Dennis Morgan Movies
Though Dennis Morgan would later allude to Milwaukee, Wisconsin as his hometown, he was actually born in the small burg of Prentice. After attending Carroll College in nearby Waukesha, Morgan acted in stock companies, worked as a radio announcer, and sang with travelling opera troupes. Still using his given name of Stanley Morner, he was signed to an MGM contract in 1936, then spent a frustrating year playing bit parts. What might have been his big break, as soloist in the "Pretty Girl is Like a Melody" number in MGM's mammoth The Great Ziegfeld (1936), was compromised by the fact that the studio dubbed in Allan Jones' singing voice. Morgan then moved to Paramount, where he played supporting roles under the new moniker Richard Stanley. In 1939, he landed at Warner Bros., where he became "Dennis Morgan" for good and all. His Warners roles were better than anything he'd had at MGM or Paramount, though he still was inexplicably prevented from singing. His biggest acting break came about when Warners loaned him to RKO to appear opposite Ginger Rogers in Kitty Foyle (1940). Finally in 1943, he was given a full-fledged singing lead in Warners' The Desert Song. This led to a series of well-received musicals which earned Morgan a faithful fan following--and, for a brief period, he was the studio's highest paid male star. In 1947, Morgan was teamed with Jack Carson for a group of musical comedies which Warners hoped would match the success of Paramount's Hope-Crosby "Road" pictures. Best of the batch was Two Guys From Milwaukee (1947), which had its premiere in that city. When the sort of musicals Morgan starred in went out of fashion in the 1950s, he shifted creative gears and appeared in westerns and adventure yarns. In 1959, he headlined a TV cop series, 21 Beacon Street. For all intents and purposes retired by the 1960s, Dennis Morgan re-emerged to play cameos in two theatrical features, Rogue's Gallery (1968) and Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
- PG
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This spoof makes fun of a certain famous German shepherd movie star from the 1920s. The mayhem begins when the head honcho of a financially struggling studio turns a lost dog into a legend. The story features a number of old stars making cameo appearances. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bruce Dern, Madeline Kahn, (more)
- 1968
This is the first episode in which June Lockhart is affored star billing in the opening credits in the role of Dr. Janet Craig--and accordingly, the lyrics of the Petticoat Junction theme song have been rewritten to accommodate the "Lady M.D., as pretty as can be." At long last, the menfolk of Hooterville are reconciled to the fact that the town has a female doctor. In fact, they are so fond of Dr. Craig that they go into full panic mode when Janet's boyfriend Dennis Roberts (Dennis Morgan) shows up, ready to propose! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1968
Roger Smith plays private eye Richard Rogue in this cinematic revival of the old radio series. Rogue gallantly tries to help would-be suicide Greta Baldwyn. This selfless act enmeshes him in a murder scheme, with himself as the fall guy. The film's chief value is its veteran supporting cast, including Dennis Morgan, Farley Granger, Edgar Bergen, Mala Powers and Brian Donlevy. Never given a theatrical release, Rogue's Gallery premiered as an NBC network movie presentation in 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
Four little old ladies become fascinated by Mr. O'Finn (Dennis Morgan), the homicide detective who is investigating a murder in a nearby apartment. Intently peering through a telescope to observe his every move, the ladies try to figure out a way to attract O'Finn's attention. Ultimately, they invite the detective over for tea -- where he discovers to his dismay that he may never be able to go home again. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1956
In this drama, two prospectors search the Colorado Territory for precious radioactive metal. They find large deposits and become rich men. Unfortunately, their friendship almost disintegrates after they fall in love with the same sexy woman. She pits them against each other. Fortunately, their mutual sense of loyalty and honor kicks in just before they dissolve their lucrative partnership. In the end, they both dump the troublesome lady and return to their work. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dennis Morgan, Patricia Medina, (more)
- 1955
The Gun That Won the West was, of course, the Springfield Rifle, the "central character" in this inexpensive Columbia western. The plot concerns the efforts of the War Department to build up a chain of defense posts to protect railroad workers from Indian attacks. Dennis Morgan stars as real-life frontier scout Jim Bridger, who guides the Army through Sioux Territory. Though Bridger is a friend of Sioux chief Red Cloud (Robert Bice), there's no telling what might happen should the railroad men be left at the mercy of Red Cloud's duplicitous second-in-command, an Indian brave known as Afraid-of-Horses (Michael Morgan). With the aid of the newly developed Springfield, Bridger and his cohort Jack Gaines (Richard Denning) are able to keep the peace. In the tradition of previous Sam Katzman productions, a goodly portion of The Gun That Won the West is comprised of stock footage from previous westerns. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dennis Morgan, Paula Raymond, (more)
Refreshingly, the tropical melodrama Pearl of the South Pacific never takes itself too seriously. Virginia Mayo heads the cast as a phony missionary, in cahoots with crooks Dennis Morgan and David Farrar. The trio intend to make off with a fortune in black pearls, which rests in an underwater shrine guarded by a huge octopus. On the verge of accomplishing the heist, the threesome are attacked by the local natives, who by now have glommed onto Virginia's duplicity. Only two of the three schemers survive the attack, but those two intend to turn over a new leaf once they return to civilization. The lovely legs of leading lady Virginia Mayo are given generous screen time throughout most the proceedings, allowing the viewer to ignore the frequently imbecilic dialogue. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Virginia Mayo, Dennis Morgan, (more)
- 1952
Cattle Town is a rare low-budget western from the Warner Bros. mills. Dennis Morgan plays Mike McGann, a troubleshooter sent out by the governor of Texas to keep a group of dispossessed ranchers from causing trouble. Disgusted by the activities of land baron Judd Hastings (Ray Teal), who has the law on his side, McGann casts his lot with the ranchers, though he still intends to keep violence to a minimum. He also finds time to sing four public-domain songs, a la Gene Autry. The supporting cast of Cattle Town is, in retrospect, a fascinating one, including future soap opera star Philip Carey, Amanda "Miss Kitty" Blake, and multi-award-winner Rita Moreno. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dennis Morgan, Philip Carey, (more)
- 1952
Joan Crawford is appropriately cast as the title character in This Woman is Dangerous. Crawford plays master criminal Beth Austin, the lady friend of dangerous gangster Matt Jackson (David Brian). After being caught in the crossfire of a robbery engineered by Jackson, Beth recuperates in a hospital, hoping to keep her past a secret from the authorities. But the FBI wants Beth to lead them to Jackson, and to that end, her doctor Ben Halleck (Dennis Morgan) is strong-armed into inaugurating a romance with his gorgeous patient. Eventually, of course, Ben and Beth fall genuinely in love, thereby incurring the terrible wrath of the vengeful Jackson. And to think that Joan Crawford endures all this without a hair out of place on her lovely head! TV's future "Captain Midnight" Richard Webb co-stars as a diligent FBI agent. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joan Crawford, Dennis Morgan, (more)
- 1951
Raton Pass is a curious western based on the rules of Community Property. Dennis Morgan and Patricia Neal portray a recently married husband and wife, each of whom owns half of a huge cattle ranch. Neal is a tad more ambitious than her husband, and with the help of a little legal chicanery she tries to obtain Morgan's half of the spread. He balks, so she hires a few gunslingers to press the issue. In a 1951 western, the greedy party usually came to a sorry end; Raton Pass adheres strictly to tradition. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dennis Morgan, Patricia Neal, (more)
- 1951
Painting the Clouds with Sunshine was a remake of the 1929 musical Gold Diggers of Broadway, which no longer exists for comparison (though its first remake, Gold Diggers of 1933, has been safely preserved). Carol (Virginia Mayo), Abby (Lucille Norman) and June (Virginia Gibson) arrive in Las Vegas for the express purpose of landing millionaire husbands. Securing work as a singing trio, the girls do their best to cozy up to potential wealthy mates, but always seem to end up with the "wrong" kind of guy. Abby falls for impecunious gambler Vince Nichols (Dennis Morgan). The girls decide to use Vince's resources to save hotelier Felix Hoff (S.Z. Sakall) from bankruptcy. Enter Vince's tight-lipped Boston-banker cousin Bennington (Tom Conway), determined to rescue his relative from gold-diggers, and on and on the plot rolls, occasionally interrupted by splashy, Technicolorful musical numbers emphasizing the physical attributes of the three heroines. Like MGM's Singin' in the Rain, Painting the Clouds with Sunshine was designed primarily to showcase Warner Bros' backlog of songs from its early-talkie musicals. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dennis Morgan, Virginia Mayo, (more)
- 1950
Best known to posterity as the third wife of Cary Grant, Betsy Drake enjoyed a substantial film career during the postwar era. In Pretty Baby, Drake plays Patsy Douglas, an enterprising young lady who always assures herself a seat on the subway by carrying a doll wrapped in baby bunting. Through a series of complications that could only happen in a movie, it is eventually assumed that the "baby" is genuine. Patsy's bosses, advertising executives Sam Morley (Dennis Morgan) and Barry Holmes (Zachary Scott), hope to use Patsy's bundle of joy to land an important client, grouchy baby-food tycoon Cyrus Baxter (Edmund Gwenn). Most of the film is a not-so-subtle swipe at radio and TV advertising, considered a rich source of humor back in 1950. Cast in a tiny role as a receptionist is future "June Cleaver" Barbara Billingsley. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dennis Morgan, Betsy Drake, (more)
- 1950
The Ben Hecht-Charles MacArthur Broadway comedy Ladies and Gentlemen formed the basis of the Warner Bros. laughspinner Perfect Strangers. The title characters are Terry Scott and David Campbell, played by Ginger Rogers and Dennis Morgan. She's a divorcee, he's a husband and father. Terry and David are thrown together by fate -- or rather, the LA judicial system. While serving as jurors on a murder trial, the two fall in love. Ironically, the woman on trial allegedly killed her husband because he'd asked for a divorce. The seriocomic tension develops on two levels: will juror Isobel Bradford (Margolo Gillmore) be able to sway the others to vote for the death penalty, and will Terry and David continue to pursue their romance at the expense of the happiness of others? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ginger Rogers, Dennis Morgan, (more)
- 1949
Though she may have won an Oscar in 1948, Jane Wyman still had a Warner Bros. contract to fulfill, even if it meant appearing in frivolities like The Lady Takes a Sailor. It all begins when Jennifer (Wyman), the head of an oceanographic research institute, claims to have made a fascinating underwater discovery. It is suspected that she's made this claim so that her funding will be continued, so the money-men send Bill Craig (Dennis Morgan) to investigate. Disguised as a sailor, Bill accompanies Jennifer on her next expedition, just to see if her story was true. Jennifer falls in love with Bill, neglecting her work in the process. When Bill is revealed to be a fake, things look bleak--but not for long. Eve Arden has all the best lines as Jane Wyman's sarcastic best friend (the sort of role Wyman used to play in her blonde-ingenue days). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Wyman, Dennis Morgan, (more)
- 1949
Billy Wilder's future partner I.A.L. Diamond concocted the storyline for this Dennis Morgan/Jack Carson/Doris Day tunefest. Morgan and Carson, Warner Bros.' answer to Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, appear as themselves. Attempting to line up a director for their next picture, the boys find themselves unable to do so due to Carson's gigantic ego. Carson decides to direct their next vehicle himself; the next problem is locating a leading lady who'll be willing to put up with Carson. The boys discover Doris Day, a waitress in the Warner Bros. commissary. Carson and Morgan spend their entire shooting schedule vying over Day's affections; she gets fed up with this, and heads back to her home town in Wisconsin, there to marry her childhood sweetheart Jeffrey Bushdinkel--who is revealed in the final shot to be none other than Errol Flynn! Other guest stars popping in and out of It's a Great Feeling include Gary Cooper, Joan Crawford, Sidney Greenstreet, Danny Kaye, Patricia Neal, Eleanor Parker, Ronald Reagan, Edward G. Robinson and Jane Wyman. Also appearing as themselves are such Warner Bros. directors as David Butler (the real director of It's a Great Feeling), Michael Curtiz, King Vidor and Raoul Walsh. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dennis Morgan, Jack Carson, (more)
- 1948
This third film version of James Hagan's stage play One Sunday Afternoon was directed by Raoul Walsh, who helmed the second adaptation (1941's Strawberry Blonde). This time around, songs have been added to accommodate the talents of Dennis Morgan and Janis Paige. Morgan stars as turn-of-the-century dentist Biff Grimes, who has spent the last ten years regretting that he hadn't married Amy Lind (Dorothy Malone), the girl of his dreams. Biff also harbors a grudge against Amy's husband Hugo Barnstead (Don DeFore), who was instrumental in getting Biff sent to prison on a fraud charge. Unbeknownst to his ever-loving wife Virginia (Janis Paige), who has stood by him through thick and thin, Biff schemes to exact an awful revenge on the two-faced Barnstead-only to discover in the nick of time that he's been better off all along because he didn't wed the avaricious Amy. Though consistently pretty to look at, One Sunday Afternoon pales in comparision to the earlier movie adaptations of the Hagan play, especially Strawberry Blonde, which had the added benefit of Jimmy Cagney in the lead. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dennis Morgan, Janis Paige, (more)
- 1948
To the Victor is one of the first Hollywood films to touch upon the subject of war guilt. There are no high-ranking Nazis or gas ovens here; the people on trial are French citizens, accused of collaboration. This being a Warner Bros. production, the cast includes such authentic Frenchpersons as Dennis Morgan, Bruce Bennett and Dorothy Malone; leading lady Viveca Lindfors isn't from Burbank, but she's not from France either. Once past this obstacle, the film raises some interesting moral and ethical questions, but was made to close to the events for anything resembling objectivity. Plus there's a turgid romance between a French girl and a black marketeer, which adds nothing to the proceedings. To the Victor warrants B for effort, C for results. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dennis Morgan, Viveca Lindfors, (more)
- 1948
In this western-musical comedy, a remake of Cowboy from Brooklyn (1938), two vaudevillians find themselves stranded on a Texas dude ranch. Comic mayhem ensues as they cope with time in jail, a rodeo, and eventually love. They also help save the ranch from two greedy thugs trying to force the owners to sell. The story includes a Friz Freleng animated dream sequence featuring Bugs Bunny and caricatures of the two actors. Songs include: "Every Day I Love You Just a Little Bit More," "Hankerin'," "I Don't Care If It Rains All Night," "There's Music In the Land," and "I Wanna Be a Cowboy In the Movies" (Jule Styne, Sammy Cahn). ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dennis Morgan, Jack Carson, (more)
- 1947
A mysterious crook by the name of "The Poet" is robbing Wells Fargo stages and creating havoc in the Old West. The sheriff is having no luck discovering the desperado's identity; when he comes across James Wylie (Dennis Morgan), a gambler who is running from the law in Carson City, he blackmails him into going undercover and tracking the outlaw down. Wylie takes the next coach out, joined by two tantalizing women, Ann (Jane Wyman) and Emily (Janis Paige). Emily is just a saloon singer (which affords her the chance to croon "I'm So in Love" and "Going Back to Old Cheyenne"), but it turns out that Ann is more unusual -- she's the wife of The Poet. The two team up to track him down (encountering The Sundance Kid and his gang along the way) -- and discover that they make a pretty good team. A popular TV series of the same name was loosely based upon the movie; starring Clint Walker, it ran for 7 years starting in 1955. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Alvin, Bruce Bennett, (more)
- 1947
The Warner Bros. musical My Wild Irish Rose purports to tell the life story of popular 19th century balladeer Chauncey Olcott-or at least, the version set down by Olcott's daughter Rita. Starting his career in minstrel shows, Olcott (Dennis Morgan) is given his first break by stage luminary Lillian Russell (Andrea King), who casts him as her Broadway leading man. Though their relationship is platonic so far as Russell is concerned, the newspapers have a field day concocting an imaginary romance, driving a wedge between Olcott and his hometown sweetheart Rose Donovan (Arlene Dahl). No matter what his personal problems, Olcott rises to heretofore unimagined show-biz heights with his sentimental Irish ballads, including "A Little Bit of Heaven", "Mother Macree" and, of course, the title tune. I Love Lucy fans will be amused by the casting of a generously toupeed William Frawley as famed Irish tenor William Scanlan, who after his voice fails him generously passes the torch of celebrity to Olcott. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sara Allgood, Ben Blue, (more)
- 1947
In this frothy, star-studded Warner Brothers outing, tightwad tycoon Jonathan Turner, believing himself at death's door, gives star-struck movie buff Jane Barker a million bucks. Problems begin when Jane's hubby, an aspiring writer, finds out about her new fortune. Marital turmoil ensues causing Jane to launch divorce proceedings. He in turn begins demanding alimony. The situation seems at a permanent impasse until the Turner miraculously recovers and decides he wants the money back. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Hutton, Joyce Reynolds, (more)
- 1946
Dennis Morgan and Jack Carson, the Bing Crosby and Bob Hope of Burbank, star in the Warner Bros. musical The Time, the Place and the Girl. The story involves a pair of nightclub owners and the problems inherent in their mounting The Big Show. Victoria Cassel Martha Vickers agrees to help out. The 1929 Warners film titled The Time, the Place and the Girl bears no relation to this 1946 confection. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dennis Morgan, Jack Carson, (more)
- 1946
In this comedy, an adaptation of the play The Animal Kingdom, a liberal, social reformist photographer falls in love with a wealthy gadabout, and finds she abhors his decadent life even though she loves him. She then takes up with another whom she marries. Unfortunately, she still loves the playboy. This does not make her new hubby very happy especially when she and her ex-love meet again and begin carrying on. The husband ends up headed for a quickie divorce in Reno. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ann Sheridan, Dennis Morgan, (more)
- 1946
If Paramount could rake in the bucks by teaming singer Bing Crosby and comedian Bob Hope in a series of Road pictures, then Warner Bros. could do the same. Lacking a Crosby or Hope, Warners paired Dennis Morgan and Jack Carson (who like Crosby and Hope were good buddies off-screen) and came up with the Two Guys series--which lasted two pictures. Two Guys From Milwaukee cast Carson as a wisecracking cabdriver and Morgan as a likable Balkan prince. Anxious to learn the "American way," Morgan joins Carson for a night on the town. Along the way, the boys fall in love with Joan Leslie and Janis Paige (Warners wasn't satisfied with just one Dorothy Lamour counterpart); and if you keep your eyes open, you'll see Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall in a closing-scene cameo. Two Guys From Milwaukee had its premiere showing in the "beer city" of the title--which happened to be the childhood home of both Dennis Morgan and Jack Carson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dennis Morgan, Jack Carson, (more)
War hero Dennis Morgan becomes the object of a publicity stunt staged by magazine publisher Sidney Greenstreet. The corpulent print mogul announces that Morgan has won a Christmas dinner, to be prepared by the magazine's housekeeping expert Barbara Stanwyck in her own Connecticut home. The catch: Not only does Stanwyck not have a home in Connecticut, but she's never been in a kitchen in her life! She also doesn't have a husband (as her articles claim), so Stanwyck's erstwhile beau Reginald Gardiner is pressed into service as the hubby. As for the cooking, that will be handled by master chef S. Z. "Cuddles" Sakall. This solves everything, right? No way, Jose. Long dismissed as a lesser film farce, Christmas in Connecticut has its own irresistible charm, and has in recent years become a perennial Christmas-eve TV attraction. Pay absolutely no attention to the 1992 TV remake, starring Dyan Cannon and directed by Arnold Schwarzenegger. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barbara Stanwyck, Dennis Morgan, (more)
