Constance Worth Movies
A child actress in the 1920s, Australia-born Constance Worth re-emerged as an ash-blonde leading lady in the early '30s. Worth worked mainly in such B-films as Columbia's Crime Doctor and Boston Blackie entries. During one of her many stopovers at Republic, she did damsel-in-distress duty in the 1943 serial G-Men vs. the Black Dragon. She retired in 1949. At one time, Constance Worth was married to film star George Brent. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1949
Johnny Mack Brown's first starring western for 1950 is cut from the same cloth as his 1949 releases. Brown's principal antagonist this time is the town boss (Hugh Prosser), an outlaw who has killed the community's leading citizen. The dead man's grown children (Jane Adams and Riley Hill) want to investigate the killing, but the outlaw puts a stop to this by hiring a dance-hall dame (Constance Worth) to pose as the kids' long-lost mother. Johnny isn't fooled by this subterfuge, nor is his comic sidekick (Max Terhune). Once the plot has been established, Western Renegades adheres strictly to formula -- right down to Johnny Mack Brown's relinquishing the film's romantic-lead responsibilities to the younger, thinner Steve Clark. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Johnny Mack Brown, Max "Alibi" Terhune, (more)
As shown by the clock face that opens and closes the film, The Set-Up takes place within a compact 72 minutes, with the action played out in "real time." Robert Ryan plays Bill "Stoker" Thompson, a washed-up boxer who refuses to give up his career despite the pleas of his wife Julie (Audrey Totter). There's little chance that he's going to win this evening's bout; still, Stoker's manager Tiny (George Tobias) has secretly made a deal with a crooked gambler (Alan Baxter). Stoker is to take a dive, a fact withheld from him until the fight is well under way. His last vestige of pride is aroused in the ring, but the story doesn't end there. The fight sequence is one of the most brutal ever filmed, with close ups of Ryan's pummeled face intercut with shots of screaming spectators in the throes of bloodlust. Adapted by Art Cohn from a narrative poem by Joseph Moncure March, The Set-Up is arguably Robert Ryan's finest starring film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Ryan, Audrey Totter, (more)
- 1946
Deadline at Dawn represented not only the sole film directorial effort of Broadway's Harold Clurman, but also the only cinematic collaboration between Clurman and his former Group Theatre associate, screenwriter Clifford Odets. While on shore leave in New York, sailor Alex (Bill Williams) is slipped a doped-up drink by B-girl Edna (Lola Lane). When he awakens, Alex discovers that she has been murdered. Though he believes that he's the killer, our hero is talked into locating the actual miscreant by philosophical cab driver gus (Paul Lukas) and nightclub dancer June (Susan Hayward). Adapted from a novel by Cornell Woolrich, Deadline at Dawn leans towards pretentiousness at times, but is redeemed by the no-nonsense performance by Susan Hayward. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Susan Hayward, Paul Lukas, (more)
Dillinger, the was the ninth effort from the enterprising King Brothers, and their most financially successful film to date. Lawrence Tierney became an overnight cult favorite with his gritty portrayal of maverick bank robber John Dillinger, though top billing is bestowed upon Edmund Lowe as gang chieftain Specs. The film traces Dillinger's criminal career from his first petty theft to his spectacular 1934 demise outside Chicago's Biograph Theater (incidentally, this film was banned in Chicago for several years). Anne Jeffreys plays Dillinger's fictional moll Helen, while Elisha Cook Jr., Marc Lawrence, and Eduardo Ciannelli go through their usual crime-flick paces. The film's set piece is an elaborate armored-car holdup, lifted in its entirety from footage originally shot for Fritz Lang's You Only Live Once (1937). Screenwriter Philip Yordan, fresh from his Broadway triumph Anna Lucasta, earned an Academy Award nomination for Dillinger. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edmund Lowe, Anne Jeffreys, (more)
- 1945
In this crime drama a young woman leaves her unhappy life at home to become a sophisticated night club singer. Her first job is nearly fatal when she entangles herself with the mobsters who own the joint and learns too much about their operation. Her boss decides to kill her and make it look like suicide. An intrepid reporter disbelieves the report and exposes the truth to the public. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sheldon Leonard, Pamela Blake, (more)
- 1945
In this crime drama, a naive, honest young woman falls for a louse who takes her to illicit gambling houses. When one of them is raided and she is there, her angry father throws her out of the house. After that her life takes a real dive until she is able to talk her way into joining a chorus-line at the night club frequented by the creepy boyfriend. Even a job doesn't stop her downward spiral and soon her boyfriend jilts her for her best friend. In the end she shoots them both. More tragedy ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Lowery, Doris Merrick, (more)
In this comedy, a bookish kid sister reads a psychology book and comes to believe that, according to the book, she is finally "grown up." To demonstrate her new maturity she begins chasing her big sister's fiance. She then winds up locked in her room during a party held in the fiance's honor. She manages to escape and begins impersonating a maid. She soon meets a handsome burglar who mistakenly believes that she is a moll. They end up attempting to burgle the fiance's home. Mayhem ensues until the young girl finally manages to steal the fiance's heart for herself. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roger Pryor, Judy Clark, (more)
- 1944
Daphne du Maurier's novel formed the basis for this romantic adventure saga. Lady Dona St. Columb (Joan Fontaine), an English noblewoman, is unhappily married to the weak-willed Harry St. Columb (Ralph Forbes), while Harry's sinister best friend Lord Rockingham (Basil Rathbone) makes no secret of his desire for her. When she discovers the ship of a French pirate, Jean Benoit Aubrey (Arturo DeCordova), docked near her estate, she makes the acquaintance of the dashing buccaneer, and she soon finds herself infatuated with him. Dona impulsively joins Jean as he stages a raid against wealthy landowner Lord Godolphin (Nigel Bruce); when Dona learns that Harry and Rockingham plan to capture the pirate, she stages a dinner party to distract them and then sends word to Jean that he is in danger. Jean soon appears at the St. Columb estate, putting Harry and Rockingham behind bars and urging Dona to run away with him. She declines, choosing not to follow her heart but to instead stay home to raise her children; however, Rockingham overhears this conversation and uses it to blackmail Dona into having his way with her. Frenchman's Creek earned an Academy Award for Sam V. Comer's set decoration and design. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joan Fontaine, Arturo de Cordova, (more)
- 1944
Within its brisk 78 minutes, Jam Session manages to accommodate the singing, dancing and acting talents of Ann Miller, a romantic main plot, a comic subplot-and no fewer than six big-name orchestras. The story is the old saw about a small-town girl named Terry Baxter (Miller), who wins a trip to Hollywood. Unable to impress any of the tinseltown bigwigs, Terry is about to pack it in and head home until she meets go-getting screenwriter George Carter Haven (Jess Barker). Several mishaps and setbacks later, Terry not only lands a studio contract, but Haven as well. In addition to the terpsichorean talents of Ann Miller, the film spotlights such major big-band names as Charlie Barnet (playing "Cherokee," of course!), Louis Armstrong, Alvino Ray, Jan Garber, Glen Gray and Teddy Powell, along with vocalists Nan Wynn and the Pied Pipers. A tantalizingly brief clip of Jam Session was featured (wildly out of context!) in the 1968 Monkees film vehicle Head. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ann Miller, Jess Barker, (more)
- 1944
It's nice to see perennial "other woman" Ann Savage in a leading role, even in so antiseptic a film as Klondike Kate. Savage plays Kathleen O'Malley, who comes to the Great White North to claim her inheritance. When she finds that her legacy consists of a rundown hotel, she makes the best of things-even though her ownership is challenged by cardsharp Jefferson Braddock (Tom Neal). The film is then sidetracked into a murder story, which is abruptly and conveniently forgotten during the exciting hotel-fire climax. Stars Ann Savage and Tom Neal would later be more memorably teamed in Edgar G. Ulmer's noir classic Detour (1946). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ann Savage, Tom Neal, (more)
- 1944
In this western, the good-guy and his trusty side-kick rescue a pretty gal whose father's cows are threatened by villainous rustlers. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
A typical war time Republic Pictures serial, G-Men vs. the Black Dragon featured the combined efforts of three allied operatives -- Rex Bennett of the USA (Rod Cameron), Vivian Marsh of the British Secret Service (Constance Worth, an Australian) and Chang Sing (Roland Got) of the Chinese counter-espionage division -- who battle the Japanese Black Dragon Society. Headed by the maniacal Oyama Harushi (Nino Pipitone, Sr.), the notorious society conducted a campaign of terror and sabotage against America until stopped by the united heroes in the 15th and final chapter, "Democracy in Action." That the Japanese master spy was played by an Italian-American was only par for the course. Much of the footage from this serial -- including a spectacular exploding submarine -- was re-used many times over, notably in the 1951 serial Flying Disc Man from Mars. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1943
Black Dragon of Manzanar is a 100-minute abridgment of the 1943 Republic series G-Men vs. the Black Dragon, reedited for television in 1966. Set during World War II the 15- episode serial concerns the smashing of the Japanese Black Dragon Society. American investigator Rod Cameron and British secret agent Constance Worth join forces to thwart the activities of Black Dragon leader Haruchi (played by Filipino actor Nino Pipitone). Chinese secret service operative Chang (Roland Got) poses as a Japanese to infiltrate the Society. After many life-threatening perils, the good guys send the Japanese villains to their Honorable Ancestors. Chock-full of the least convincing Japanese characters you're ever likely to see (most are Caucasian stunt men!), Black Dragon of Manzanar nonetheless scores with its breathless action content. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1943
The Two Senoritas from Chicago are Gloria (Jinx Falkenburg) and Maria (Ann Savage). When their goofy pal Daisy Baker (Joan Davis) passes off a discarded Portuguese play manuscript as her own, producer Rupert Shannon (Emory Parnell) agrees to bankroll the production. With stars in their eyes, Gloria and Maria pretend to be a pair of Portuguese musical comedy stars, thereby winning parts in the new production. The fun begins when the play's original authors sell the same manuscript to a rival producer. The story's for the birds, but Two Senoritas from Chicago is at the very least decorative, with stars Jinx Falkenburg (later a popular TV talk host) and Ann Savage attractively garbed in what one observer has described as Carmen Miranda's leftovers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joan Davis, Jinx Falkenburg, (more)
- 1943
In this musical, a lovely and ambitious young woman masquerades as the daughter of a formerly beloved stage actress to help launch her Broadway career. She chooses one entertainment columnist in particular. But the starlet's carefully-made plans begin to unravel when a rival columnist learns of her ruse and tries to expose her. Songs include: "Let's March Together" (Saul Chaplin), "I Bumped My Head on a Star" (Cindy Walker), "Honk, Honk" (Roy Jacobs, Gene De Paul), "Timber Timber" (Don Reid, Henry Tobias), "Moon on My Pillow" (Charles, Henry, Elliot Tobias). ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jinx Falkenburg, Tom Neal, (more)
- 1943
In this drama, based on a popular radio program, the leader of a ring of burglars suffers a blow to the head and loses his memory. Unable to remember anything about his past, he starts anew and becomes a psychiatrist. He never does stop trying to remember his past life, even while his present life continues to advance. He is soon made the head of the state parole board. There he gets entangled with former gang members, one of whom hits him in the head, again. Suddenly, he remembers. He gives himself up, but then receives a suspended sentence. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Warner Baxter, Margaret Lindsay, (more)
- 1943
This second entry in Columbia's "Crime Doctor" series once again stars Warner Baxter as Dr. Ordway, a former criminal turned criminologist. In this outing, Ordway is called in to analyze the dreams of elderly Patricia Cornwall (Virginia Brissac). It is hoped that this will provide a clue to the long-ago disappearance of Patricia's husband-not to mention $30,000. Naturally, there's at least one person who doesn't want the secret revealed, and that's the person who murdered Cornwall and hid his body in the basement of a popular café. Could the guilty party be Diana Burns (Rose Hobart), widow of Cornwall's former partner, who has just become a murder victim himself? Billed ninth in the cast of Crime Doctor's Strangest Case is young Columbia contractee Lloyd Bridges. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1943
A musical star leaves the show and convinces the financial backer to leave also when she finds out that her leading man is married. ~ All Movie Guide
In this melodrama, a group of women live in a boardinghouse near a prison to await the release of their men. ~ 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
Originally titled Dawn Express, this PRC spy melodrama was hastily rechristened Nazi Spy Ring to keep abreast of current events. Michael Whalen stars as Robert Norton, a scientist who has developed a formula for synthetic gasoline. A group of Nazi spies try to intimidate Norton into parting with his formula, but he is not so easily frightened. The villains then contrive to have Norton suspected of being a Nazi himself so that he'll be more susceptible to their overtures. As one critic pointed out, the hero could have saved himself all this trouble if he'd reported the spies to the FBI in the first reel, but then the movie would have been over in 12 minutes. Nazi Spy Ring is so cheaply produced that the sets constantly threaten collapse -- and indeed, at one point a break-away door fails to break properly, provoking laughter in all the wrong places. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1942
By popular consensus, Allan Jones' best Universal mini-musical of the 1940s was the timely When Johnny Comes Marching Home. Jones is cast as war hero Johnny Kovacs, who wearies of the adulation heaped upon him and takes refuge under an assumed name in a theatrical boarding house. Here he befriends orchestra leader Phil Spitalny and his all-girl aggregation, including the inimitable Evelyn and Her Magic Violin. When Army officials trace Johnny to the boarding house, his new friends assume that he's a deserter and try to convince him to return to duty. All is explained during the closing production number, which in addition to Jones and the Spitalny girls spotlights Gloria Jean (singing "You and the Night and the Music"), Donald O'Connor, Peggy Ryan, Jane Frazee, and the Four Step Brothers. That Universal was able to bring this star-studded entertainment in under budget and within a 73-minute running time is nothing short of miraculous. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Allan Jones, Gloria Jean, (more)
- 1941
Alan Baxter, usually seen as a neurotic villain in A pictures, gets to play the good guy in Monogram's Borrowed Hero. Baxter stars as a crusading DA who suspects that a "respectable" civic reform organization isn't all it appears to be. With the help of sob-sister Florence Rice, Baxter is able to scrape off the above-suspicion veneer of the organization and reveal the corruption beneath. Neil Hamilton, who later played the upright Commissioner Gordon on TV's Batman, is the high-profile criminal behind the reform racket. One of the screenwriters of Borrowed Hero was future best-selling novelist Sidney Sheldon. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alan Baxter, Florence Rice, (more)
