Osa Massen Movies
Although never a major star, Danish-born actress Osa Massen made an impact in such 1940s melodramas as A Woman's Face (1941), in which she engages in an outright catfight with heroine Joan Crawford, and the noir thriller Deadline at Dawn (1946), as a woman with something to hide. Trained as a newspaper photographer, Massen (born Aase Madsen) was persuaded by Danish director Alice O'Fredericks to make her acting debut in Kidnapped (1935), a comedy starring Denmark's answer to Shirley Temple, and although Osa had designs on a career as a film cutter, she agreed to appear in a second Danish film, the seemingly lost Bag Københavns Kulisser (1935). A screen test for 20th Century Fox led to a Hollywood contract. Director Edward H. Griffith cast her as a Dutch-Polynesian femme fatale in Honeymoon in Bali (1939), which several reviewers thought she stole outright from nominal stars Madeleine Carroll and Fred MacMurray.Switching to Warner Bros., Massen appeared mainly in potboilers, her best assignment coming on loan to MGM in the aforementioned A Woman's Face, a remake of a Swedish melodrama that had starred Ingrid Bergman, with whom Massen was often compared. Playing leading roles in low-budget productions and supporting parts in Grade-A films, Osa, as many critics pointed out, always made her moments count. She scored as a mystery woman murdered on a train in Background to Danger (1943), a rather fanciful espionage thriller starring George Raft. Deadline at Dawn (1946), in which she played Paul Lukas' daughter, was one of the first true film noirs and Massen was again singled out by several critics. After being continually confused with Ona Munson and Hungarian import Ilona Massey, co-star Gene Raymond persuaded her to change her name to Stefanie Paull for Million Dollar Weekend (1948). She was back to Osa Massen in Rocketship X-M (1950), an early sci-fi thriller and perhaps her best-remembered film.
Divorced from Alan Hersholt, the son of character actor Jean Hersholt, Massen was widowed by her second husband, a Beverly Hills physician, in 1953. At that point, she concentrated on television guest roles. After appearing in shows ranging from Perry Mason to Wagon Train, Massen made her final screen appearance in Outcasts of the City (1958), a love story set in Germany and one of the last films released by Republic Pictures. Divorced from her third husband, a Hollywood dentist, she faded completely from public view. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- 1959
Sarah Werner (Osa Massen) begs Perry to locate her husband Hugo (Kurt Krueger), who ran off with all her money, leaving her alone and destitute. Perry's secretary Della suspects that Sarah isn't being entirely truthful, especially since the woman is wearing a very expensive perfume. As for Hugo--or as he is now calling himself, Hans Breel--he is currently involved in an elaborate scam involving a priceless gem called the Pundit Stone. When Hugo turns up murdered, Sarah is accused of the crime, whereupon Perry does some diligent digging into the facts (some of which are actually fallacies) to clear his client. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1958
In this drama set just after the end of WW II, an American officer falls in love with a German woman. Their blissful affair is disrupted when her German ex-lover returns and begins trying to exact his jealous revenge upon the Yankee. When the jealous shows up dead, the American is blamed. His courageous girl friend then risks all to prove his innocence. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1958
Claiming to be suffering from amnesia, an 18-year-old girl (Gigi Perreau) asks Perry (Raymond Burr) to find out who she is and help restore her memory. As it turns out, the girl has plenty to forget: Her name is Doris Bannister, and she is the daughter of Lisa Bannister (Osa Massen)--who herself is the daughter of the East German Communist party leader, and is living incognito in the U.S. When Stefan Riker (a pre-Hogan's Heroes Werner Klemperer) arrived in America threatening to expose Lisa, Doris pretended to fall in love with him to throw him off the track. Thus, when Riker turns up murdered, Doris is accused of the crime--and Perry really has his work cut out for him! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Together with The Steel Helmet and Baron of Arizona, Rocketship X M is one of the best films ever turned out by the usually unimpressive Lippert Studios. Set sometime in the future, the film details the first manned space flight to the moon. John Emery plays the head of the expedition, with Lloyd Bridges, Osa Massen, Hugh O'Brian and Noah Beery Jr. in the crew. Blown off its course by a meteor shower, Rocketship X-M misses the moon and lands on Mars instead (the Mars scenes were originally tinted pink). During an exploratory expedition, the crew finds evidence of a once-mighty civilization, evidently destroyed by atomic warfare. A savage band of surviving Martians attack the earthlings, killing two and wounding a third. The survivors head back to the ship, but run out of fuel before reaching Earth. Out of this failure springs the hope that future space flights will prove successful. Generally avoiding cliches (except for the stereotypical comedy relief by Noah Beery Jr.), Rocketship X M is a reasonably intelligent outer-space yarn. While it's true that the film falters in the scientific-accuracy department, it is best to assess the film within the context of its times. Produced for $94,000, Rocketship X M reportedly grossed over a million dollars. A "restored" video version with new special effects was released in 1976 by entrepreneur Wade Williams. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lloyd Bridges, Osa Massen, (more)
- 1949
Filmed in 1947, Warner Bros. Night Unto Night wasn't released until 1949. Based on a novel by Philip Wylie, the film stars Ronald Reagan as John, a young scientist suffering from epilepsy (In 1951, Reagan would play another epileptic, baseball star Grover Cleveland Alexander, in The Winning Team). Viveca Lindfors co-stars as Ann, who is recovering from the loss of her husband. Both John and Ann head to the coast of Florida for rest and relaxation, and it is here that they fall in love. While John and Ann contend with their individual afflictions and private demons, their mutual friend Shawn (Broderick Crawford) dispenses philosophical advice. The psychological aspect of Night Unto Night seems dated and simplistic when seen today; even so, Reagan and especially Lindfors are convincing in their difficult roles. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ronald Reagan, Viveca Lindfors, (more)
- 1946
Deadline at Dawn represented not only the sole film directorial effort of Broadway's Harold Clurman, but also the only cinematic collaboration between Clurman and his former Group Theatre associate, screenwriter Clifford Odets. While on shore leave in New York, sailor Alex (Bill Williams) is slipped a doped-up drink by B-girl Edna (Lola Lane). When he awakens, Alex discovers that she has been murdered. Though he believes that he's the killer, our hero is talked into locating the actual miscreant by philosophical cab driver gus (Paul Lukas) and nightclub dancer June (Susan Hayward). Adapted from a novel by Cornell Woolrich, Deadline at Dawn leans towards pretentiousness at times, but is redeemed by the no-nonsense performance by Susan Hayward. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Susan Hayward, Paul Lukas, (more)
- 1946
In this backstage musical comedy, a Broadway producer knows that his latest show will be a hit, but before he can stage it, he must come up with financial backing. First he tries to marry for money. When that fails he goes to a professional gambler and that is where the trouble really begins. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1946
In this low-budget adventure, a gangster and his spouse are stranded on a lonely tropical island. They soon discover that a band of castaway Nazis also inhabit the place. Trouble erupts when uranium is discovered. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1945
Tokyo Rose is a standard wartime melodrama with the slight advantage of topicality. Lotus Long plays the title role, an American-educated Japanese woman broadcasting enemy propaganda to American troops. Captured GI Pete Sherman (Byron Barr) is one of a group of POWS slated to be interviewed on Tokyo Rose's radio program. Instead of advising his comrades to surrender (as ordered), Sherman uses his innate Yankee knowhow to hoist the treacherous oriental deejay on her own petard. Managing to make his escape, Sherman hooks up with the Japanese Underground, convincing anti-militarist Charlie Otani (Keye Luke) to aid in a kidnapping plot aimed at Tokyo Rose. This story wasn't any more believable when it was done on TV's Hogan's Heroes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lotus Long, Byron Barr, (more)
- 1944
The Master Race argues persuasively that, although it appeared that the Nazis would lose WW2, it was foolish to assume that Hitler's legacy would not insinuate itself into the postwar era. Nazi bigwig Von Beck (George Coulouris) arrives in a small Belgian village on the eve of its liberation by the Allied troops. It is Von Beck's plan to foment disharmony and bigotry amongst the villagers, thereby laying the groundwork for a German victory in the next war. But Von Beck soon discovers that the populace isn't quite as gullible as the herrenvolk had been when Hitler rose to power. Still, the film ends with a warning: the only way to avoid future world conflict is to thoroughly crush the instigators of the present war. Ironically, after hostilities ceased, Herbert J. Biberman, cowriter-director of The Master Race, was castigated by the anti-Red brigades for being, among other things, a "premature anti-fascist." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- George Coulouris, Osa Massen, (more)
- 1944
Nina Foch plays the title role in this rather dull horror melodrama from Columbia Pictures. Investigating his father's murder Bob Morris (Stephen Crane) and his Transylvanian girlfriend Elsa (Osa Massen) come to suspect the mysterious Celeste Latour (Foch), who calls herself a Gypsy princess. And, sure enough, when Elsa gets to close to the truth, Celeste casts a spell on her that turns the girl into a cat. But only briefly and Celeste is eventually cornered in the Latour family crypt. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- Starring:
- Nina Foch, Stephen Crane, (more)
- 1944
Two years before attaining superstardom in The Jolson Story, Larry Parks essayed the leading role the Columbia wartime meller The Black Parachute. Parks is cast as American paratrooper Michael Lindley, who drops behind enemy lines under cover of night to rescue the deposed king (Jonathan Hale) of a mythical Balkan nation. Disguising himself as a slain Naxi colonel, Lindley shows up at the German occupational headquarters, where he manages to fool the Heydrich-like General Von Rodenbach (John Carradine). The women in the case are German spy Marya Orloff (Osa Massen) and beautiful resistance fighter Olga (Jeanne Bates). Black Parachute was unconvincing even in 1944, but director Lew Landers kept things moving so quickly that no one had time to dwell upon the film's logic gaps. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- John Carradine, Osa Massen, (more)
- 1943
Eric Ambler's intriguing novel Uncommon Danger is brought down to a Republic serial level in Warner Bros.' Background to Danger. George Raft, who always seems miscast, plays an American undercover intelligence agent operating in Turkey. Sultry Osa Massen passes on some valuable secret papers to Raft just before she is killed. Our Hero then finds himself at the mercy of enemy agent Sidney Greenstreet, who knows that the papers contain Nazi plans to invade Turkey. Despite several brutal beatings, Raft and his cohorts Peter Lorre (a good guy for a change) and Brenda Marshall turn the tables on Greenstreet. Background to Danger was the first of many Warner Bros. follow-ups to the studio's megahit Casablanca; it's also the film wherein the prankish Peter Lorre stole George Raft's hat between takes--an affront that rankled the touchy Raft to his dying day. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- George Raft, Brenda Marshall, (more)
This ambitious filmed biography of writer-adventurer Jack London is somewhat compromised by its too-tight budget. Michael O'Shea is well cast as London, whose rugged adventures range from the high seas to the Klondike. London's insatiable wanderlust causes friction in his marriage to the lovely Charmian (Susan Hayward), but she stands nobly by his side in good times and bad (it should be noted that the script is based on Mrs. London's memoirs). In the interests of topicality, the film contrives to have London endeavor to warn America of Japanese military expansion some four decades before Pearl Harbor. It is this story element that makes Jack London a bit difficult to watch today, despite the strong performances of O'Shea, Hayward and a superb supporting cast. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael O'Shea, Susan Hayward, (more)
- 1942
When the US marines land in Iceland during WW2, camp lothario John Payne wastes no time scoping out the local female population. He makes a casual pass at skating champ Sonja Henie, only to discover that she has taken his attentions as a marriage proposal! Unable to weasel out of his situation thanks to the rigidity of Icelandic customs, Payne conspires with his buddy Jack Oakie to discourage Henie from making any further wedding plans. By the film's 70-minute mark, of course, our hero is madly in love with our heroine and wants to skate down the aisle with her. Curiously, given the fact that there is plenty of natural ice in Iceland, most of Sonja Henie's musical numbers take place in a lavish Reykjavik nightclub. The tuneful Harry Warren-Mack Gordon musical score includes the popular "There Will Never Be Another You". ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sonja Henie, John Payne, (more)
You'll Never Get Rich was the first of two films made by Fred Astaire at Columbia, and also the first in which he was paired with his favorite female dancing partner--not Ginger Rogers or Cyd Charisse, but Rita Hayworth. Fred and Rita play a team of Broadway dancers whose partnership is abruptly rent asunder when Fred is drafted into the Army. Unable to adapt to military routine, Astaire frequently ends up in the guardhouse; during one of these visits, he and the Delta Rhythm Boys collaborate on the lively song-and-dance number "The A-starable Rag." Back to the plot: Rita shows up on the army base as the girl friend of captain John Hubbard. This leads to more fancy footwork, and, of course, a happy ending for our stars. Though the Cole Porter score yielded no hits, one of the songs, "Since I Kissed My Baby Goodbye", was nominated for an Academy Award. Robert Benchley provides comic relief, as he would in the subsequent Astaire vehicle The Sky's the Limit. You'll Never Get Rich was followed by the even better Astaire-Hayworth pairing You Were Never Lovelier. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Fred Astaire, Rita Hayworth, (more)
- 1941
John Wayne goes up against the lottery racket, 1880 Louisiana-style, in this passable time-killer from Republic Pictures. Arriving from New England to look into the Louisiana lottery on behalf of uplifter Blanche Brunot (Helen Westley), attorney John Reynolds (Wayne) falls in love with sultry Julie Mirbeau (Osa Munson), who attempts to persuade him that her father's gaming business is on the up and up. When a New Orleans restaurateur, Gaston (Shimen Ruskin), is found murdered, Reynolds begins to suspect that General Mirbeau's (Henry Stephenson) gang is behind the killing. To meet the attorney halfway, Mirbeau fires his chief henchman, Blackie (Ray Middleton), but is himself killed by one of Blackie's men, Cuffy Brown (Jack Pennick). Reynolds, who has been appointed special city attorney, pays his respect to Julie, but the angry girl accuses him of indirectly causing the death of her father and then flaunts her engagement to Blackie. Said engagement, however, suffers a fatal blow when Julie finds her fiancé in the arms of gambling hall hostess Pearl (Jacqueline Dalya). Taking the stand in court against the racket, Julie's testimony is interrupted when a rainstorm sweeps the area, breaking a levee. While pursuing a fleeing Blackie, Reynolds orders a steamship to block the hole in the levee, a plan that ultimately saves New Orleans. Having survived the potential disaster, Julie leaves the lottery racket behind and agrees to become Mrs. Reynolds. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- Starring:
- John Wayne, Ona Munson, (more)
- 1941
In this sentimental drama, a real estate executive tires of his privileged life working for his wealthy father-in-law and decides to leave his job and family to become a WPA ditch digger. While laboring, he meets a lovely immigrant, with whom he falls in love. He then begins working to help the residents of a slum better their lives. He even manages to convince his wife's father to help him. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
A remake of the Swedish film of the same name (see entry 55092), MGM's A Woman's Face was reshaped into one of Joan Crawford's best vehicles. Told in flashback from the vantage point of a murder trial, the story concerns a female criminal whose face is disfigured by a hideous scar. The plastic-surgery removal of this disfigurement has profound repercussions, both positive and tragically negative. The film's multitude of subplots converge when Conrad Veidt, Joan's lover and onetime partner in crime, is murdered. Melvyn Douglas costars as the beneficent cosmetic surgeon who becomes Joan's lover, while Osa Massen appears as Douglas' vituperative wife. Making his American screen debut in the role of Veidt's father is Albert Basserman, who spoke no English and had to learn his lines phonetically. Both A Woman's Face and its Swedish predecessor were based on Il Etait Une Fois, a play by Francis de Croiset. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Joan Crawford, Melvyn Douglas, (more)
- 1941
Ann Sheridan and her then-husband George Brent did their expected box-office duty in the Warner Bros. comedy Honeymoon for Three. Brent plays confirmed-bachelor novelist Kenneth Bixby, who wards off marriage-minded females by pretending to be married to his secretary Anne Rogers (Sheridan). Complications begin piling up when Bixby is arduously pursued by his old flame Julie (Ona Massen), now wed to provincial stuffed-shirt Harvey Wilson (Charles Ruggles). The supporting cast includes such Warners "regulars" as star-to-be Jane Wyman and future producer William T. Orr (who happened to be Jack Warner's son-in-law), not to mention Walter Catlett as a funny waiter. Honeymoon for Three was based on the venerable stage play by George Haight and Alan Scott. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ann Sheridan, George Brent, (more)
- 1939
My Love for Yours is the alternate title for Paramount's Honeymoon in Bali. Madeline Carroll pulls a "Rosalind Russell" as a hard-shelled businesswoman with no time for romance. Fred MacMurray is determined to melt down her resistance, hoping to do so during a vacation to Nassau. Carroll almost capitulates, but backs off when she mistakenly believes that MacMurray loves someone else. Contrary to the film's "other" title, the situation is resolved not in Bali but in cold old New York. Allan Jones, stuck with a standard-issue "other man" role, is at least given a few opportunities to sing. Scandanavian actress Osa Massen makes her American debut in the comparatively thankless role of the gal who doesn't land MacMurray. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Fred MacMurray, Madeleine Carroll, (more)
- 1935
Of interest mainly as an early pre-Hollywood appearance by Osa Massen (A Woman's Face, 1941, Rocketship X-M, 1950), this slow-moving Danish comedy-melodrama starred that country's answer to Shirley Temple, five-year-old Connie Meiling, who is once again partnered with rotund comic (Ib Schønberg). Schønberg and spindly Arthur Jensen are assigned to guard the wee Miss Meiling, who, for none too obvious reasons, has become the target of American gangsters. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ib Schønberg, Arthur Jensen, (more)
- 1935
Seemingly a lost film, this Danish farce marked the second screen appearance of Hollywood-bound Osa Massen, here still billed under her real name, Aase Madsen. She played Eva, a chorus girl, who, it is rumored, obtains the leading role in a new revue solely because of her connection with a rich banker (Arne Weel). The theater's prima donna (Else Marie) is summarily fired and is soon out for revenge. Everything is solved to everyone's satisfaction in the end, of course. The Danish press had little good to say about the film or the delectable Massen, whom one surly reviewer found "totally lacking in talent." The brunette beauty later proved him wrong, of course, by delivering good performances in such Hollywood films as A Woman's Face (1941) and Deadline at Dawn (1946). Bag København's Kulisser, which translates into something like "Behind the Footlights of Copenhagen," was based on a 1933 German film, ...und Wer Kusst Mich?, remade in Great Britain in 1937 as Paradise for Two. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ib Schønberg, Arne Weel, (more)
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