June Lang Movies

Shemp Howard and Billy Gilbert are a pair of lovable vaudeville clowns who spend most of their free time looking after the young son (Robert "Buzzy" Henry) of their boss (Paul Phillips), a nice guy who is trying desperately to hold together his second marriage. When his wife (Helen Gilbert) walks out, and he dies in an accident, Billy and Shemp are left to take care of the boy. In the course of looking for work, they meet impoverished restaurateur Slapsie Maxie Rosenbloom and manage to achieve success as entertainers when their antics prove more alluring to patrons than the food they cook up. But then their late boss' widow and the man she's taken up with turn up, trying to claim custody of the boy so that they can steal the insurance payment for his father's death. Suddenly, everything they have worked for is in jeopardy, unless Billy can get married and adopt the boy legally. But marrying off Billy Gilbert is a task easier said than done, and leads to a comical search worthy of a good Three Stooges movie (only slightly more sophisticated). The two grifters manage to fool Billy into thinking the boy would be better off with the former stepmother -- he lets the boy go, which breaks up his partnership with Shemp. Can Maxie Rosenbloom's fists and the legal system put these three back together where they belong? ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

Victor Mature plays an arrogant champion boxer who opts for an acting career on Broadway. He falls in love with his costar Betty Grable, who's secretly married to actor John Payne. Unwilling to make public her marriage lest it adversely affect her career, Grable is unsuccessful in fending off Mature's advance, which causes her hubby's blood to boil. As it happens, Payne is also in the show, cast as Mature's sparring partner, and it is within the bounds of this role that he gets his revenge on the pushy pugilist. With the three leading actors playing for laughs, one wonders why 20th Century-Fox put Phil Silvers in the picture. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

City of Silent Men comes so close to being a "model" "B" picture that it's a downright shame it just misses the mark. The plot revolves around a group of ex-convicts who try to start life anew by relocating in a small town under assumed names. The mayor of the town welcomes the former cons with open arms, helping them re-open a dormant canning factory and encouraging them to hire other reformed criminals. Alas, the bigoted local newspaper editor stirs up public hostility towards the new cannery and its owners, but everything is resolved happily when the ex-cons are awarded a defense contract. City of Silent Men could easily have lapsed into pointless melodrama, but the sincerity of the performers and the strength of Joseph Hoffman's screenplay keep the events on an even and realistic keel. All City of Silent Men lacks is a decent budget, but that's to be expected in a PRC Picture from this period. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Gorgeous June Lang, plays the title character in Redhead. Johnny Downs costars as a spoiled, ill-tempered rich boy. In desperation, his father pays Lang $10,000 to wrap Johnny around her little finger-and then steer him into a worthwhile life. Once this is accomplished, June, who's fallen in love with Johnny, turns down the money. Based on a novel by Vera Brown, Redhead was previously filmed in 1934, with Grace Bradley and Bruce Cabot. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Originally slated for released through Grand National Pictures, Isle of Destiny was redirected to RKO Radio when Grand National folded in late 1939. June Lang stars as Virginia Allerton, a famous aviatrix who crashlands in a remote South Sea Island (a la Amelia Erhardt!) and is promptly kidnapped by gun-runner Barton (Gilbert Roland). Coming to Virginia's rescue are two-fisted US marines Stripes Thornton (William Gargan) and Milly Barnes (Wallace Ford). Also figuring into the storyline are Katherine DeMille as a sultry native with a predilection of disposing of her enemies with poison darts, and septugenarian Etienne Girardot (in his last film appearance) as Barton's semi-comic assistant. Too long by about two reels, Isle of Destiny has the advantage of eye-pleasing Cosmocolor cinematography. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

With comedian Stan Laurel temporarily off his payroll due to a contract dispute, Hal Roach hastily put together a solo starring vehicle for Laurel's longtime partner Oliver Hardy. Digging into his files, Roach pulled out Zenobia's Infidelity, an H.C. Bunner story originally purchased as a vehicle for Roland Young. Hardy was cast in the semi-serious role of John Tibbitt, a 19th century Mississippi doctor whose heart is bigger than his bank account. At the insistence of travelling carnival man Professor McCrackle (played by former silent comedy star Harry Langdon, then under contract to Roach as a gag writer), Tibbitt tends to the Professor's ailing elephant, Miss Zenobia. Once cured, the precious pachyderm refuses to leave Dr. Tibbitt's side-whereupon McCrackle sues the doctor for alienation of Zenobia's affections! The ensuing scandal plays right into the hands of Mrs. Carter (Alice Brady), the town's richest and snobbiest woman, who has long opposed the romance between her son John (James Ellison) and Tibbitt's daughter Mary (Jean Parker). All problems are resolved during the climactic courtroom trial, despite occasional interruptions by Miss Zenobia and the dizzy interpolations of Tibbitt's wife (Billie Burke). The film's intended highlight, the recitation of the Declaration of Independence by black child Philip Hurlic, was obviously inspired by Charles Laughton's "Gettysburg Address" scene in Ruggles of Red Gap (1935). Evidently sensing that Zenobia was doomed from the start, producer Hal Roach stirred up some publicity by encouraging the notion that he was creating a new comedy team consisting of Oliver Hardy and Harry Langdon-even though the characters never function as a team in the course of the story. A major box office disappointment, Zenobia (British title: Elephants Never Forget) is a pleasant but utterly inconsequential effort; still, it's worth seeing once, if only for the quietly subdued performance by Oliver Hardy, who is very good indeed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Pity poor police captain Dugan (Harry Carey). As if he hasn't got enough trouble with the green recruits that Headquarters continues saddling him with, he also has to solve a series of high-profile jewel robberies. Enter brash rookie cop Danny Blake (Dick Foran), whose know-it-all attitude drives Dugan right up the proverbial wall. Even more irritating are Blake's newfangled "scientific" crime-solving methods, not to mention the fact that the newcomer is sweet on Dugan's pretty niece Kathleen Burke (June Lang). Eventually, of course, Blake and Dugan work side-by-side, shoulder-to-shoulder to catch the head of the jewel thieves in the act (to reveal his identity would spoil the fun, though it isn't hard to figure out). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the course of One Wild Night, four prominent businessmen withdraw their savings from the bank and disappear from sight. Student criminologist Jimmy Nolan (Dick Baldwin) suspects foul play, and with the help of girl reporter Jennifer Jewel (June Lang) he intends to prove his thesis. During a 24-hour period, Baldwin and Lang trace every possible clue, running up against an abundance of brick walls. Finally it develops that the whole megillah was a conspiracy cooked up between the four missing man and bank manager Mr. Norman (J. Edward Bromberg). It wouldn't be fair to reveal what kind of conspiracy in this synopsis: best to catch One Wild Night on TV, if indeed it ever shows up again. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this adventure, set in Shanghai, a gunrunner gets entangled with a conspiracy to deliver customs certificates. Unfortunately, his contact has died and the money has disappeared. He being pursued by other smugglers when Japanese bombs are dropped. He is saved from the firestorm by a French singer. Together they flee the city and board a refugee ship. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this lovely John Ford film, Joyce Williams (June Lang) and her young daughter, Priscilla (Shirley Temple), travel to India to live on a British Army base with Joyce's father, Colonel Williams, Aubrey C. Smith). Once there, sweet, young Priscilla manages to win the love and affection of the soldiers and her curmudgeonly grandfather, and she plays an important role in easing a local rebellion. One of the best Shirley Temple movies, Ford allows her to be sweet without being cloying and moves the action at a good pace. A wonderful cast of some of Hollywood's best supporting actors add charm to this film which is appealing to both children and adults. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide

The well-publicized (and overexploited) birth of Canada's Dionne Quintuplets in 1934 formed the basis of The Country Doctor. Jean Hersholt starred as Dr. Allan Dafoe, the real-life medico who delivered the famous quints (who appear in person towards the end of the film). The film recounts Dafoe's difficulties in ministering to the somewhat backward residents of his tiny Canadian community, and his battle with a local bigwig who wants to bring in a "modern" doctor. The Dionne births transform Dafoe into a local hero, leading to his winning of the Order of the British Empire. In real life, Dr. Dafoe effectively wrested custody of the Dionne quints away from the parents, then cashed in on the subsequent merchandising; later on, public opinion would turn against Dafoe, defiling him as an opportunistic cad. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Set in the French trenches, this WWI melodrama was cowritten by William Faulkner and directed by Howard Hawks. Hard-drinking Captain La Roche (Warner Baxter) delivers the same hollow speech to each wave of fresh soldiers assigned to his command, only to see them senselessly slaughtered by the Germans. La Roche's new officer is chipper Lieutenant Denet (Fredric March), who doesn't comprehend the futility of his assignment. Both men fall for beautiful nurse Monique La Coste (June Lang), who prefers Denet. La Roche's troops welcome "Private Moran" (Lionel Barrymore), the eldest private in the army and a grizzled veteran. In reality, Moran is La Roche's father. In a battle, La Roche is blinded. His father helps him direct artillery fire at the front, but both men are slain. Although he has won the girl and La Roche's command, Denet is forced to give the same pointless speech to his doomed recruits. Although Hawks had directed an earlier film of the same title, The Road to Glory (1936) was not a remake of that picture, but of a popular French war movie, Les Croix des Bois (1932), from which studio executives cannibalized combat footage for use in the new version. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide