Rita Quigley Movies

Author William Saroyan's corn-shucking brand of sentimentality works wonders in this 1943 filmization of his novel. Narrator Ray Collins is dead before the film begins; thus he is able to provide an all-seeing overview of the tiny community of Ithaca, California. The principal character, played by Mickey Rooney, is Collins' son; as the delivery boy for the local telegraph office, Rooney keeps in close contact with virtually every family in town, which results in several comic and poignant moments. Rooney's older brother Van Johnson is in uniform, off fighting World War II; his sister Marcia Hunt is the erstwhile sweetheart of telegraph-office supervisor James Craig. The "circle of life" concept that unifies the anecdotal plotline is best illustrated by the film's final image: after Johnson dies in battle, his best friend, parentless John Craven, is more or less adopted by Collins' family. Reportedly, The Human Comedy was MGM chief executive Louis B. Mayer's favorite film, an apotheosis of Mayer's devotion to "family values." Among the many small-part players populating Human Comedy are Barry Nelson, Robert Mitchum, Don DeFore, Jay Ward (later the producer of Rocky and His Friends) and Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The luridly titled Women in Bondage was Monogram's "answer" to RKO Radio's wartime melodrama Hitler's Children. The plot concerns the nationalization and subjugation of Germany's women during the Third Reich. Expected to devote their every waking moment to the cause of Nazism -- and this includes bearing strong Aryan children for Der Fatherland -- several women, notably Margot Bracken (Gail Patrick), begin to rebel. When she finally determines that Hitler has gone to far in his regimentation of the populace, Margot casts her lot with the Allies, becoming a martyr to the cause of freedom. Unusually well-acted for a Monogram film, Women in Bondage boasts an especially strong cast, including Nancy Kelly, Gertrude Michael, Anne Nagel, Tala Birell and H.B. Warner. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Regarded by many aficionados as the best of the "Henry Aldrich" series, Henry Aldrich, Editor is a master blend of laughs and suspense. Appointed editor of his high school newspaper, hapless Henry (James Lydon) becomes intrigued by a series of mysterious fires. A mild, timid little fellow named Nero Smith (Francis Pierlot) shows up to tip off Henry as to the time and place of the next conflagration. Never suspecting that Nero is the pyromaniac who's been setting the blazes (the man's first name should have given it away from the get-go), Henry prints the story-and is immediately accused of being the firebug himself! The climax finds our hero trapped with his pal Dizzy (Charles Smith), his girl friend Martha (Rita Quigley) and the ubiquitous Nero Smith in the middle of a burning building-and it sure looks like he's not going to be able to extricate himself from his dilemma this time. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This Monogram quickie stars Richard Cromwell as Dr. Tom, an idealistic young tenement-district physician. When his best pal, a police captain, is killed by gangsters, Dr. Tom offers his services to the authorities in hopes of bringing the villains to justice. Working undercover, our hero becomes a gangland physician, gaining the confidence of mob boss Gruszo (John Miljan). Forced to reveal his true identity when the heroine's life is in danger, Dr. Tom nonetheless manages to alert the Riot Squad, who arrive Cavalry-style in the nick of time. Featured in the cast is 8-year-old Mary Ruth, a modestly talented moppet whom Monogram was briefly grooming as the "next Shirley Temple." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Blonde Inspiration was one of the few non-musical directorial efforts of Busby Berkeley. MGM contract players John Shelton and Virginia Grey head the cast of this leisurely second-echelon comedy. Shelton plays a western novelist who is inspired to incredible productivity by buxom blonde Marion Martin. Trouble is, he writes more books than his publisher (Albert Dekker) can handle; thus, efforts are made to break up Shelton's romance--and that's where Grey comes in. Blonde Inspiration was based on John Cecil Holm's stage farce Four Cents a Word. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Corn Cob Kelly (Marvin Stephens) is a young jockey whose ambition is dwarfed only by his ego. All set to ride in his first big race, Kelly is replaced at the last minute by a more experienced jockey. After eating several slices of humble pie, our hero manages to requalify for the contest, squashing the plans of a gang of race-fixing gamblers in the process. Throughout the story, Kelly is encouraged to persevere by crusty stable trainer Duke (Eugene Pallette) and by Ellen Martin (Rita Quigley), daughter of a wealthy horse owner (Dorothy Peterson). Future TV star Mary Healy makes a brief appearance as a nightclub entertainer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Having struck pay dirt with its Blondie films, Columbia Pictures launched another "domestic" film series, based on Margaret Sidney's "Five Little Peppers" stories. The third and last entry in the series was The Five Little Peppers in Trouble, neither the best nor worst of this negligible project. Once more, Dorothy Peterson plays the widowed Mrs. Pepper, while her five precocious and resourceful offspring are portrayed by Edith Fellows, Dorothy Ann Seese, Charles Beck, Tommy Bond (best remembered as "Butch" in the Our Gang comedies) and Bobby Larson (replacing Jimmy Leake, who appeared in the first Pepper outing in 1939). Unable to watch over her kids and go to work at the same time, Mrs. Pepper bundles the little Peppers off to boarding school. The Five Little Peppers in Trouble is describable only as "cute"; you take it from there. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Hollywood films about the Revolutionary War almost invariably lost money at the box office, and The Howards of Virginia was no exception, despite the presence of Cary Grant in the lead. Most of the story takes place in the colonial capital city of Williamsburg, Virginia, where Matt Howard (Cary Grant) dedicates himself to the causes of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. Remaining faithfully at Matt's side through his early years as a frontiersman and on into his life among the "landed gentry" is his wife Jane Peyton Howard (Martha Scott), the sister of unregenerate royalist Fleetwood Peyton (Cedric Hardwicke).

Most of the high points of the Revolution are herein recreated, including the Stamp Act riots, the Boston Tea Party, and Patrick Henry's "Give me Liberty" speech. Curiously, however, director Frank Lloyd stages these scenes in a flat, near-throwaway fashion; even the inflammatory Henry (Richard Gaines) is hampered by unimaginative camera angles. Other historical personages parading through the film include Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, played respectively by Richard Carlson and George Houston. Though it's rather rough sledding in its feature-length version, The Howards of Virginia plays quite well in the half-hour abridgement prepared by Columbia for schoolroom showings. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide