Frank Latimore Movies
Along with such interchangeable actors as Bob Bailey and William Eythe, Frank Latimore was one of the 1940s stable of light leading men at 20th Century-Fox. Signed to a Fox contract while still in his teens, Latimore could be seen in such major releases as In the Meantime Darling (1944) The Dolly Sisters (1946) and Razor's Edge (1946). He played what amounted to a starring role in the 1945 thriller 13 Rue Madeline--until he was casually killed off by villain Richard Conte halfway into the picture. Latimore relocated to Rome in 1949, where he starred in actioners and swashbucklers; one of the last of these was 1962's Vengeance of Zorro. Frank Latimore returned to American films in the 1970s, playing such character parts as Lt. Colonel Henry Davenport in Patton (1970) and the Watergate-burglary judge in All the President's Men (1976). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1955
After a woman is dumped, she schemes to ruin her ex-lover's imminent marriage. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1954
In this espionage film, Mata Hari's daughter takes the mantle from her notorious mother and entangles her self in an Asian web of intrigue and war. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1953
Napolitani a Milano (Neapolitans in Milan) was co-written and directed by Eduardo De Felippo, himself a Naples native. De Felippo also plays the leading role, a slum-dweller named Salvatore. When a new housing project is built, Salvatore and his neighbors are evicted. Five of these neighbors refuse to vacate, and are killed when the building they're living in collapses. Led by Salvatore, a group of friends and relatives (more than the victims actually had!) march to Milan, demanding financial restitution. Despite its seemingly sober subject matter, Napolitani a Milano is essentially a comedy, with a few brief romantic interludes featuring Frank Latimore and Anna Maria Ferrero. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eduardo de Filippo, Anna Maria Ferrero, (more)
- 1953
La Nemica (The Enemy) is based on the popular 1920s stage play by Dario Nicodemi. The central character is Duchess Anna de Nemi (Elisa Cegani), who for reasons that no one can understand seems to despise Roberto (Frank Latimore),one of her two sons. All the more confusing is that everyone else likes the boy. Only after his brother Gastone (Giacomo Verlier) is killed in battle does Roberto learn the dark secret behind his mother's animosity. And it is only then that any sort of reconciliation can be realized. La Nemica is one of several European films made by Hollywood expatriate Frank Latimore, and one of the few that isn't a straightforward adventure yarn. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elisa Cegani, Frank Latimore, (more)
- 1949
- NR
Gregory Ratoff is listed as sole director of the 1949 Orson Welles starrer Black Magic, but it is now common knowledge that Welles directed most of this lavish costumer himself. Told in flashback, the film recounts the life and times of notorious 18th-century hypnotist/magician/scam artist Cagliostro (played, but of course, by Welles). Learning the secrets of hypnosis from Dr. Mesmer (Charles Goldner), Cagliostro exploits this skill to gain wealth, prestige and, on occasion, romance. His downward slide begins when Cagliostro enters into an Anastasia-like scheme to substitute a young lass named Lorenza (Nancy Guild) for French queen Marie Antoinette. The charlatan's partners in crime are gypsies Gilbert (Akim Tamiroff, who manages to out-ham Welles in some scenes) and Zoraida (Valentina Cortese). Longer on style than substance, Black Magic is a wickedly delightful cinematic exercise, with Welles at his overbaked best. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Orson Welles, Nancy Guild, (more)
- 1946
20th Century-Fox pulled its script for Three Blind Mice out of mothballs once more for Three Little Girls in Blue. June Haver, Vera-Ellen and Vivian Blaine are the blue-clad trio, searching for wealthy husband in Atlantic City in 1905. As in all other versions of this Stephan Powys story, two of the girls latch onto handsome young men who aren't as rich as they appear to be, while the third young lady falls for a seemingly nerdish chap who turns out to be rolling in dough. The menfolk in this yarn are handsome George Montgomery, handsome Frank Latimore, and nonhandsome Charles Smith. Taking its cue from the 1941 edition of this story (Moon Over Miami), Three Little Girls in Blue is a musical, with singing from Vivian Blaine and June Haver and dancing from Vera-Ellen. The story was good for yet another go-round in 1953: How to Marry a Millionaire. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- June Haver, George Montgomery, (more)
After several years' service with the Marines in World War II, Tyrone Power made his much anticipated return to the screen in The Razor's Edge. Power is appropriately cast as disillusioned World War I vet Larry Darrell, who returns from hostilities questioning his old values. To find himself, Larry joins several other members of the Lost Generation in Paris. He is disillusioned once more when the society deb whom he loves, Isabel Bradley (Gene Tierney), marries another for wealth and position. She returns to Larry's life to break up his romance with unstable, alcoholic Sophie MacDonald (Anne Baxter in a powerhouse Oscar-winning performance). After Sophie's death, Larry determines that the life offered him by Isabel is not to his liking, and continues seeking his true place in the scheme of things. Acting as a respite between the plot's various intrigues is Clifton Webb as a waspish social arbiter, who ends up a lonely, dying man, imperiously dictating arrangements for his own funeral. The Razor's Edge was based on the novel by W. Somerset Maugham, who appears onscreen in the form of Herbert Marshall. The film would be remade in 1984, with Bill Murray in the Tyrone Power role. This film re-teamed Tierney and Webb two years after their appearance together in Laura. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tyrone Power, Demetrius Alexis, (more)
This film is not only a revealing glimpse into the workings of the O.S.S. (Office of Strategic Services) during WW II, but it is also a full-fledged spy thriller. An excellent cast includes James Cagney, Karl Malden, E.G. Marshall, and Red Buttons. Cagney stars as an O.S.S. training officer, bent upon discovering a German traitor within his ranks while at the same time completing highly dangerous espionage assignments. The risks increase when one of his men is murdered from within, and Cagney, convinced he knows who the murdering infiltrator is, vows revenge. Authentic O.S.S. film footage make this film historically significant as well as entertaining. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Cagney, Annabella, (more)
In this thriller, psychiatrist Dr. Cross (Vincent Price) kills his wife and expects to get away with murder, until he discovers that the slaying was observed by a next-door neighbor, Janet Stewart (Anabel Shaw). As Janet attempts to convince her husband (Frank Latimore) of the doctor's dastardly deed, Cross shows up to advise him that Janet is in dire need of some in-depth counseling. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vincent Price, Lynn Bari, (more)
The Dolly Sisters is the heavily Hollywoodized biopic of Jennie and Rosie Dolly, Hungarian-born entertainers who took Broadway by storm in the early 1900s. Betty Grable plays Jennie and June Haver plays Rosie; their uncle is the inevitable "funny foreigner" S.Z. Sakall, who manages their career from childhood. Passing an important audition for Oscar Hammerstein, the Dolly girls become international stage headliners, but in so doing they find that their private life is strained. Jennie in particular is perplexed by the dilemma of devoting herself to a career while still finding time to romance handsome composer John Payne. The Dolly girls are separated permanently when Rosie is fatally injured in an auto accident, but Jennie finds lasting happiness with her composer. Despite the pre-World War I ambience of the film, both Grable and Haver show off a lot more skin than would have been permissible in earlier times. But Dolly Sisters producer George Jessel knew what he was doing, and the Technicolor film was a major hit in 1945. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Betty Grable, John Payne, (more)
- 1944
In this wartime comedy, a spoiled socialite attempts to endure army life after marrying a lieutenant. The constant traveling and inadequate quarters are almost more than she can bear. That she cannot get along with the other soldier's wives makes matters worse. When her husband's unit is placed on alert, she tries to get her father to help him get assigned a permanent position stateside. The couple then has a misunderstanding when he falsely believes that she is with child. Finally the woman begins to understand the nature of true patriotism and begins supporting her husband. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeanne Crain, Frank Latimore, (more)
