesses, it was discovered that each account was incorrect in one respect or another. By piecing together all the accounts, it was possible to exonerate the suspect and reveal the guilty party. The story's "prismatic" approach was similar to that adopted by Citizen Kane, which would continue to influence American filmmaking for the rest of the 1940s. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The famous outlaw rides again in this fictionalized western that chronicles Billy's turn from criminal to fine upstanding citizen. The film received an Oscar nomination for its color cinematography. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this comedy drama, a medicine show con-man pretends to be a wealthy man to impress his long-lost daughter who is slated to inherit a vast fortune. Unfortunately, she turns out to be someone else's daughter. Later he finds his own and discovers that she has less money than he does. They decide to continue the con together and head for New York. There, they stay in a boarding house for theatrical performers. When their ruse is discovered, mayhem ensues. Fortunately, by the end of the film, the two fakers encounter better luck. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Raymond Massey plays Abe Lincoln in this moving adaptation of Robert Sherwood's Pulitzer Prize-winning play. Expanded a bit for cinematic purposes, the film traces Lincoln's progress from his days of scrambling for a living as a woodsman, to his courtship of the tragic Ann Rutledge (Mary Howard) and then the mercurial Mary Todd (Ruth Gordon), to the formative years of his law practice, to his debates with Stephen Douglas (Gene Lockhart), and finally to his election as President of the soon-to-be-divided United States in 1860. Latter-day critics have complained about Massey's stolidity in his signature role, but even the most stone-hearted viewer will be moved by such scenes as Lincoln riding through the ruins of what once was the village of Salem; Abe's heated election-eve quarrel with his spiteful wife Mary; and his climactic speech from the observation car of the train that will carry him to Washington...and immortality. Abe Lincoln at Illinois turned out to be a succes d'estime for its producer Max Gordon and its studio (RKO), taking a bath to the tune of $750,000. Its failure moved one Hollywood wise-guy to collar Gordon at a party and say, "I can't understand it, Max. Lincoln was so kind to everybody but you." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Many of the "preparedness" films of the years just prior to World War II sidestepped censorship by depicting past outrages of the Germans. Such a film was British producer Herbert Wilcox's Hollywood production Nurse Edith Cavell, in which Wilcox's future wife Anna Neagle portrayed the titular martyred Englishwoman. Ms. Neagle plays the legendary Ms. Cavell as a candidate for Canonization. Her selfless efforts to rescue refugee soldiers from World War I Belgium results in her being arrested on charges of espionage. Despite international pleas for clemency, the dastardly Deutschlanders sentence Edith to death. She faces the firing squad with a courageous serenity that makes Joan of Arc look like a hysterical schoolgirl. An earlier, silent version of Nurse Edith Cavell had caused turmoil in England due to its unadorned depiction of war's horrors. In 1939, however, audiences inundated by reports of Hitler's latest outrages were more receptive. Ironically, the film opened in the US a scant few days before war broke out in Europe. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Test Pilot is one of those irresistible MGM potboilers of the 1930s that coast along on sheer star power. Clark Gable plays a courageous test pilot, who compromises his achievements with his frequent bouts of drinking. Gable's mechanic, Spencer Tracy, does what he can to keep his boss out of trouble. While testing a new aircraft, Gable is forced to land on a Midwestern farm, where he meets and falls in love with Myrna Loy. Gable and Loy marry, whereupon he is fired by his boss Lionel Barrymore, who is of the opinion that flying and dames don't mix. Gable goes off on another bender, compelling Loy to leave him. Once more, Tracy comes to Gable's rescue by reuniting the couple and arranging for Barrymore to give Gable his job back. Later, Gable and Tracy are assigned to test a huge army bomber. Something goes wrong, and the plane goes into a dive. The self-sacrificing Tracy sees to it that Gable is saved from a flaming death--at the cost of his own life. Gable is so devastated by Tracy's death that it looks as though he'll never fly again. But with Loy's help, Gable regains his self-confidence. As one can see, there's little in Test Pilot that hasn't been done before. But with Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy and Myrna Loy at the controls, the film proved a real audience-pleaser in 1938. In fact, it's still pretty good today. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Fast Company was another attempt by MGM to match the success of its "Thin Man" films. Melvyn Douglas and Florence Rice star as Joel and Garda Sloane, the funloving rare-book dealers created by Harry Kurnitz. Try as they might, the Sloanes can't help getting involved in crime and murder. This time around, the couple searches for a con artist who has been ripping off the insurance companies by staging robberies of phony first editions. When murder rears its ugly head, Joel and Garda have four suspects to choose from, at least three of whom look incredibly guilty. Without providing any clues as to the outcome, it can be noted that the supporting cast includes such past masters of skullduggery as Louis Calhern, Douglass Dumbrille, George Zucco and Dwight Frye. Fast Company was the first of three "Joel and Garda Sloane" efforts, each one starring different actors in the leading roles. To avoid confusion with a later MGM film with the same title, Fast Company was rechristened Rare Book Murder for television. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Based upon the book The Four Marys, by Fanny Heaslip Lea, Man-Proof involves members of the smart and sophisticated set of Manhattan, circa 1938. Mimi Swift (Myrna Loy), the daughter of a successful romance novelist, is having no luck in getting the man she loves. Although she has made her interest very clear to Alan Wythe (Walter Pidgeon), he is more concerned with marrying someone who can support him. Still, Mimi is unprepared for the shock of discovering that Alan is engaged to her wealthy friend Elizabeth Kent (Rosalind Russell) -- and even more unprepared when they want her to suffer through the ceremony firsthand, as a bridesmaid. Ever the lady, Mimi forces herself to attend the wedding and attempts to put up a good front; unfortunately, she takes a little too much advantage of the free flowing champagne, with the result that she lets Alan know that she hasn't given up on him. While Alan and Elizabeth are on their honeymoon, Mimi becomes involved with Jimmy Kilmartin (Franchot Tone), an illustrator at the New York Chronicle. After the honeymooners return, Mimi tries to accept the fact that lan is Elizabeth's, but she just can't and lets Elizabeth know that things will never be the same. For his part, Alan seems to want to have his cake and eat it, too, and indicates to Mimi that perhaps something can be worked out. As they are talking, Elizabeth enters, puts two-and-two together and tells Alan she knows he only married her for her money and suggests they get a divorce. Eventually, Elizabeth takes Alan back and Mimi suddenly realizes that there is more to Jimmy than she had previously observed -- and more than enough to make her happily forget about Alan. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi

In MGM's three-hour-plus The Great Ziegfeld, William Powell stars as the titular theatrical impresario, whose show business empire begins when he stage-manages a tour for legendary strongman Sandow (Nat Pendleton). With nary a penny in the bank, he charms European stage star Anna Held (Luise Rainer) to headline his "Follies", and later marries the luscious Ms. Held. From 1907 onward, Ziegfeld stages annual editions of Broadway's most fabulous revue, dedicated to "Glorifying the American Girl" but also giving ample time to develop the comic talents of Fanny Brice (played by herself), Will Rogers, Eddie Cantor and many others. Eventually, Ziegfeld abandons Ms. Held in favor of other beauties, setting the stage for the "telephone scene" which won Luise Rainer the first of her Oscars. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi