George E. Stone Movies
Probably no one came by the label "Runyon-esque" more honestly than Polish-born actor George E. Stone; a close friend of writer Damon Runyon, Stone was seemingly put on this earth to play characters named Society Max and Toothpick Charlie, and to mouth such colloquialisms as "It is known far and wide" and "More than somewhat." Starting his career as a Broadway "hoofer," the diminutive Stone made his film bow as "the Sewer Rat" in the 1927 silent Seventh Heaven. His most prolific film years were 1929 to 1936, during which period he showed up in dozens of Warner Bros. "urban" films and backstage musicals, and also appeared as the doomed Earle Williams in the 1931 version of The Front Page. He was so closely associated with gangster parts by 1936 that Warners felt obligated to commission a magazine article showing Stone being transformed, via makeup, into an un-gangsterish Spaniard for Anthony Adverse (1936). For producer Hal Roach, Stone played three of his oddest film roles: a self-pitying serial killer in The Housekeeper's Daughter (1938), an amorous Indian brave in Road Show (1940), and Japanese envoy Suki Yaki in The Devil With Hitler (1942). Stone's most popular role of the 1940s was as "the Runt" in Columbia's Boston Blackie series. In the late '40s, Stone was forced to severely curtail his acting assignments due to failing eyesight. Though he was totally blind by the mid-'50s, Stone's show business friends, aware of the actor's precarious financial state, saw to it that he got TV and film work, even if it meant that his co-stars had to literally lead him by the hand around the set. No one was kinder to George E. Stone than the cast and crew of the Perry Mason TV series, in which Stone was given prominent billing as the Court Clerk, a part that required nothing more of him than sitting silently at a desk and occasionally holding a Bible before a witness. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1942
Filmed in the months immediately following Pearl Harbor, 20th Century-Fox's Little Tokyo USA is 63 minutes' worth of speculation about prewar Japanese espionage activities. Los Angeles cop Preston Foster suspects that there's dirty work afoot in the city's Japanese community, but no one will believe him except for intrepid girl reporter Brenda Joyce. When the spies frame Foster on a trumped-up murder charge, Joyce does a little detective work herself. The enemy agents are rounded up just before they can do any real damage. Because of its strident insistence that most (if not all) Japanese-American citizens were secretly loyal to the Rising Sun, Little Tokyo USA is seldom seen these days. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Preston S. Foster, Brenda Joyce, (more)
- 1942
In this entry in the "Boston Blackie" series, the suave ex-thief returns to prison to see a Christmas show. There he is impressed by the talent of the inmates. One particularly talented fellow uses his magic act to break out of prison. Now Blackie must find him. Meanwhile the fugitive searches for his look-alike, the man who really committed the crime. Clever Blackie manages to catch them both and then insures that the real crook goes to jail while the innocent man goes free. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1942
Reformed criminal Boston Blackie (Chester Morris) and his pal "The Runt" (George E. Stone) obey the film's title and head for Tinseltown. Blackie has been asked by a friend to transport $60,000 to California, but the L.A. cops assume that he's involved in the disappearance of the valuable Monterey Diamond. As always, Blackie spends a goodly portion of his time in disguise, assuming the identity of a bearded foreigner. Boston Blackie Goes Hollywood was the fourth in Columbia's series of B-pictures based on Jack Boyle's pulp-fiction character. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1942
A remake of Return of Jimmy Valentine (1936), Republic Pictures' Affairs of Jimmy Valentine is a sequel of sorts to the oft-filmed O. Henry story Alias Jimmy Valentine. In the original tale, an incognito safecracker blew his cover by rescuing a little girl from a safe, prompting a detective who'd planned to arrest the criminal to let him off scot free. Affairs of Jimmy Valentine is set some twenty years later: A radio station decides to improve ratings by launching a nationwide search for reformed cracksman Jimmy Valentine. The search leads to a small town--and a mysterious murder. Roman Bohnen plays the kindly old editor of the small town's newspaper, who may or may not be Guess Who. Acted and directed with a slick professionalism that belies its small budget, Affairs of Jimmy Valentine has been released to TV in an abridged version titled Unforgotten Crime. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1941
Chester Morris makes his second screen appearance as crook-turned-detective Boston Blackie in this superior series entry. This time, Blackie gets into trouble when he attends an art auction with his millionaire pal Arthur Manleder (Lloyd Corrigan). It so happens that the auction gallery is run by thieves, which heroine Diane Parrish (Harriet Hilliard) has just discovered. To keep her quiet, head crook Joe Buchanan (Ralph Theodore) takes a shot at Diane, but though he only wounds her he kills sculptor Allison (Walter Soderling). Conclusion-jumping Inspector Farraday (Richard Lane) assumes that Blackie fired the shot, forcing our hero to spend the rest of the film eluding both the police and the criminals. Highlights include a hilarious fit of rage perpetrated by secondary villainess Joan Woodbury, and an amusing if slightly sadistic running gag involving hapless ice-cream vendor Billy Benedict. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chester Morris, Richard Lane, (more)
- 1941
With Paramount abandoning its "Zane Grey" western series in 1941, 20th Century-Fox took up the cudgel with such films as The Last of the Duanes. George Montgomery stars as Buck Duane, who in 1870 returns to his Texas hometown, only to find out that his father has been murdered. Following the most obvious suspect, Duane discovers that the culprit is a member of a highly organized outlaw gang. Realizing that he's outnumbered (no kidding!), Duane joins the Texas Rangers, hoping not only to break up the gang but also expose its mysterious leader. Eve Arden is surprisingly but effectively cast as a dance-hall girl who briefly befriends the hero. Last of the Duanes was previously filmed by Fox in 1931, with George O'Brien in the lead. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Montgomery, Lynne Roberts, (more)
- 1941
Two of Hal Roach's short-subject stalwarts, Patsy Kelly and ZaSu Pitts, are teamed in the Roach-produced feature Broadway Limited. The whole story unfolds on a Chicago-to-Manhattan express train; among the passengers are Hollywood starlet April (Marjorie Woodworth), her producer Ivan (Leonid Kinskey) and her wisecracking secretary Patsy (Kelly). Hoping to stir up publicity for April, Patsy and Ivan conspire to adopt a baby for their client. Trouble is, the authorities are convinced that the child has been kidnapped, causing no end of trouble for such innocent bystanders as engineer Mike (Victor McLaglen), bookish young doctor Harvey North (Dennis O'Keefe) and garrulous clubwoman Myra (Pitts). The film is stolen by infant performer Gay Ellen Dakins, who spends most of her scenes smiling at the camera, oblivious of the adult slapstickery. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Victor McLaglen, Marjorie Woodworth, (more)
When millionaire bachelor John Hubbard takes a run-out powder at his own wedding, Hubbard's vengeful fiancee Polly Ann Young has the luckless fellow committed to an insane asylum. Hubbard escapes with certified looney Adolphe Menjou; together they join a carnival run by Carole Landis. Hubbard and Menjou not only save Landis from bankruptcy, but also convince Hubbard's allegedly normal uncle Charles Butterworth (who races fire engines as a hobby) to arrange for the carnival to be set up right next to the family mansion. Directors Hal Roach, Hal Roach Jr. and Gordon M. Douglas deliberately blur the thin line between sanity and insanity throughout Road Show. Just who's crazier: the delusional Menjou, who takes photographs with an invisible camera, or lovestruck Indian George E. Stone, who spends his free time chasing after carnival employee Patsy Kelly? And are the freewheeling carney folk any goofier than the flibbertigibbet society folk? The Charioteers, a black singing group who'd previously appeared in the Broadway production of Hellzapoppin, act as a sort of Greek chorus, commenting on the action with several refrains of the Hoagy Carmichael song "Calliope Jane". The amiable wackiness of Road Show is capped by a car-chase finale. The film was based on a novel by Eric Hatch, who four years earlier had worked on Roach's Topper. Watch for several familiar comedy faces among the uncredited bit players, including Shemp Howard of Three Stooges fame. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adolphe Menjou, Carole Landis, (more)
- 1941
In this low-budget thriller (which developed something of a cult following among film buffs in the '60s and '70s), Peter Lorre plays Janos Szabo, an immigrant from Hungary who is a skilled craftsman. After he's caught in a fire, his face is horribly scarred; his terrifying appearance makes it impossible for him to get a job. With nowhere else to turn, Janos begins working for the criminal underworld, where he eventually raises enough money to purchase an expensive mask whose expressionless features are only a slight improvement over his distorted visage, but at least allow him to go out in public. However, Janos begins having second thoughts about his life of crime, especially after he falls in love with Helen (Evelyn Keyes), a kind-hearted blind woman. Director Robert Florey supposedly shot this film and Meet Boston Blackie in a mere 24 days. Florey and Lorre would team up again for another offbeat film buff favorite, The Beast with Five Fingers. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Lorre, Evelyn Keyes, (more)
- 1940
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
- Starring:
- Richard Dix, Florence Rice, (more)
- 1940
This soapy drama stars Hedy Lamarr as a would be model who meets a research doctor en route to the US from Europe. They meet when Dr. Spencer Tracy prevents her from taking a suicidal plunge from the upper decks of the ocean liner. It seems that Lamarr had been involved with married man Kent Taylor. When he reneged on his promise to divorce his wife Mona Barrie, she decided to end it all. Finding her extraordinarily beautiful, the doctor suggests she join him in his research. The two end up at a slum clinic and it doesn't take long for the doctor to fall completely in love with her. He convinces her to marry him and soon after the wedding, he exchanges life in the clinic for an upscale practice uptown. Servicing the rich is lucrative and soon he has provided his high maintenance wife with a luxurious life. Unfortunately for him, she appreciates his work and sacrifices not a whit, and as soon as she can attempts to respark a romance with Taylor whom she has never stopped loving. Fortunately for the doctor, Lamarr eventually comes to her senses and marital bliss ensues. This film had a troubled history with all of it due to Louis B. Mayer's obsession with making Lamarr the brightest star in the MGM galaxy. Originally the film was directed by Joseph von Sternberg, but he grew frustrated and tired by Mayer's constant interference and quit the film as did the next director, Frank Borzage. As a result an enormous amount of footage was discarded. Finally reliable W.S. Van Dyke was placed on the production and it was completed. Unfortunately, despite all that effort, the film bombed at the box office. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Spencer Tracy, Hedy Lamarr, (more)
- 1940
Cecil B. De Mille directed this lavish all-star spectacular paying tribute to America's neighbors to the North. In 1885, as Louis Riel (Francis J. McDonald) tries to organize Indians and French settlers into a fighting force that will battle against the ruling British, Texas Ranger Dusty Rivers (Gary Cooper) arrives in Canada to arrest Jacques Corbeau (George Bancroft), one of Riel's associates who is wanted for murder in the U.S. Rivers promptly falls for nurse April Logan (Madeleine Carroll), which triggers jealously in the straightlaced Mountie sergeant Jim Brett (Preston S. Foster), who is also in love with April. Meanwhile, April's brother, Ronnie Logan (Robert Preston), also a member of the North West Mounted Police, is in love with Louvette (Paulette Goddard), Corbeau's sister and a fiery "half-breed" who lives among the Indians. When Dusty arrives in Canada, he joins forces with the mounties, who are looking for Corbeau on another murder charge, and soon joins the fight against Riel's rebel factions. De Mille imported 300 pine trees for his "forest" set, believing that a woods created on the controlled environment of a soundstage would look more "real" onscreen than location shooting in Canada. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gary Cooper, Madeleine Carroll, (more)
- 1940
Following in the footsteps of Boris Karloff and Charles Laughton, Peter Lorre turns sadist in this routinely made but efficient little potboiler from Columbia Pictures. Lording over Dead Man's Island where he uses paroled convicts as slaves, Stephen Danel frames G-Man Mark Sheldon (Robert Wilcox) for murdering a colleague and then arranges for the convict's transfer to the island. Mark immediately becomes attracted to Danel's glamorous wife, Lorraine (Rochelle Hudson), beautifully gowned and bejeweled but like the slaves, a caged bird susceptible to her husband's rages. With the assistance of Cort (Charles B. Middleton), the two attempt to escape, but are eventually caught by Danel's spy, Brand (Don Beddoe). Happily, when all seems lost, the sadistic Stephen is killed by one of his own men, the disgruntled Siggie (George E. Stone). Although most of Island of Doomed Men was produced on sound stages, some scenes were filmed at famous Bronson Canyon in Los Angeles' Griffith Park. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Lorre, Rochelle Hudson, (more)
- 1940
Woo-woo Hugh Herbert is the star of Universal's Slightly Tempted. Herbert plays a kleptomaniac who promises to go straight for the sake of his daughter Peggy Moran. But old habits die hard, and soon Herbert is lifting valuables at the home of wealthy widow Elisabeth Risdon. Fortunately, the old lady takes a liking to the loveable thief. A bunch of professional thieves complicate matters by trying to enlist Hugh in their ranks, but all's well when the film's 60 minutes run their course. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hugh Herbert, Peggy Moran, (more)
- 1939
A young punk hooks up with a mobster and helps him rob a gas station in this crime drama. From there the crimes become more serious and the boy is very happy until something goes wrong and the gangster shoots someone using the stolen gun of the boy's sister's lover. The innocent lover is given the death sentence. The guilt-plagued youth wants to take the rap, but the gangster threatens him and he remains quiet. Later they are caught stealing a car and end up in Sing Sing where the boy finds a mentor who advises him to come clean. Meanwhile the gangster hears of this and devises a way to silence the youth forever. Not one of Bogie's best. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Humphrey Bogart, Gale Page, (more)
- 1939
Directed by Lewis Milestone nine years after taking home the best director Academy Award for All Quiet on the Western Front, this backstage drama stars Pat O'Brien as Dan O'Farrell, a boozy Broadway producer who makes his way back to show-business after a long absence. As a young man, O'Farrell had a brilliant career as a playwright-actor-producer, but when his wife left him, he threw it all away and fell into seclusion. Years later, his estranged daughter Alyce (Olympe Bradne) locates him and inspires him to return to the Great White Way. With his eye on re-emerging as a smash hit with critics and the public alike, O'Farrell enlists the aid of two loyal friends and embarks on a full-fledged comeback. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pat O'Brien, Olympe Bradna, (more)
- 1939
In this comedy, a gangster's moll gets tired of the mob scene and returns to her mother's house. Her mom is a wealthy family's housekeeper. One of the rich children dreams of being a reporter; he is eager to get his first big scoop. He gets his chance when he stumbles upon a series of clues to a murder that may involve the ex-moll's former lover. He is assisted a seasoned reporter and his photographer who have been hanging around to get a chance to meet the moll. The boy's investigation leads him into a dangerous situation where the mobster begins to shoot at him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joan Bennett, Adolphe Menjou, (more)
- 1939
A racetrack melodrama, The Long Shot features Marsha Hunt and Gordon Jones as trainers of a thoroughbred horse. Despite the rivalries of their parents, the couple prepares to jointly enter the Santa Anita handicap. The odds are against their entry, but Hunt and Jones have every confidence of winning. Just before the starting bugle, gangsters intrude, demanding that the trainers throw the Big Race. Even those audiences of 1939 who anticipated the outcome (it wasn't hard) were satisfied with The Long Shot, one of the more engaging productions from the short-lived Grand National production company. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gordon Jones, Marsha Hunt, (more)
- 1938
Set during World War I, Submarine Patrol stars Preston S. Foster as a naval officer demoted for dereliction of duty. He is forced to commandeer a battered old submarine chaser and its ragtag crew. Anxious to redeem himself, Foster transforms his loser underlings into a crack combat team, chalking up numerous enemy sinkings. Richard Greene costars as Foster's junior officer, a rich wastrel who matures into a worthwhile individual during his tour of duty. Deftly directed by John Ford, Submarine Patrol was enthusiastically received by audiences and critics alike in 1938. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Greene, Nancy Kelly, (more)
- 1938
In this drama, an innocent man is framed for murder and sent to Sing Sing where he meets a kindly prison chaplain who helps him prove that he was wronged. He also learns to sing, and decided that he will become a professional after he is released. He is good, and is soon allowed to travel with the preacher's prison radio show. During one performance, he escapes, but unfortunately, they catch him. Fortunately, his innocence is proven and in the end, he gets back together with his girl friend. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dick Foran, June Travis, (more)
- 1938
In this mystery programmer, a prizefighter dies in the midst of a match, but evidence suggests that it was a dose of poison that killed him rather than the violence of the bout. Mr. Moto (Peter Lorre), a detective who also teaches sleuthing to others, is called in to find out who killed the boxer and why. Assisting Mr. Moto is Lee Chan (Keye Luke), the "number one son" from the Charlie Chan series. Mr. Moto's Gamble began as Charlie Chan at Ringside, but after Warner Oland became seriously ill during filming, it was rewritten for the screen's other well-known Asian detective in order to make use of the footage that had already been shot. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Lorre, Keye Luke, (more)
- 1938
This film is one of acclaimed director Fritz Lang's less noted achievements, a mixture of romance, comedy, drama, and satire. It includes three songs by the famed Kurt Weill, including "The Right Guy for Me." George Raft plays Joe Dennis, an ex-convict working in a department store. The store's boss, Mr. Morris (Harry Carey), likes to hire ex-cons. Joe falls in love with Helen (Sylvia Sidney), who hides the fact that she is on parole until after they marry. Since parolees can't wed, the marriage is illegal. Distraught, Joe organizes a gang to rob Morris' store. Helen intervenes and tries to convince the gang members that the potential take isn't worth the risk of returning to prison. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sylvia Sidney, George Raft, (more)
Slight Case of Murder is a breakneck-paced comedy starring Edward G. Robinson as a tough but good-hearted bootlegger. When Prohibition is repealed, Robinson faces a financial crisis: His beer tastes so awful that no one wants to drink it legally. As an additional headache, Robinson is under scrutiny from the Law, which is waiting to slip the cuffs on him for the slightest infraction. He arrives at his rented Saratoga mansion with his wife (Ruth Donnelly), daughter (Jane Bryan) and adopted son (Bobby Jordan), only to discover that a killer has left four corpses in his bedroom. Robinson and his stooges are forced to hide the bodies before his future son-in-law (Willard Parker), who happens to be a cop, tumbles to the dilemma. Based on a stage play by Howard Lindsay and Damon Runyon, A Slight Case of Murder a just as entertaining in the 1990s as it was fifty years ago (please ignore a tepid 1953 musical remake titled Stop, You're Killing Me). Surprisingly, this film was not a favorite of star Edward G. Robinson, who felt that director Lloyd Bacon rushed through the material without taking full advantage of its comic potential. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward G. Robinson, Jane Bryan, (more)
- 1937
In this children's adventure, the children of a small town are enthralled by the tales of the town drunk. The story centers around the odd-ball boozer's friendship with one little girl who disobeys her spinster aunt's edict and goes to listen to the stories. The drunk's life changes after he discovers a buried treasure. He must kill a man in self-defense after the stranger attacks him for the goods. The poor little girl must testify against her friend. They are involved in a chase in which the girl careens around in her aunties Rolls Royce. After the chase everyone settles down and justice is served. The film contains two songs "I'm the Captain's Kid," and "Drifting Along." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- May Robson, Sybil Jason, (more)
