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
- 1938
Brash and vigorous director William Wellman always had a place in his filmography for movies glorifying the early years of aviation -- from the start of his career (Wings), until the end (Lafayette Escadrille). But, perhaps, never has his devotion to aviation been made more vivid than in his 1938 drama Men With Wings. Wellman, in this film, attempts to dramatize the history of aviation from the early days of the Wright Brothers until the 1930s, when airline transportation first became viable. The story centers upon two contrasting aviation types: the barnstormer, Pat Falconer (Fred MacMurray), and the methodical scientist of flight, Scott Barnes (Ray Milland). Through these two archetypes, Wellman follows Pat and Scott from childhood to adulthood. Pat marries childhood sweetheart Peggy Ransom (Louise Campbell) and they have a child. Scott, who had always loved Peggy, remains in the background, not wanting to break up his solid friendship with Pat. But Pat is clearly doomed by his recklessness and breakneck individuality. After fighting in the skies during World War I, he refuses to sit back and do the methodical work of flight research like Scott. Always searching for another war to fight, Falconer leaves Scott and Peggy behind, taking off for China to help the Chinese fight Japanese invaders. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fred MacMurray, Ray Milland, (more)
- 1938
We never actually see J. Carroll Naish in Alcatraz, but there's no doubt he's the "king" of the title. Most of the action takes place aboard a passenger ship, which Naish has boarded incognito in hopes of escaping prosecution. Naish and his gunmen take over the ship, complicating the lives of passengers and crew alike (in one scene, nurse Gail Patrick is obliged to perform an operation while being guided by an on-shore surgeon via wireless). Seamen Lloyd Nolan and Robert Preston bide their time, then turn the tables on Naish and his henchmen. Packing more action into its 57 minutes than most "A" pictures, King of Alcatraz is a film buff's dream, with a cast filled to the brim with familiar faces, from up-and-coming Anthony Quinn to silent movie vets Monte Blue, Tom Tyler and Gustav von Seyfertitz. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gail Patrick, Lloyd Nolan, (more)
- 1938
J. Carroll Naish positively oozes immigrant gangster charm in this fairly entertaining thriller from Paramount. He plays Louis Zonta, an immigrant gangster running a racket that transports wanted criminals. At their wits end, the authorities send in undercover agent Bent Martin (Robert Preston) to infiltrate the gang and the young G-Man concocts a plan to trap Zonta by using the gangster's mistress, Marie Arden (Judith Barrett). The scheme nearly backfires, but Martin finally manages to gun down the gang leader from his airplane. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- J. Carrol Naish, Mary Carlisle, (more)
- 1937
Even the mighty MGM had to keep the home fires burning with B pictures. The studio's Mama Steps Out is a harmless confection built around the considerable talents of Alice Brady. She plays her standard empty-headed flibbertygibbet, this time vacationing on the Riviera after inheriting a fortune. Alice, her husband Guy Kibbee and her daughter Betty Furness soon tire of their shallow new society chums, and head back home a little sadder and wiser. For what was basically a lower-berth comedy, Mama Steps Out has impeccable credentials: it was adapted by Anita Loos from a play by John Kirkpatrick, and produced by Ms. Loos' husband John Emerson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Guy Kibbee, Alice Brady, (more)
- 1937
In this drama, a milque-toast socialite is drowning in San Francisco Bay. Fortunately, he is saved by a kindly Italian fisherman who takes him in and teaches him how to be manly. During his slow recovery, the wimpy fellow is cared for by the fisherman's lovely daughter who is studying to become an opera singer. Trouble ensues when they all find themselves entangled with mobsters. Suddenly the boy becomes a real man and saves them. While San Francisco burns to the ground, he and the daughter finally acknowledge their love. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Margaret Lindsay, J. Carrol Naish, (more)
- 1937
MGM's Navy Blue and Gold prettily dresses up some of the oldest cliches in the "military cadet" movie genre. The film charts the progress of three Annapolis "plebes," all played by actors in the age range of 24 to 30. Wisecracking Roger Ash (Robert Young) is a cynic, wide-eyed Richard Gates Jr. (Tom Brown) is overeager), and reclusive Truck Cross (James Stewart) harbors a dark secret. When not going about their appointed duties, Ash and Cross battle over the attentions of heroine Patricia (Florence Rice), Gates' sister. All the while, Captain Skinny Dawes (Lionel Barrymore), the traditional crusty old seafarin' man with a heart of gold, tries to instill the love of Honor, Duty and Country in all three heroes. The plot is resolved in a climactic football game, with everyone showing his true colors (blue and gold, of course!) Many of the plot devices and stereotypical characters in Navy Blue and Gold would continue to resurface in similar films for the next five decades -- even in the R-rated Officer and a Gentleman (1980). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Young, James Stewart, (more)
In MGM's three-hour-plus The Great Ziegfeld, William Powell stars as the titular theatrical impresario, whose show business empire begins when he stage-manages a tour for legendary strongman Sandow (Nat Pendleton). With nary a penny in the bank, he charms European stage star Anna Held (Luise Rainer) to headline his "Follies", and later marries the luscious Ms. Held. From 1907 onward, Ziegfeld stages annual editions of Broadway's most fabulous revue, dedicated to "Glorifying the American Girl" but also giving ample time to develop the comic talents of Fanny Brice (played by herself), Will Rogers, Eddie Cantor and many others. Eventually, Ziegfeld abandons Ms. Held in favor of other beauties, setting the stage for the "telephone scene" which won Luise Rainer the first of her Oscars. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Powell, Myrna Loy, (more)
- 1936
In this drama, a teen is adopted from a reform school by a wealthy couple. They own horses and the boy becomes a jockey. His father was also a rider, but he got involved with crime. The young rider soon finds himself being framed by gamblers who are using his father's reputation against him. Finally the young man clears his name and wins the English Derby. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mickey Rooney, Patricia Ellis, (more)
- 1936
In this remake of the 1920 Will Rogers comedy Honest Hutch, Wallace Beery stars as the eponymous Hutch, the ne'er-do-well patriarch of a large and needy family, who unexpectedly becomes rich when he stumbles upon $100,000 worth of hidden swag. Ironically, because Hutch has become so notorious as the town layabout, he must now reform into a responsible, hard-working member of the community, in order to provide an excuse for the excessive funds suddenly available to him. The money just as abruptly becomes unavailable again when it's stolen by bank robbers, but the yarns Hutch spins to explain away the missing cash wind up leading to the arrest of the thieves. ~ Nicole Gagne, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wallace Beery, Eric Linden, (more)
Dennis Morgan, still billed as Stanley Morner, essays his first leading role in the Halperin Brothers' I Conquer the Sea. The star is cast as Tommy, a harpooner on a whaling ship who loses an arm during one excursion. Rosita (Steffi Duna) is in love with Tommy, while Tommy's younger brother Leonard (Douglas Walton) is in love with Rosita. Realizing that he'll never be able to properly support Rosita, Tommy sacrifices his own happiness (and his life) for the sake of his brother. A subplot involving prejudice against the whaling community's Portuguese residents wends its way in and out of the plotline. The otherwise pedestrian I Conquer the Sea is enlivened by some authentic (and rather gory) whaling footage. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steffi Duna, Stanley Morner, (more)
- 1936
Suzy is the film in which Cary Grant, overcome by the beauty and vivacity of Jean Harlow, sings her a love ballad! This lighthearted moment aside, Suzy, adapted from a novel by Herbert Gorman is a standard-issue love triangle, set against the tapestry of World War I. Harlow plays a London showgirl, married to Irish engineer Franchot Tone. When foreign spy Benita Hume shoots Tone, mistaking him as a threat against her mission, the terrified Harlow flees into the night, certain that she will be accused of her husband's murder. After the war breaks out, Harlow, believing herself a widow, falls in love with handsome aviator Cary Grant. She marries the well-bred but irresponsible young ace, only to discover that Tone has not been killed after all! This being an idealized World War I film, somebody is going to end up sacrificing his/her life on behalf of somebody else, but we're not about to reveal any more. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Harlow, Franchot Tone, (more)
- 1936
British humorist P. G. Wodehouse wrote the story upon which Piccadilly Jim was based. Frank Morgan and Robert Montgomery play a well-to-do father and son, who find themselves rivals in love. The object of their affection is Madge Evans, who likes them both but favors the son. Everything could have been wrapped up in eight reels, but MGM had a mania about lengthy running times, so Piccadilly Jim lumbers on at 100 minutes. Fortunately, such accomplished farceurs as Billie Burke, Robert Benchley and Eric Blore are around to pep up the dull spots. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Montgomery, Frank Morgan, (more)
