Lee Shumway Movies

The moral of Preston Sturges' first directorial effort The Great McGinty seems to be: If you're a crook, stay a crook, because honesty will get ya every time. Brian Donlevy plays Dan McGinty, a Chicago hobo who is hired by local political bosses as a "professional voter", casting ballots under a variety of assumed names in various districts. McGinty chalks up $74 worth of votes, and when local ward heeler William Demarest can't pony up, McGinty takes direct action by trying to beat up The Boss (Akim Tamiroff). Though the two men can't get through an entire day without trying to kill each other, McGinty and the Boss are impressed by each other's raw abilities and become political partners. Through the Boss' patronage, McGinty works his way up to the mayor's office, with his politically expedient bride (Muriel Angelus) at his side. Though he never goes so far as to fall in love with his "arranged" wife, Donlevy is fond of both her and her children by a previous marriage, and for their sake he begins to reform--much to the dismay of the Boss. With the Governor's mansion within his grasp, McGinty makes the fatal error of fessing up to a graft-ridden bridge contract. It is this impulsive moment of honesty, rather than any of his past crimes, that gets McGinty thrown in the slammer, sharing a cell with the blood-in-his-eye Boss. Demarest separates the two combative men long enough to arrange an escape to South America, but not before McGinty has assured the financial security of his wife and family. The story is told in flashback form in a seedy South American dive, where McGinty works as a bartender and the Boss is the manager. The film ends with the two friendly enemies duking it out over a minor infraction, while bouncer Demarest looks on in disgust. Sick to death of watching other directors mangle his screenplays, Preston Sturges sold this rollicking political satire to Paramount only on the condition that he be allowed to direct (for the princely sum of $10). Paramount hedged its bets by giving Sturges a slim budget and inexpensive stars; as a result, the film made back its cost several times over, and Preston Sturges' directorial career was off and running. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

While James Stewart was filibustering from his senator's pulpit in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), Gene Autry battled congressional bureaucracy in Rovin' Tumbleweeds, which barely could call itself a Western. Gene runs for a congressional seat in order to pass a flood control bill that would save a group of dispossessed ranchers and farmers, the victims of a disastrous storm. But once elected, the hero's best efforts are thwarted by greedy meat packing plant owner Holloway (Douglas Dumbrille), who lobbies against him. With another storm brewing and Autry's only political ally, Senator Nolan (William Farnum), killed in a car accident, all hope seems gone. But when Gene rallies his troops in a climactic battle, even Holloway catches the community spirit and the valley is saved. Taking time out from fighting both political corruption and the elements, Gene, Smiley Burnette, and the Pals of the Golden West perform "Paradise in the Moonlight," "Ole Peaceful River," Rovin' Tumbleweeds," and other favorite selections. Rovin' Tumbleweeds has been restored to its original length by Gene Autry Entertainment. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Despite its comparatively upbeat ending, Let Us Live is one of the darkest and gloomiest films of the late 1930s. As working stiff Brick Tennant, Henry Fonda is once more cast as a misunderstood victim of society. Held up during a robbery-murder, Brick is himself convicted of the crime on the basis of circumstantial evidence and faulty eyewitness testimony. The authorities remain unsympathetic to the hero's plight throughout, automatically assuming that just because he's poor he's likely to be a killer. Only his sweetheart Mary Roberts (Maureen O'Sullivan) believes in Brick's innocence, and it is she who sets the wheels in motion for the ultimate capture of the genuine culprit, a scant few minutes before Brick's "long walk" to the electric chair. Based on Joseph F. Dineen's Murder in Massachusetts, the real-life story of a near-fatal miscarriage of justice in 1934, Let Us Live refuses to compromise its pessimistic tone with a phony "all smiles" fadeout. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Following up his movie portrayal of Wild Bill Hickok, Bill Elliot stars as famed trailblazer John "Frontier" Freeman in Columbia's Frontiers of '49. The film takes place in 19th century California, where a crooked real estate firm is merrily selling off Spanish land grants in exchange for exorbitant tax levies. The US government sends Freeman to investigate this activity, accompanied by grizzled frontier scout Kit Carson (Hal Taliaferro). When not tangling with chief heavy Howard Brunon (the inescapable Charles King), Freeman romances aristocratic Spanish senorita Dolores de Cervantes (Luana de Alcaniz). Rather ambitious for a B picture, Frontiers of '49 could use a little less talk and a lot more action. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

On the verge of superstardom, Rita Hayworth played in scores of minor dramas like Homicide Bureau, an entertaining little crime story released a scant three months before her big breakthrough, Howard Hawk's Only Angels Have Wings. She plays J.G. Bliss, a girl scientist assigned to help the city's beleaguered homicide squad. When an accused murderer, Chuck Brown (Marc Lawrence), is released for lack of evidence, J.G. and Lieutenant Jim Logan (Bruce Cabot) do their best to have the decision reversed. Jim discovers that Brown is a member of a secret society hiding behind the seemingly innocent name of "the Junk Dealer's Trade Organization," which in reality is engaged in selling scrap metal to a certain enemy power (read: Germany). But with the adoring J.G. at his side, the intrepid hero not only saves his boss, Captain Haines (Moroni Olsen), from a kidnapping, but manages to catch the entire gang of crooks, including their leader, Ed Briggs (Norman Willis). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

There's That Woman Again was the second and last entry in Columbia's own spin on MGM's "Thin Man" series. Virginia Bruce and Melvyn Douglas star as Sally and Bill Reardon, husband-and-wife private eyes (Bruce took over from Joan Blondell, who costarred with Douglas in 1938's There's Always a Woman). This time around, the Reardons investigate a series of jewel robberies which lead to a brace of murders. At times the comedy threatens to overwhelm the mystery angle, but rest assured that Bill Reardon will have collared the guilty party (or, in this case, guilty parties) a few minutes before closing. In emulation of MGM's "Thin Man" art direction, the leading characters in There's That Woman Again live in a lavishly furnished apartment roughly the size of Rhode Island. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The visual wizardry in this period action picture about Alaskan fishermen won a special honorary Oscar in the years before special effects got its own category. Henry Fonda stars as Jim Kimmerlee, a salmon fisherman in Alaska who has become at odds with a childhood friend, Tyler Dawson (George Raft). While Jim attempts to make an honest living, Tyler, whose frustrated dreams of buying his own schooner don't look to be realized anytime soon, has signed on with a Russian crew that steals the catch from others' nets. While the rivalry between the two one-time pals heats up, Jim begins romancing Dian Turlan (Louise Platt), the daughter of a local newspaperman and renowned tippler, Windy Turlon (John Barrymore). Spawn of the North (1938) was remade as Alaska Seas (1954). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

This drama offers a fascinating backstage look at the making of westerns. The story centers around a stunt double working for an egotistical, emotionally fragile cowboy star. When the stunt man sets his romantic sights on the leading lady, the leading man gets huffy and unsuccessfully attempts to frame him. Real trouble ensues when the fall guy finds himself in the midst of a real bank robbery and finds himself accused of being the thief. He is arrested and put in jail. Fortunately, another movie cowpoke helps him escape. The stunt man then goes out and catches the real villains. Included in this video are demonstrations of how the dangerous stunts of the film were performed. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

1938's The Painted Desert borrows the title and precious little else from the 1931 western of the same name. Hero George O'Brien makes it his mission in life to stop crooked Fred Kohler from getting his mitts on a valuable strip of land. He also takes time out to romance heroine Laraine Johnson, who went on to a substantial film career as Laraine Day. Singing cowboy Ray Whitley, billed third, provides three sagebrush tunes, including the title number. Now regarded as one of George O'Brien's weaker RKO Radio westerns, The Painted Desert pleased the crowd back in 1938, turning a tidy profit for the studio. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Who Killed Gail Preston? gets off to a rousing start with a nocturnal prison break which turns out to be the prelude for a nightclub musical number, masterminded by bandleader Traynor (Robert Paige). Gail Preston (Rita Hayworth), Traynor's vocalist, is much-despised by practically everyone, so it comes as no surprise when she's bumped off in the third reel. The most likely suspect is a weaselly hanger-on (Dwight Frye) who removes himself from consideration when he takes a header from a fourth-floor roof. This leaves such disreputable types as Marc Lawrence, Arthur Loft and John Gallaudet for detective Connolly (Gene Morgan) to choose from. Set almost entirely in Columbia's standard nightclub set, Who Killed Gail Preston? is a remake of 1934's The Crime of Helene Stanley, which took place at a movie studio. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The blue grass of Kentucky was seen in three-strip Technicolor for the first time in this rambling racetrack drama. Sally Goodwin (Loretta Young) falls in love with Jack Dillon (Richard Greene), but the arrangement is complicated by a decades-old feud. Sally's uncle Peter (Walter Brennan, who won his second Academy Award for this appearance) has hated Jack's family ever since sides were chosen up in the Civil War. Jack secretly trains Peter's horse for the Kentucky Derby, causing the old man to nearly withdraw from the event out of pique. All is forgiven when the horse wins, but Brennan dies of the excitement, and his eulogy is read by a member of the family with whom he'd been feuding for nearly 70 years. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Produced by the Halperin Brothers, the folks responsible for the early-talkie horror classic White Zombie, Nation Aflame is one of several 1930s exposés of such hate groups as the KKK, the Silver Shirts and the Black Legion. The bigoted aggregation depicted in this film, a fictional group called the Avenging Angels, is shown to be just another racket, controlled by big-city mobsters for their own financial gain. The principal villain is gangster Sandino (Noel Madison), who has the state's governor (Harry Holman) in his pocket, along with several other political leaders. When the governor rebels against his corrupt colleagues, Sandino orders his assassination, prompting the governor's daughter Wynne (Norma Trelvar) to team with her former fiance, crusading DA Burtis (Roger Williams) to arrange a frame to discredit Sandino and his ilk. She lures the crooks into a drunken orgy, whereupon Burtis' lieutenants break down the doors and arrest everyone in the joint. The DA destroys the Avenging Angels and their hooligans once and for all, which proves immensely beneficial to his career. Alas, poor Wynne cannot share the fruits of his victory -- she is, after all, a "fallen woman" (remember that this was 1937, not 1997!) Incredibly, Nation Aflame was ostensibly based on a story by Thomas Dixon, the virulently racist author of such pro-KKK, anti-black literature as The Clansman and The Leopard's Spots; if the film was indeed a faithful adaptation of a Dixon original, it would have represented a complete 180-degree shift in his own political beliefs. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide