Robert Chapin Movies

In this romantic comedy, set during WW II, an newlywed army couple are unable to consummate their marriage, as on their wedding night the husband is called away to sentry duty. Later they try again, but as he has just completed a 37-mile hike, he finds himself too tired to work up any enthusiasm for conjugal bliss. Fortunately, the bride's understanding aunt intervenes with the young man's colonel and the frustrated couple is at last able to share a night of love. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

The macabre, overripe war melodrama Prisoner of Japan was produced and directed by the always fascinating Arthur Ripley. Alan Baxter plays the title character, astronomical researcher David Bowman. Stationed on a remote Pacific Island, Bowman is captured by Japanese secret agent Matsuru (Ernst Dorian) when the island is invaded. Ordered to cooperate with the Japanese captors, Bowman is expected to utilize his talents to guide enemy submarines towards American battleships, lest harm befall his sweetheart Toni Chase (Gertrude Michael). Eventually, however, hero and heroine are able to communicate with the U.S. fleet and foil the villains -- but the price is a precious one. Corinna Mura, best remembered as the guitar-playing nightclub singer in Casablanca, plays a major role in Prisoner of Japan. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Telecast dozens of times on cable television back in the 1980s, Columbia's Babies for Sale was another stepping-stone on Glenn Ford's road to stardom. The story concerns a crooked adoption racket, operating out of a supposedly charitable maternity home. The establishment's staff uses methods of persuasion both subtle and overt to convince the unfortunate mothers-to-be to give up custody of their unborn children, which are then sold to adoptive parents who've had no luck within legal channels. Those expectant mothers who protest against these shady goings-on have a habit of disappearing without a trace. The racket is exposed by crusading reporter Steve Burton (Glenn Ford), with the aid of inquisitive maternity-home inmate Ruth Williams (Rochelle Hudson). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Columbia's new "Blondie" series continued its winning streak with its fourth entry, Blondie Brings Up Baby. So much happens within the film's 67 minutes that it's best to boil things down to the central storyline. Baby Dumpling (Larry Simms), the six-year-old son of Blondie and Dagwood Bumstead (Penny Singleton and Arthur Lake) disappears from sight during his first day at school. While Dagwood frantically combs the city in search of the boy, Baby Dumpling spents a nice, safe afternoon with poor little rich girl Melinda Mason (Peggy Ann Garner), who with her new playmate's help arises from her sickbed to walk across the room for the first time in months. Other plot threads include Dagwood's disastrous confrontation with an important business client (Robert Middlemass), and Daisy the Dog's ongoing battle of wits with the local dog-catcher. Like many of the "Blondie" films, Blondie Brings Up Baby serves as a showcase for young talent on the way up: Robert Sterling is seen as one of Dagwood's office buddies, while Bruce Bennett plays a uniformed chauffeur. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this entry in the Jones Family series of domestic comedies, the trouble begins when con artists attempt to convince Mayor Jones that the local swamp is chock full of valuable minerals. Mayhem ensues, and just as the crooks think they will be able to pull off their scam, some of Jones' children fall into the muck and the truth is revealed. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Arranging to leave her father J.C. Darlington (Andrew Tombes) behind, frisky teenager Jerry (Jane Withers) convinces Pete Graham (Robert Kellard), from her father's New York office, to pilot the family yacht. They're recently rich, but thoroughly spoiled, including Jerry's mother (Nana Bryant), Uncle Ed (Eddie Collins) and attractive older sister Virginia (Jean Rogers); however, a mishap strands them on an island where they're held captive by a band of smugglers. ~ Bill Warren, Rovi

Not a remake of the 1932 Erich Von Stroheim film of the same name (which was ultimately released as Hello Sister), Walking Down Broadway owes more to the old Warner Bros. melodrama Three on a Match. The story concerns six Broadway chorus girls, who, when their latest show folds on New Years' Eve, make a pact to stage a reunion one year later. And what a year it is! Two of the girls die in accidents, one is framed on a manslaughter charge, and the other three land husbands, one of whom is fabulously wealthy. The most successful of the six is the group's "den mother" Joan Bradley (Clare Trevor), who not only finds the man of her dreams, but also achieves success in the business world. For the record, the other five girls are played by 20th Century-Fox contractees Phyllis Brooks, Leah Ray, Dixie Dunbar, Lynn Bari and Jayne Regan, who like their cinematic counterparts would have mixed success in their future careers. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The owner of a racehorse, the owner's lovely niece and a jockey must deal with a number of travails before the big race in this comedy. The uncle must win so he can afford to keep the bank from foreclosing on his horse farm. Unfortunately, his horse breaks his leg and all seems to be lost. Fortunately the girl finds a clever veterinarian who uses a new technique to repair the leg and therefore save the farm. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi