Patricia Morison Movies
New York-born Ursula Eileen Patricia Augustus Fraser Morison was once described by the Hollywood press as a "blond brunette," that is, a brunette with the vivacity of a blonde. She also had what, at 39 inches, was considered the longest hair in Hollywood. The daughter of a playwright/actor and a theatrical agent, Patricia Morison studied at the Art Students League in New York and also trained in dance with Martha Graham. At 19, she was working as a dress designer and thinking of a career in either art or dance, but was roped into an audition by a friend, and suddenly found herself with a stage career. Morison understudied for Helen Hayes in Victoria Regina and appeared in The Two Bouquets before being offered a screen test and a contract with Paramount in 1938, at the age of 24. Her stay in Hollywood was not a happy one, as the studio tried to alter her image and generally put her into less-than-stellar films, such as Persons in Hiding, Rangers of Fortune, and Tarzan and the Huntress. Among the few major films she did were The Fallen Sparrow starring John Garfield, Song of Bernadette, the Spencer Tracy/Katharine Hepburn romantic comedy Without Love, and Dressed to Kill, the last of the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce Sherlock Holmes movies.Fortunately, she had done some singing on USO tours during the war and had taken the trouble to train her voice under the instruction of Richard Borchert. Among those who heard her sing in Hollywood was Cole Porter, who -- after being satisfied that Morison had the vivacity required for the role -- pushed her for the part of Lili Vanessi in the musical Kiss Me, Kate, over the objections of the producer and director. With further training from Constance Collier, Morison became a star in the biggest hit of Porter's career, as the shrewish actress who is tamed by Alfred Drake. Morison appeared in over 1000 performances of the show, on Broadway and later in the British production, and also reunited with Drake to do it on television on the Hallmark Hall of Fame anthology series. Since the early '50s, she has also appeared in stage productions of The King And I, Kismet, The Merry Widow, and Song of Norway. She has appeared in two movies since, one in the 1970s and one in the 1980s, and done occasional television work (most visibly an episode of Cheers in which she plays the corporate wife who engages Woody to entertain as a clown at her grandchild's birthday party), and pursued her early aspirations as a painter, her work enjoying numerous showings in Los Angeles. In 1999, Morison, along with the rest of the surviving original cast, were saluted by the cast of the successful Broadway revival of Kiss Me, Kate. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- 1942
A solid Jonathan Latimer screenplay is one of the "plusses" of the medium-budget mystery A Night in New Orleans. Preston S. Foster plays police lieutenant Steve Abbott, at present engrossed in a baffling murder case. As he pieces the clues together, Abbott comes to the sobering conclusion that his own wife Ethel (Patricia Morrison) may be intimately involved in the murder. It gets worse: soon Abbott himself is accused of the crime. The film is full of clever little touches, notably a scene in which the heroine is seen reading a book written by none other than Jonathan Latimer! Featured in the cast of A Night in New Orleans is Ginger Rogers' former stand-in Jean Phillips, whom Paramount briefly groomed for stardom in the early 1940s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Preston S. Foster, Patricia Morison, (more)
- 1942
In providing the "synopsis" for Are Husbands Necessary?, one best-selling film source says merely "And what about this film?" There's more to the story than that, of course--but not much. The film was based on Mr. and Mrs. Cugat, a novel by Frank Davis. Ray Milland and Betty Field play a warring married couple who hope to patch up their differences by adopting a baby. When Milland's ex-flame Patricia Morrison shows up unexpectedly, the fur flies. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ray Milland, Betty Field, (more)
- 1942
It's Dorothy Lamour again, sarong and all, in the South Seas wish-dream Beyond the Blue Horizon. Lamour plays Tama, a daughter of the jungle who heads to the US to claim an inheritance. For publicity purposes, press agent Squidge (Jack Haley) tries to team Tama with his client, circus lion tamer Jakra (Richard Denning). As it turns out, Jakra is compelled to return to the South Seas with Tama to obtain positive proof that she is indeed sole heir to her family's fortune. The climax finds Jakra putting his animal-taming skills to practical use when a rogue elephant goes on a rampage. One suspects that audiences in 1942 didn't believe this one either. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dorothy Lamour, Richard Denning, (more)
- 1943
In this first of Universal's "Inner Sanctum" mysteries, Lon Chaney Jr. plays a neurologist plagued by a faithless wife. He suffers a bout of insanity, blacks out, and loses all track of time. Upon returning to his home, he discovers that his wife has been murdered. Investigating detective J. Carroll Naish is certain that Chaney is the murderer, and tries to browbeat the suspect into a confession. Chaney himself is half-convinced that he is guilty, and in conducting his own investigation learns the truth. All we can say without spoiling the film is that the truth hurts. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1946
Stalwart Universal contractees Don Porter and Brenda Joyce are afforded rare starring roles in Danger Woman. Porter plays scientist Claude Ruppert, who hopes to harness atomic energy for commercial purposes. Ruppert is in love with secretary June (Brenda Joyce), but is forced to end the relationship when his long-missing wife Eve (Patricia Morrison) makes a return appearance. Eve is in cahoots with a criminal cartel, intending to steal her husband's atomic secrets for an unnamed foreign power. But before one can say "Julius and Ethel Rosenberg", the villains are foiled by cunning Claude and dainty June. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don Porter, Brenda Joyce, (more)
Based on the prolific Sir Arthur Conan Doyle mysteries, Sherlock Holmes is on the job again. This time the inmate of a British prison has incorporated stolen Bank of England engraving plates into a series of music boxes he has made and multiple criminals are out to find them. Holmes must be first. It's a weak, thin plot for the final of the Holmes/Watson series but it is still a joy to see Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce working off one another. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, (more)
- 1958
Vincent Price and Morey Amsterdam guest star in this episode, in which Paladin (Richard Boone) arrives in San Diego at the same time as a travelling Shakespearean troupe. The troupe's nervous manager Bellingham (Amsterdam) hires Paladin to protect leading man Charles Matthews (Price) and leading lady Victoria Vestris (Patricia Morison) from a rowdy saloon audience. Making Paladin's task tougher is the presence of a hotheaded gunslinger (Richard Shannon) who harbors a passion for the gorgeous Victoria. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1943
Hitler's Madman is based on an all-too-real wartime atrocity. John Carradine portrays Heydrich, the vicious SS officer put in charge of Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia. Heydrich is killed by the Czech underground, prompting the Nazis to plan a horrible retaliation. The Gestapo selects the Czech village of Lidice for annihilation: They kill all the male villagers, throw the women and children into concentration camps, and torch Lidice into nonexistence. The victims of Nazi tyranny become martyrs to the underground cause, ending the film on a note of triumph. Based on a narrative poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay, Hitler's Madman was produced by the "poverty row" PRC studio, but was sold to MGM and given a class-A presentation at choice theatres throughout the U.S. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patricia Morison, John Carradine, (more)
- 1939
In this comedy, a Missouri mule breeder faces financial ruin after the market collapses. He takes his best mule to a Kansas livestock show where he impresses a representative from the British army. He, his wife, and his best mules then sail to England to sell them. Soon the Missouri couple are living high-on-the-hog amongst the cream of British society. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gladys George, Gene Lockhart, (more)
- 1945
Deanna Durbin offered her fans a change of pace in this mystery story seasoned with elements of comedy and music. Nikki Collins (Durbin) is a small-town girl visiting New York City to meet with Mr. Haskell (Edward Everett Horton), her family's attorney. As her train pulls into the station, she looks out her window into a nearby office building. She's shocked by what she sees -- a man is being strangled to death, and while she can't see the face of the killer, she gets a good look at the victim. Terrified, Nikki immediately goes to the police, but they think that her story is simply the product of an overactive imagination and send her on her way. Nikki, however, is certain that she witnessed a murder, and she approaches mystery writer Wayne Morgan (David Bruce) to help her piece together the facts of what happened. Thanks to a newsreel, Nikki is able to recognize the victim as Mr. Waring, a wealthy man who made his fortune in shipping; she attempts to contact Waring's family, but they're convinced that Nikki is a nightclub singer with whom the tycoon was having an affair. Hoping to contact the chanteuse in question, Nikki visits the club where she works, only to discover that she's also been murdered. Nikki soon finds herself being trailed by both Jonathan (Ralph Bellamy) and Arnold (Dan Duryea), two members of Waring's family whom she believes may have been involved in the crime, and could be trying to silence her once and for all. Like most of Durbin's vehicles, Lady on a Train's plot stops every now and then to give her the opportunity to sing a song; Western fans may want to keep an eye peeled for future cowboy star Lash LaRue, who has a small role as a waiter. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Deanna Durbin, Ralph Bellamy, (more)
- 1985
A young woman faces a difficult decision in this drama. She has spent most of her life preparing to dance ballet. She is also involved with a dashing reporter. Despite her love, she leaves Detroit to dance in New York, and while there she has an affair with her dance partner. Her dilemma comes when the reporter proposes marriage as her career is taking off. Now she must choose between her career and her lover. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1941
One Night in Lisbon is one of several pre-1942 films which used the screwball-comedy form to comment upon the raging war in Europe. While transporting American warplanes to the beleagured RAF, Texas flyboy Dwight Houston (Fred MacMurray) is caught in a London air raid. Scurrying to a shelter, Dwight meets icy, well-bred Briton Leonora Pettycote (Madeleine Carroll), with whom he falls in love--a feeling that is far from mutual at first. Eventually responding to Dwight's charms, Leonora agrees to join him for a night's revelries (as soon as the Nazi bombers head home, that is), but their budding relationship is complicated by the unexpected presence of Dwight's ex-wife Gerry Houston (Patricia Morrison and Leonora's erstwhile sweetheart, Cmdr. Peter Walmsley (John Loder). Escaping their respective suitors, Dwight and Leonara end up in neutral Lisbon, only to land in the middle of a Nazi spy ring. Although poor Leonora gets the worst of it at the hands of the villains, she is game enough to realize that she wants to spend the rest of her life with the footloose Dwight. The film is filled to overflowing with familiar character faces, including Britishers Edmund Gwenn and Dame May Whitty, French émigré Marcel Dalio and even perennial Laurel and Hardy foil James Finlayson. One Night in Lisbon was based on There's Always Juliet, a pre-WW2 play by John Van Druten. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fred MacMurray, Madeleine Carroll, (more)
- 1939
In this crime drama, a young hood and a seductress team up and rob a gas station. As she requires an opulent, exciting existence, more robberies ensue until they get really greedy and attempt a kidnapping. Unfortunately, they chose an unusually perceptive victim who is able to recall the flight paths of the airplanes that flew over the hideout and the crooks are soon captured. The story is based on a nonfiction book from FBI leader J. Edgar Hoover and does not glorify the criminal's actions. The film also includes interesting glimpses into FBI procedures for solving such cases. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lynne Overman, Patricia Morison, (more)
In this adventure, a devoted fiancee journeys to the jungle to take on the terrifying Amazon women who have been holding her lover hostage. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1940
Fred MacMurray stars as a US Army misfit who, with pals Albert Dekker and Gilbert Roland, roam the west in search of adventure. Arriving in a small town, they befriend the elderly newspaper editor (Arthur Allen) and his young granddaughter (Betty Brewer). The trio learns that the community is under the thumb of a covetous land baron (Joseph Schildkraut), who is endeavoring to push out the ranch owners and take over the territory. Advertised by Paramount Pictures as a standard western, Rangers of Fortune is full of startling surprises, not the least of which is the fact that Fred MacMurray doesn't get the girl (Patricia Morison). In one scene, villain Joseph Schildkraut explains his motivations so persuasively that he seems to be more in the right than the heroes. And despite Paramount's promotional buildup of their new child star Betty Brewer, the studio had no qualms about killing off her character some ten minutes before the end! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fred MacMurray, Albert Dekker, (more)
- 1941
The Cisco Kid rides again, this time in the person of Cesar Romero. Cisco and Pancho (Chris-Pin Martin) come to the aid of proud but ageing cattle king Pedro de Cordoba. Posing as deCordoba's nephew, our hero snoops around in search of those who'd do the old man dirt. The villain turns out to be a close relative of hitherto spotless reputation. We won't reveal the ending of Romance of the Rio Grande, though we'll plant a few hints by noting that the cast includes Patricia Morison, Ricardo Cortez, Trevor Bardette and Tom London. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cesar Romero, Patricia Morison, (more)
- 1943
Silver Skates was designed to showcase Monogram's latest discovery, ice-skating star Belita. The minimalist plot concerns the romance between Danny (Kenny Baker), featured vocalist for Belita's skating revue, and Claire (Patricia Morrison), the debt-ridden owner of the show. Comedy relief is provided by Joyce Compton and Frank Faylen as Lucille and Eddie, whose foredoomed moneymaking schemes punctuate the action from time to time. Among the skating stars featured throughout the film are little Irene Dare and the legendary Frick & Frack. Silver Skates proved profitable for Monogram, though Belita was no threat to the predominance of 20th Century-Fox's Sonja Henie. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kenny Baker, Patricia Morison, (more)
- 1948
As Cold-War melodramas go, Sofia goes pretty well. Set in a backlot version of Turkey, the film stars Gene Raymond as former OSS man Steve Roark. Assigned to rescue two atomic scientists from Russia and spirit them across the Iron Curtain, Steve discovers that one of the scientists is his ex-lover Linda Carlsen (Sigrid Gurie). Meanwhile, sultry cabaret singer-turned-spy Magda Onescu (Patricia Morison) offers her services to both the Allies and the Communists, hoping to be financially renumerated by both sides (Guess how she ends up?) Some of the espionage techniques are amusing, especially when the rascally Russians are so easily fooled by the simplest subterfuges. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Raymond, Sigrid Gurie, (more)
- 1947
In the sixth and final Thin Man whodunit, Nick (William Powell) and Nora Charles (Myrna Loy) look into the mysterious killing of bandleader Tommy Drake (Phillip Reed). The police quickly hone in on the owner of a gambling ship, Phil Brant (Bruce Cowling), who was about to lose Drake's band to a competitor. Also among the many and varied suspects are: Phil's new wife, socialite Janet Thayar (Jayne Meadows); the band's voluptuous vocalist, Fran Page (Gloria Grahame); and the troubled clarinetist, Buddy Hollis (Don Taylor). With the assistance of jive-talking "Clinker" Krause (Keenan Wynn) and the clever terrier Asta, Nick and Nora are soon able to gather all the suspects at the reopening of the floating gaming establishment. In between the skullduggery and the usual wisecracks, Gloria Grahame performs a sultry version of Herb Magidson and Ben Oakland's "You're Not So Easy to Forget." ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leon Ames, Warner Anderson, (more)
- 1960
Hoping to recapture the success of its 1945 Frederic Chopin biopic A Song to Remember, Columbia Pictures concocted the 1960 Technicolor costume drama Song Without End. Dirk Bogarde is cast as musical genius Franz Liszt. Bogarde's piano scenes are dubbed with another's singing voice, but this hardly matters in that the film is preoccupied with Liszt's infamous romantic entanglements. The crux of the matter is Liszt's desire to wed the already married Russian princess Carolyne (Capucine), which will necessitate an unpleasant breakup with his current lover, Countess Marie (Genevieve Page). Director Charles Vidor died after only a few weeks on the picture; he was replaced by George Cukor, who graciously insisted that Vidor be billed in letters larger than his. The chief selling point of Song Without End is its wall-to-wall music; the film won an Oscar for "best musical arrangement." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dirk Bogarde, Capucine, (more)
- 1947
Tarzan (Johnny Weissmuller) goes on one of his occasional pro-ecological kicks in Tarzan and the Huntress. This time, the Lord of the Jungle runs afoul of an animal-trapping exposition headed by titular huntress Tanya (Patricia Morison). Not wishing to see his jungle friends packed in crates and shipped off to zoos, Tarzan does everything he can to discourage Tanya from seeking out specimens in his territory. The plot then goes off on a different tangent, as Tanya's unscrupulous partner Weir (Barton MacLane) conspires with aspiring despot Prince Ozira (Ted Hecht) to knock off the Prince's benevolent uncle, King Faroud (Charles Trowbridge). Tarzan saves the day by summoning his elephant pals to trammel the villains, but not before his mate Jane (Brenda Joyce) and his adopted son Boy (Johnny Sheffield) are placed in the usual deadly peril. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Johnny Weissmuller, Brenda Joyce, (more)
- 1943
John Garfield was borrowed from Warner Bros. by RKO Radio for the tense espionage melodrama The Fallen Sparrow. Garfield is cast as Kit, an idealistic Spanish Civil War veteran who survives two torturous years in a fascist prison. Upon returning to New York, Kit is pounced upon by Nazi agents, who hope to learn the valuable secrets that Kit would not reveal to his captors during his ordeal. Among the methods of persuasion utilized by the Nazis is the beautiful Toni (Maureen O'Hara in a masterpiece of against-type casting). But Kit is made of stronger stuff than the spies are used to, and eventually he is able to beat them at their own game. Walter Slezak costars as the mellifluous-but-deadly Dr. Skaas. The Fallen Sparrow was based on the best-selling novel by Dorothy B. Hughes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Garfield, Maureen O'Hara, (more)
- 1939
In this lively programmer a con man hires a character actor to masqueraded as the recently assassinated dictator of a tiny Latin American country so he can bilk an arriving American ambassador out of his fortune. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Akim Tamiroff, Lloyd Nolan, (more)
- 1948
The daring Robin Hood and his loyal Merry Men attempt to save Maid Marian and her brother from the evil clutches of the Sheriff of Nottingham in this adventure aimed at younger audiences. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jon Hall, Patricia Morison, (more)
- 1948
In this above-average western, a villainous land grabber attempts to force horse ranchers to sell their ranches so he can become king of the horse market. One stubborn rancher refuses to relent and his killed. His two surviving sisters then continue the fight. They are soon assisted by a passing drifter who ends up falling for one of them. In the end a gunfight between the good and bad guys ensues. Also included in the story are scenes from an exciting fight between two wild stallions. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Arlen, Patricia Morison, (more)
