George Humbert Movies

Scripted by famed playwright Tennessee Williams, The Rose Tattoo stars Anna Magnani as Serafina Delle Rose, a Sicilian woman who now lives in the American South. As the film opens, she is still mourning the death of her beloved husband, constantly telling herself stories of their time together. Her fragile emotional existence is shattered when she discovers that her husband had been carrying on with another woman. Luckily, Serafina also meets truck driver Alvaro Mangiacavallo (Burt Lancaster) around this time, and their tentative romance may help her through this troubling time. Williams wrote the script for Magnani, who was awarded an Oscar for her work in the film. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

In 1949, Paramount put together a film version of the radio series My Friend Irma. It was assumed that the main attraction would be scatter-brained Irma, delightfully played by Marie Wilson. Instead, the picture was stolen by a couple of young upstarts named Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. Accordingly, My Friend Irma Goes West concentrates almost exclusively on Martin and Lewis, with poor Marie Wilson virtually consigned to a supporting role in her own picture. The story begins when Irma and her friends head westward on the incorrect assumption that Steve Laird (Dean Martin) has landed a movie contract. During the train trip to California, Steve's goonish pal Seymour (Jerry Lewis) is entrusted with a pet monkey, owned by movie star Yvonne Yvonne (Corinne Calvet). There's a contretemps with gangsters and a kidnapping before a happy ending can be realized. Some critics found Jerry Lewis' moronic mugging to be tasteless; others were too busy laughing to be upset. Having proven their mettle with the two My Friend Irma flicks, Martin and Lewis were awarded with their own vehicle, At War With the Army. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Esther Williams moves from the swimming pool to the bull ring in this musical drama. Antonio Morales (Fortunio Bonanova) was once a champion bullfighter; now in retirement, Antonio and his wife (Mary Astor) have high hopes that their son Mario (Ricardo Montalban) will follow in his father's footsteps as a matador. However, Mario's great passion is music, and he longs to pursue a career as a composer. But there is a budding toreador in the family: Mario's sister Maria (Esther Williams), who has learned the basics of bullfighting from her sibling. Not wanting to be thought a coward, but with no desire to enter the ring, Mario allows Maria to disguise herself as him and take his place in the bullring, allowing her to compete in a traditionally male sport while Mario devotes his time to his music. Fiesta gave Ricardo Montalban his first English-speaking role, with Cyd Charisse appearing as Conchita, his love interest and dancing partner. Classical music buffs might notice that Mario's composition "Fantasia Mexican" is actually Aaron Copland's "El Salon Mexico." ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

When wealthy Ballin Mundson (George Macready) rescues down at his heels gambler Johnny Farrell (Glenn Ford) and invites him to the Buenos Aires casino he owns, both men get more than they wagered on. Farrell convinces Mundson to hire him as casino manager, but is shocked when Mundson introduces his new bride, and Farrell's old flame, Gilda (Rita Hayworth).Though Farrell is unwavering in his loyalty to his employer, and he and Gilda treat each other with contempt, Mundson realizes that the torch never died for either of the former lovers. Ordered to guard Gilda, Farrell tries to convince himself that he's protecting Mundson's interests, but Gilda sees through his self-deception. Meanwhile, Mundson reveals to Farrell that his primary business is control of an international tungsten cartel that he plans to use to further his fascist ends. With the police closing in on the cartel, Mundson fakes his death, apparently leaving Gilda and Farrell free to marry. They do so: Gilda for love, but Farrell to punish her for being unfaithful to Mundson. When Mundson returns to kill them, it is he who dies, thereby freeing the lovers to apologize to each other and return to the U.S. Charles Vidor's Gilda is a voyeuristic film noir treat that engages the viewer in a complex web of sado-masochistic triangles. When, for example, Gilda performs her signature number, "Put the Blame on Mame," she is not simply enraging both Mundson and Farrell with her open sexuality, she is also crying out in pain for the love she is being denied. ~ Steve Press, All Movie Guide

Temptation is an appropriately moody romantic melodrama, providing a golden opportunity for some memorable histrionics by star Merle Oberon. Set in Egypt (courtesy of the Universal backlot), the film casts Oberon as Ruby, the new wife of wealthy archaeologist Nigel (George Brent). Unbeknownst to her husband, Ruby has had quite a checkered past, involving several divorces and gosh only knows how many extramarital affairs. While Nigel is out digging up an ancient mummy, Ruby takes up with Baroudi (Charles Korvin), a slick but impoverished Egyptian opportunist. When Baroudi threatens to leave Ruby unless she puts her husband out of the way, she methodically begins to poison the unwitting Nigel. Only in the last few minutes does Ruby realize that she's throwing her life away -- not to mention her husband's -- for a no-good heel, setting the stage for a spectacular revenge-and-retribution finale. Temptation was International Pictures' final production before its merger with Universal. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this crime drama, a naive, honest young woman falls for a louse who takes her to illicit gambling houses. When one of them is raided and she is there, her angry father throws her out of the house. After that her life takes a real dive until she is able to talk her way into joining a chorus-line at the night club frequented by the creepy boyfriend. Even a job doesn't stop her downward spiral and soon her boyfriend jilts her for her best friend. In the end she shoots them both. More tragedy ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Originally titled simply Sensations, this musical comedy was the final starring film for dancer Eleanor Powell and the final film, period, for comedian W.C. Fields. Powell is the prize client of flamboyant press agent Eugene Pallette. Dennis O'Keefe, Pallette's stiff-necked son, disapproves of his dad's razzle-dazzle promotional techniques, but finds himself just as shameless as his father when he takes over the business. Powell's particular highlight is a dance staged in a huge pinball machine (yes, critics in 1945 did say "Tilt!") W.C. Fields' contribution, based on one of his old Ziegfeld Follies sketches, is astonishingly unfunny; this protracted shaggy-dog story about a man who refuses to vacate his train compartment comes to life only during the byplay between a visibly ailing Fields and his sprightly female companion Louise Currie. Other guest stars in Sensations include Sophie Tucker, Cab Calloway, Woody Herman and a pre-Mary Ford Les Paul. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The sparkling screwball comedy And So They Were Married was originally released as Johnny Doesn't Live Here Any More. French-Canadian girl Simone Simon leases a Washington DC apartment from Marine William Terry. Since the Nation's Capital is overcrowded (wartime, don't you know), Simon must put up with a steady parade of Terry's old cronies and girlfriends, all of whom have keys to the apartment. She also becomes the romantic bone of contention between Terry and his sailor pal James Ellison. The last half of the film is dominated by Robert Mitchum as a Chief Petty Officer, who wants to rent the apartment for himself and his wife. A whimsical touch is added by the presence of midget Jerry Maren as a Cupid-like gremlin, who takes great delight in complicating Simon's life. Blessed with a great cast, an above-average production values (especially for a Monogram release), this King Bros. production proved to be the last directorial effort of German expatriate Joe May. Watch for fleeting appearances by horror-film perennial Rondo Hatton as a well-dressed gentleman entering Simon's cab, and Our Gang's Mickey "Froggy" Laughlin as a ratchet-voiced kid. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Moss Hart's hit Broadway play Winged Victory was brought to the screen in 1944, with most of its original cast intact. The story, concerning regular Joes from all walks of life joining the Army Air Force, is secondary to such theatrical setpieces as a camp show wherein several virile Hollywood leading men cavort about in drag. As a break from the all-male atmosphere, Hart adds a scene in which several wives and sweethearts discuss their fighting men; among these ladies is 23-year-old Judy Holliday. Reflecting the fact that most of the cast was actually serving in the Armed Forces at the time of filming, many of the actors are billed with their rank included: Pvt. Lon McAllister, Sgt. Edmond O'Brien, Cpl. Lee J. Cobb, and so on. While the patriotic elements of Winged Victory have faded in the intervening five decades, the film is worth a glance for its heady cast lineup of celebrities-to-be, including Peter Lynd Hayes, Red Buttons, Barry Nelson, and future director Martin Ritt. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Lucky Jordan (Alan Ladd) is a tough but good-natured New York racketeer who tries to finagle his way out of Army service. Despite his efforts, Jordan is drafted, but soon goes AWOL, with a lovely USO worker (Helen Walker) dogging his heels. She tries to arouse Jordan's patriotism, but he is unmoved until a gang of enemy spies beat up an old lady con artist (Mabel Paige) whom Lucky regards as a surrogate mother. Using his underhanded "street smarts," Jordan rounds up the spies and agrees to complete his military servitude. Lucky Jordan was one of several wartime films in which otherwise larcenous individuals are redeemed by channelling their talents for the good of Uncle Sam. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this comedy, the town gossip fills her time running the lives of others. Naturally, she is also a matchmaker. When she tries to find a suitable mate for her nephew, trouble ensues because he only has eyes for the daughter of the busybody's nemesis, the town judge. Meanwhile the girl the town yente wanted for her nephew finds herself attracted to the judge's son and ends up marrying him on the sly. He impregnates her and then goes to war. She later gives birth, but dies before she can tell anyone the truth. To protect her, the old gossip begins claiming the babe as her own. No one believes her. Fortunately, the judge's son returns and tells the truth. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Strawberry Blonde is the second, and by far the most well-regarded, of the three film versions of James Hogan's play One Sunday Afternoon. James Cagney stars as Biff Grimes, a turn-of-the-century dentist married to onetime suffragette Amy Lind (Olivia de Havilland). A former convict, Biff has great difficulty keeping his temper--and when alderman Hugo Barnstead (Jack Carson), the man responsible for Cagney's unjust prison term, shows up one Sunday afternoon to have a tooth pulled, the pugnacious dentist begins developing homicidal urges. In a lengthy flashback, we learn that Biff and Hugo, once the best of friends, were business partners in a construction firm. When one of their buildings collapsed due to shoddy materials, Biff was sent to jail for five years, while Hugo escaped scot-free. Even worse, Hugo stole Biff's girlfriend Virginia Brush (Rita Hayworth), the "strawberry blonde" of the title. The flashback over, Biff sharkishly welcomes Hugo into his office, fully intending to bump off his old enemy. But during a reunion with his "dream girl" Virginia, Biff realizes for the first time that Amy was the right girl for him all along, and that Hugo did him a favor by taking the strident, shrewish Virginia off his hands. Letting Hugo off with little more than a sore jaw, Biff takes Amy in his arms--but not before settling a few old accounts with his fists, just for old time's sake. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The first of several remakes of 1938's Three Blind Mice, the Technicolor musical Moon Over Miami stars Betty Grable and Carole Landis as Kay and Susan Latimer, two Texas carhops who journey to Florida in search of a rich husband. The plan is to have Kay pose as a millionairess, while Barbara and the girls' Aunt Susan (Charlotte Greenwood) pretend to be Kay's domestic staff. The two most likely matrimonial candidates are Miami playboys Phil O'Neil (Don Ameche) and Jeffrey Bolton (Robert Cummings), but when Kay finds out Phil is broke, she reluctantly throws him over for Jeff. Happily, romance wins out over greed, and Kay is reunited with Phil-not that Jeff ends up empty-handed (guess who he gets?). The musical highlights include the hit tune "You Started Something" and an energetic dance specialty by the Condos Brothers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide