Rex Williams Movies
A master blend of comedy, domestic drama and sudden tragedy, The Marrying Kind remains one of the best collaborations between star Judy Holliday, screenwriters Garson Kanin and Ruth Gordon, and director George Cukor. The film begins at the end, with married couple Florence and Chet Keefer (Judy Holliday and Aldo Ray) seeking a divorce. Both parties state their cases before understanding judge Carroll (Madge Kennedy)--whereupon the story of their marriage unfolds in a series of revelatory flashbacks. After an amusing recap of their courtship days, the film details the many major and minor trials and tribulations of married life. In the film's most unforgettable sequence, one of the couple's children dies by drowning while Florence and Chet are obliviously engaged in one of their petty squabbles. Throughout the testimony, the Judge gives equal time to both parties, and in so doing demonstrates that all aspects of marriage work both ways. In the final scenes, the Judge allows the Keefers to reconsider their impending divorce, but not before offering a few understanding and unobtrusive words of advice. Judy Holliday is in top form, while Aldo Ray delivers what may be his finest performance. Featured in the cast as Ray's sister-in-law is Peggy Cass in her film debut. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Judy Holliday, Aldo Ray, (more)
- 1945
In this prison drama, a stern hanging judge is assigned to take over a chaotic prison. There he imposes an almost inhumanly strict regimen of discipline on the inmates. He is similarly rigid and harsh with his own two children. Later his compassionate daughter befriends a wrongfully convicted model prisoner who works as the warden's chauffeur. His son becomes a hardened criminal and ends up incarcerated in his father's prison. There he and several other inmates conspire to bust out. Later he sees inmates threatening his father and sacrifices his life to save him. The enraged judge then shoots the convict who killed his son. In the end, the experience changes the judge who becomes a more humane warden in favor of prison reform. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Thomas Mitchell, Mary Anderson, (more)
- 1945
The tumultuous world of horse-racing provides the backdrop of this drama. Directed by Raoul Walsh, Salty O'Rourke features the exploits of luckless gambler Salty O'Rourke (Alan Ladd) and his pal Smitty (William Demarest), who are indebted to a bookie and deeply in need of a fast dollar. Desperate to score some cash, Salty and Smitty pool their money and buy a bargain race horse. The horse's cheap price tag was due to the fact that it can only be ridden by one jockey, who unfortunately has been banned from riding on US tracks. The jockey, Johnny Cates (Stanley Clements), agrees to use the birth certificate of his adolescent brother in order to fool the race track officials. It looks like this tactic will work, but his "young" age prompts the requirement that he attend a track-sponsored school. The blow is softened somewhat when Johnny's (Clements) teacher is the beautiful Barbara Brooks (Gail Russell). Unfortunately, Salty falls for her Ms. Brooks as well, leaving Johnny determined to throw the race in revenge. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alan Ladd, Gail Russell, (more)
- 1943
With Dorothy Arzner in the director's chair, it's no wonder that First Comes Courage has a more feminist slant than most WWII "underground" films. Merle Oberon plays Nicole Larsen, a member of the Norwegian resistance. To obtain important war information, Nicole romances Nazi major Paul Dichter Carl Esmond, enduring the slings and arrows of those villagers unaware of her motives. Her mission is further complicated when she is reunited with British commando Allan Lowell Brian Aherne, with whom she'd had a prewar affair. Forced to choose between love and duty, Nicole makes the only decision possible under the circumstances. First Comes Courage was based on The Commados, a novel by Elliot Arnold. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Merle Oberon, Brian Aherne, (more)
- 1943
Republic's False Faces is a choice example of wartime "victory casting", with all the male cast members drawn from the ranks of the undraftable. Rex Williams plays morose saloon patron Craig Harding, who is on hand during a barroom brawl which leads to the death of songstress Joyce Ford (Veda Ann
org). Suspected in the murder are Harding and his pal Don Westcott (Bill Henry). Harding's father, district attorney Stanley Harding (Stanley Ridges), faces a difficult decision: on the basis of circumstantial evidence, he may be forced to send his own son up the river for life. It's giving nothing away to reveal that the Most Likely Suspects didn't do it, but the Least Likely Suspect did. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stanley Ridges, Rex Williams, (more)
- 1943
Action specialist B. Reeves Eason socked Truck Busters through its breathless 58 minutes. Richard Travis plays independent trucker Casey Dorgan, who organizes his fellow drivers against the crooked machinations of crooked trucking executive Bonelli (Don Costello). Things get personal when Casey's brother Jimmy (Charles Lang) is killed in a Bonelli-engineered "accident." Standing helplessly on the sidelines is heroine Eadie Watkins, played by Virginia Christine, later to gain nationwide fame as "Mrs. Olsen" in the Folger's Coffee commercials of the 1960s and 1970s. Truck Busters is a not-too-heavily disguised remake of the 1932 James Cagney-Loretta Young vehicle Taxi. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Travis, Virginia Christine, (more)
- 1943
World War II rears its ugly head in this patriotic (if somewhat nonsensical) Tarzan picture. When a Nazi pilot (Rex Williams) crash lands in the jungle, he is nursed back to health by Tarzan (Johnny Weissmuller) and Boy (Johnny Sheffield). The isolationist ape man is vaguely aware that the Nazi is part of an invading German force, but he refuses to become involved with the problems of the world. The Nazis march into a "lost" jungle kingdom, enslaving the citizens and threatening the life of their princess (Frances Gifford). Gradually Tarzan becomes convinced that the Nazis are up to no good, destroys their invasion plans, and restores the princess to her throne. Don't miss the Tarzan Triumphs scene in which Cheeta the chimpanzee is mistaken for Adolph Hitler! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Johnny Weissmuller, Johnny Sheffield, (more)
- 1943
Though technically a Republic "B", the 58-minute The Purple V has glossy production values commensurate to a top-of-the-bill A picture. German expatriate Fritz Kortner plays the largest role, as an anti-Nazi schoolmaster who helps a downed American flyer (John Archer) reached Allied lines with vital war information. As usual, the Nazis are incredibly stupid and lead-footed, enabling the flyer to accomplish his mission. Featured in the cast is Peter Lawford in one of his first major roles of the 1940s (contrary to popular belief, Lawford was not "discovered" in this film, having made his American screen debut in 1938's Lord Jeff). The only drawback to the film is the lackluster performance by leading lady Mary McLeod. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Archer, Mary McLeod, (more)
- 1943
What happens when "freedom of the press" is abused in wartime? In Power of the Press, the consequences are nearly catastrophic. Otto Kruger plays ruthless newspaper publisher Howard Rankin, who uses his journalistic privileges to destroy his political enemies. When the usual methods of character assassination fail him, Rankin resorts to murder. Honest editor Griff Thompson (Lee Tracy), working hand-in-hand with his faithful secretary Edwina Stephens (Gloria Dickson), sets the wheels in motion for Rankin's downfall. Top-billed Guy Kibbee plays a supporting role as a "solid citizen" who's actually a nefarious hoarder (this was WW II, remember), while Victor Jory is slime personified as Rankin's chief henchman. Power of the Press is based on a story by former newspaper editor (and future director) Sam Fuller. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Guy Kibbee, Gloria Dickson, (more)
- 1943
If you believe all-American Fred MacMurray as an Oxford don, you'll probably swallow the rest of Above Suspicion. Newly married to Joan Crawford, MacMurray goes on a honeymoon in prewar Germany. Actually it's more business than pleasure: they are secret agents for the British, attempting to smuggle back information about a new superweapon being developed by the Nazis. Evil, mean, cruel and also wicked German officer Basil Rathbone imprisons and tortures Crawford (though she still looks like a million bucks), but McMurray comes to the rescue, paving the way for a suspenseful race-to-the-border climax. The tenor of Above Suspicion can be summed up in a scene in which, after being confronted by a monolingual stormtrooper, Fred MacMurray says in English "Nuts to you, dope!," whereupon the Nazi scratches his head and wonders aloud, "Vass iss das 'dope'?" ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joan Crawford, Fred MacMurray, (more)
- 1943
In this provocative WW II drama, an American agent sneaks into a Nazi spy ring to learn the identities of certain double-agents. The hero works for the FBI, but was born in Germany and speaks the language like a native. First he assumes a dead spy's identity and in that guise, contacts the Nazi superiors. He is then placed aboard a U-boat and sent to the US. Things go well until his cover is blown. Fortunately, he manages to escape. He then is forced to appear in a lengthy court case to help convict the treacherous spies. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Sanders, Anna Sten, (more)
- 1943
Luise Rainer's last Hollywood film was the economically produced wartime drama Hostages. Adapted from the novel by Stefan Heym, the story is set in a Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakian village. Rainer plays Milada, the daughter of collaborationist Lev Preissinger (Oscar Homolka). Totally apolitical herself, Milada is won over to the anti-Nazi cause by resistance leader Paul Breda (Arturo de Cordova). The drama intensifies when a Nazi officer commits suicide; the Gestapo, hoping to justify future outrages, claim that the officer was murdered, arresting 26 villagers as hostages. The ending could classify as tragic, but in 1943 it was considered inspirational. With so much plot and so many characters, poor Luise Rainer has very little to do; if the film has any real star, it is William Bendix, who is superb as a deceptively slow-witted resistance fighter. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Arturo de Cordova, Luise Rainer, (more)
- 1942
Made in 1942 but released early in 1943, Secret Enemies is a Warner Bros. espionage quickie, putting the studio's second-echelon contractees to good use. Craig Stevens, Faye Emerson and John Ridgely are the leads in this hour-long meller about a Nazi spy ring operating covertly in America. The FBI sniffs out the "secret enemies," striking another blow against Uncle Adolf. Secret Enemies enabled Faye Emerson to step up into "A" pictures and secured a contract extension for reliable utility player John Ridgely. But Craig Stevens was drafted almost immediately after the film's release; unable to regain his lost footing after the war, it would take Stevens until 1958 to establish himself as a full-fledged star on the TV series Peter Gunn. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Craig Stevens, Faye Emerson, (more)
- 1942
In this espionage drama, a battle-fatigued British commando is diagnosed as clinically insane by doctors who are in reality, Nazi spies. They do this to keep him from divulging the secret info he has gathered about them. To prove their diagnosis, they murder several woman and blame him for the deaths. The RAF pilot comes out of his shell-shock in time to stop the Nazis. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Loder, Ruth Ford, (more)
- 1942
Escape from Crime is a pared-down (51 minute) remake of 1933's Picture Snatcher, with Richard Travis in the old James Cagney role. Recently paroled from jail, Red O'Hara (Travis) manages to wangle a photographer's job at the tabloid newspaper managed by hard-drinking Cornell (Frank Wilcox). Flamboyantly "grabbing" photos where no one else can, Red is able to support his wife Molly (Julie Bishop) and child, but the stigma of his prison sentence still hangs over him. Only by rounding up his former gang is Red able to square himself with police lieutenant "Biff" Malone. Though billed third, Jackie "C" Gleason has a very minor role as an overfed convict. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Travis, Julie Bishop, (more)
- 1942
Long before Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock joined forces in Speed (1994), there was the strikingly similar Warner Bros. B-picture Busses Roar. A gang of Axis spies decide to use a California passenger bus to secretly transport a demolition bomb to a coastal oil field. The bomb is set to go off upon arrival, wiping out the passengers along with the oil deposits. Among those passengers is Army sergeant Ryan, who senses that something's amiss and then races against time to save himself and the others from being blown to smithereens. Another of the hapless commuters is played by Eleanor Parker, making an excellent impression in her first feature film appearance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Travis, Julie Bishop, (more)
