Florence Rice Movies

Comedian Morey Amsterdam and cartoonist Milt Gross were responsible for the script of the low-budget comedy The Ghost and the Guest. James Dunn and Florence Rice play newlyweds Webster and Jackie Frye, who spend their honeymoon in a sinister old country house. Before long, the Fryes are besieged by a gang of crooks, searching for a fortune in diamonds. With the nervous help of black chauffeur Harmony Jones (Sam McDaniel), the honeymooners attempt to outfox the villains. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Columbia's belated effort to cash in on the popularity of Abbott & Costello's Buck Privates was the raucous and generally amusing wartime comedy Tramp, Tramp, Tramp. Jackie Gleason (the same!) and Jack Durant are teamed for the first and only time as Hank and Jed, a pair of dimwitted barbers who are forced into bankruptcy because all their customers have marched off to war. Figuring that if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, Hank and Jed try to join the Army themselves, only to be rejected for a variety of reasons (When asked to read the eye-chart, Hank says he can't-not because he can't see, but because he can't read). Still wishing to serve their country, our heroes set up a "home guard" unit, and in this capacity manage to trap a gang of homicidal crooks. To his credit, Jackie Gleason does not try to imitate his idol Lou Costello, but the A&C influence is felt throughout this trivial little laughspinner. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this medical melodrama, a young MD finds himself in love with a woman who doesn't love him. She is interested in an older, more sophisticated doctor. After she discovers that the older medic has a sleazy side, she decides to go for the younger doctor. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

There were two separate 1940s film series inspired by Philips H. Lord's radio weekly Mr. District Attorney; the first was produced by Republic, the second by Paramount's Pine-Thomas unit. Republic's inaugural entry, appropriately titled Mr. District Attorney, eschews the sobriety of the radio original and plays for laughs. Dennis O'Keefe stars as P. Cadwallader Jones, a guileless assistant DA straight out of Harvard. Managing to louse up his first case, Jones redeems himself by revealing that one of his boss' aides is in league with master criminal Mr. Hyde (Peter Lorre). Florence Rice, daughter of sports columnist Grantland Rice, is appropriately cast as a newspaper sob sister. The best line in Mr. District Attorney comes early in the proceedings: When asked what the "P" stands for, P. Cadwallader Jones replies ruefully "Prince. But I didn't want to be whistled for." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Though not based on a Zane Grey story, The Cherokee Strip fits in thematically with producer Harry Sherman's Grey series. Richard Dix stars as Dave Morrell, the new marshal of Goliath, Oklahoma. Immediately upon arrival, Morrell finds himself at odds with banker Coy Barrett (Victor Jory), who is actually the leader of all local criminal activities. Cagily playing a game of cat and mouse, Morrell strongly and silently gathers evidence against Barrett, leading to an outsized climactic shootout-just in time, since the film was beginning to drag a bit. Critical comparisons to Dix's 1931 starrer Cimarron could not be avoided, but Cherokee Strip was more straightforward adventure fare than the earlier film. Florence Rice is the pretty but hardly necessary romantic interest. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this crime drama, an ex-crook uses his skills as a forensic scientist to solve crimes. He forms a secret society of forensic scientists. Their main mission is convince skeptical police departments that modern science has a lot to offer them. To prove their point, the scientists randomly choose one large American city. There they enlist the aid of the police chief's daughter and using chemistry, solve a series of puzzling murders. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

MGM's third follow-up to its landmark Broadway Melody is short on story, but that's okay, since the plot is merely a clothesline upon which to hang sleek and opulent musical production numbers by Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell -- particularly a breathless and eye-popping gloriously black-and-white six-minute tap dance finale between Astaire and Powell to Cole Porter's "Begin the Beguine." The tale itself is a typical backstage contrivance: Johnny Brett (Fred Astaire) and King Shaw (George Murphy) are a couple of hoofers working in a dance hall for peanuts. Due to mistaken identity, King gets tapped for the lead in a Broadway show opposite big star Clare Bennett (Eleanor Powell) rather than Johnny. But when King drowns his trouble in booze on opening night, Johnny covers for him, taking his place in the show. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

In this offbeat western, a cowboy heads into the genteel East to fulfill his dream of becoming a polo player. While there, he begins managing a posh Long Island estate. The trouble begins when he falls in love with a beautiful heiress who also loves the game. Unfortunately, the cowboy's debut day is a bust and he is so humiliated that he joins a traveling Wild West show. There he indulges his obsession with polo by getting the cowboys and Indians to stage matches. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Directed with customary haste by Woody Van Dyke, Stand Up and Fight is an excellent dual vehicle for veteran Wallace Beery and up-and-coming Robert Taylor. Set in the American west in the mid-19th century, the story concerns the efforts of empire-building Blake Cantrell (Taylor) to construct a railroad across the wide open spaces. Cantrell is faced with obstacles at every turn, none more obstreperous than stagecoach-line owner Captain Boss Starkey (Beery), The film traces Cantrell's progress from drunken roisterer to pioneering visionary, and Starkey's parallel transition from deadly foe to trusted friend. The villlain of the piece is slave-trader Arnold (Charles Bickford), who exploits his friendship with Starkey to Cantrell's disadvantage. Romance enters the picture in the form of Southern belle Susan Griffith (Florence Rice), who has almost nothing to do but look demure and lovely in a series of attractive period costumes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A distinct letdown from their previous MGM films, the Marx Bros.' At the Circus nonetheless contains intermittent moments of high hilarity. When Jeff Wilson (Kenny Baker) is in danger of losing his circus to crooked creditor Carter (James Burke), Jeff's faithful roustabout Antonio (Chico Marx) enlists the aid of seedy attorney J. Cheever Loophole (Groucho Marx). Despite the best efforts of Loophole, Antonio and general hanger-on Punchy (Harpo Marx), Jeff is robbed of the circus payroll by two flies in the ointment, Goliath the Strong Man (Nat Pendleton) and Little Professor Atom (Jerry Marenghi, later known as Jerry Maren). Also in on the plot to wrest control of the circus is aerialist Peerless Pauline (Eve Arden), with whom Loophole has a cozy tete-a-tete while walking on the ceiling (no kidding!) In a last-ditch effort to raise the necessary funds, Loophole romances Jeff's wealthy aunt Mrs. Dukesbury (Margaret Dumont). The finale takes place at a fancy society party at the Dukesbury mansion, with Punchy and Antonio hijacking the scheduled entertainment and replacing it with a full-fledged circus performance. Weighed down by an excess of plot and a surfeit of misfire gags, not to mention one of sappiest romantic subplots in film history (involving sappy tenor Kenny Baker and sappier ingenue Florence Rice), At the Circus still keeps audiences happy with Groucho's rendition of the deathless "Lydia the Tatooed Lady" (by Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg) and the zany denoument, wherein pompous conductor Fritz Feld and his orchestra are set adrift in the middle of the ocean and the magnificent Margaret Dumont is shot out of a cannon. Best gag: When Eve Arden stuffs the circus payroll into her blouse, Groucho turns to the camera and whispers "There must be some way of getting that money back without offending the Hays Office." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Nobody really takes a Vacation from Love in this MGM programmer, though it's not from lack of trying. Dennis O'Keefe and Florence Rice star as young marrieds Bill and Patricia Blair. Have left her family's wealth behind to struggle along on Bill's salary, Patricia comes to regret her decision when her husband immerses himself in his work, totally neglecting his domestic life. The couple separates, with every intention of finalizing the split in divorce court. Despite formidable opposition from handsome Mark Shelby (Truman Bradley) and gorgeous Flo Heath (June Knight), Bill and Patricia finally realize that they're still in love with each other, and only with each other. The obviousness of the storyline is leavened somewhat by the sparkling supporting-player contributions of Reginald Owen, Ed Brophy and the ineffable Herman Bing. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Contrary to popular belief, the Nelson Eddy-Jeanette MacDonald Technicolor confection Sweethearts is not based on the 1913 Victor Herbert operetta of the same name (though most of Herbert's songs remain intact), but a Dorothy Parker-Alan Campbell brainstorm about a popular Broadway singing duo, starring in a long-running production of Sweethearts. The early portions of the film take place during a purported presentation of the Herbert piece, with Eddy and MacDonald singing their hearts out and Ray Bolger providing comic relief. We then segue into a long sequence wherein producer Frank Morgan, celebrating Sweethearts's six-year run, insists that Eddy and MacDonald attend a lavish party, where the weary performers are called upon to continue singing throughout the evening. Hoping for a few moments alone after escaping the party, Eddy and MacDonald are besieged at their apartment by friends, co-workers, hangers-on and sponging relatives. Seeking peace and quiet, the couple agrees to leave Sweethearts for the comparative calm of Hollywood. But their entourage, fearing that they'll lose their meal ticket if Eddy and MacDonald leave New York, arrange to inaugurate two profitable road companies of Sweethearts by contriving to split up the loving couple. Cleverly sidestepping the sugary sweet sentimentality that one might expect from an MGM musical of the era, the delightful Sweethearts is hampered only by its overlength. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide