Jean Brooks Movies
The hauntingly beautiful devil worshiper in Val Lewton's The Seventh Victim (1943), Texas-born, Costa Rica-reared Jean Brooks began her professional career singing at New York's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. She was discovered there, or so the story goes, by Erich Von Stroheim, who secured the former Ruby Kelly a stint as the nominal leading lady in Obeah (1935), a very low-budget independent thriller dealing with voodoo curses. In order not to be confused with Ruby Keeler, the novice actress billed herself Jeanne Kelly. She was Jeanne Kelly again opposite Von Stroheim in the equally obscure The Crime of Dr. Crespi (1935) -- which, according to Von Stroheim himself, was also the "crime of the screenwriter and director" -- while under contract to Universal 1940-1941. That studio cast her, briefly, as one of Ming the Merciless' handmaidens in the second Flash Gordon chapterplay, Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (1940), and as the leading lady in the all-star "super serial" The Riders of Death Valley (1941).Having married tyro screenwriter Richard Brooks and changed her name to Jean Brooks, the still novice actress had much better luck at RKO, where she would appear in five of the studio's popular Falcon thrillers and as the nightclub chanteuse in the atmospheric The Leopard Man (1943). As the cynical Kiki, Brooks quite innocently causes all the ensuing mayhem when a leopard used in her act (and which she leads around on a leash) escapes. Producer Val Lewton obviously liked what he saw and cast Jean Brooks in the relatively small but pivotal and quite unforgettable role as the suicidal Jacqueline Gibson in The Seventh Victim. Caught up in a satanic cult, the morbid Jacqueline finally kills herself with the noose she had left hanging in her room for that very purpose.
RKO's resident neurotic, as film historian Doug McClelland has called her, Jean Brooks should in a perfect world have gone on to true stardom after two such eye-opening performances. A bitter and very public divorce from Brooks and rumored alcoholism prevented that, however, and her remaining films were potboilers. Leaving Hollywood after 1948's Women in the Night, the actress' subsequent life remained a mystery for years, to the point, in fact, that as late as 1990, a fan posted a "wanted" ad in a Hollywood trade paper. As more recent research has revealed, however, following her brief fling with stardom Jean Brooks married a printer for the San Francisco Examiner and worked for a while as a solicitor of classified ads for the same daily. Her death in November 1963 was given as cirrhosis of the liver.
Although she appeared only fleetingly in what at the time were dismissed as mere programmers, Jean Brooks' haunting face, her large, soulful eyes, and her Cleopatra wig (in The Seventh Victim) remain some of the more startling impressions of World War II Hollywood. In many ways, her paranoid and bewildered Jacqueline Gibson presages Mia Farrow's equally ill-fated heroine in Rosemary's Baby. That Brooks' later life was bedeviled by alcoholism and near total oblivion only adds to the poignancy of her best-remembered performance. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1946
A loose remake of 1941's The Gay Falcon, The Falcon's Alibi is one of the better entries in RKO's "Falcon" series, and one of the few that can stand on its own merits as a "film noir." This time, amateur detective Tom Lawrence (Tom Conway), aka the Falcon, is hired by a wealthy woman's secretary to protect the lady's precious jewels. Nevertheless, the thief still manages to get away with them, which puts Lawrence hot on his trail. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Conway, Rita Corday, (more)
- 1946
In this WW II romance, a small-time nightclub singer who works in a little Manhattan nightclub has a one-night stand with a handsome fly-boy. The next day, the B-29 pilot is sent to the Pacific and once there, his crew mischievously paints the picture of the singer upon his plane with the words "The Bamboo Blonde" beneath it. The pilot takes off to become one of the most fearsome fighters of the war, earning himself considerable renown back home. Ever the entrepreneur, the nightclub owner sees a chance to make big bucks off of the singer. He succeeds and she becomes famous. Later the pilot returns, but though he wants to be with his Bamboo Blonde he cannot for he is engaged to another -- at least for the moment. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frances Langford, Ralph Edwards, (more)
- 1945
In this drama, an amnesiac awakens and finds himself accused of murder. Fortunately, a female cabbie helps prove his innocence. Things look bleak until a bullet wound helps him regain his memory and he can prove he didn't kill anyone. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Conway, Ann Rutherford, (more)
- 1944
In this WW II-era drama set in a small town, most of the adults are so busy fighting the war or working in the local defense plant that they have little time to supervise their children. A sort of juvenile anarchy ensues with the children and teens doing whatever they please. Soon the town is falling into ruin as a boy is run down by a car thief, a runaway girl begins associating with thugs and other mayhem ensues. Fortunately, a returning soldier decides to open up a youth center to give the kids a place to go. He also helps the boys get some useful job training. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bonita Granville, Kent Smith, (more)
- 1944
In this drama, a remake of Hat, Coat and Glove (1934), a hard working attorney is upset when he learns that his long-suffering, neglected wife is having an affair with an accused murderer. This does not prevent the highly principled lawyer from representing the man and his wife in court. Not only does he get them acquitted, he also manages to keep the whole mess out of the newspaper. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Conway, Audrey Long, (more)
- 1944
This delightful entry in RKO Radio's "Falcon" series finds amateur Tom Lawrence (Tom Conway), aka The Falcon, tring to solve a series of Tinseltown murders. The killings all seem to be tied in with a "jinxed" movie production, supervised by neurotic studio executive Martin Dwyer (John Abbott). Accompanied by wisecracked lady cabbie Billie (Veda Ann Borg), Lawrence pokes around a studio backlot, gathering clues and grilling suspects all along the way. Could the murderer be pretty starlet Peggy Callahan (Barbara Hale), haughty prima donna Lili D'Alio (Rita Corday) or shady "businessman" Louie (Sheldon Leonard)? Filmed on such locations as the Hollywood Park race track and the Hollywood Bowl, The Falcon in Hollywood spends most of its time within the offices, sound stages, technical departments and walkways of the RKO Radio studio itself. The film was one of the most popular of RKO's "Falcon" efforts, posting a $115,000 profit. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Conway, Barbara Hale, (more)
- 1943
- NR
Producer Val Lewton once more utilized leftover Magnificent Ambersons sets for his psychological horror piece The Seventh Victim. Kim Hunter arrives in New York's Greenwich Village in search of her errant sister Jean Brooks. Gradually, the naive Hunter is drawn into a strange netherworld of Satan worshippers. The story is a bit too complex for its own good (especially with only a 71-minute running time to play with), but editor-turned-director Mark Robson and screenwriters Dewitt Bodeen and Charles O'Neal keep the thrills and shudders coming at a satisfying pace. Lewton regular Tom Conway offers his usual polished performance, while veteran character actresses Isabel Jewell and Evelyn Brent look appropriately gaunt and possessed in the "cult" sequences. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kim Hunter, Tom Conway, (more)
- 1943
Adapted from the Cornell Woolrich novel Black Alibi, The Leopard Man is a lesser but still fascinating psychological-horror effort from producer Val Lewton. Someone has been killing off the citizens of a small New Mexico town, and the most likely suspect is a huge leopard, purchased for a local nightclub act by press agent Jerry Manning (Dennis O'Keefe), which has escaped from its cage. Neither Manning nor his star Clo-Clo (Margo) are totally convinced that the big cat is responsible.The haunting finale takes place during the annual "Day of the Dead" festivities. The opening sequence of Leopard Man, atmospherically detailing the last few moments of murder victim Teresa Delgado (Margaret Landry), is so powerful that the rest of the film seems anticlimactic. Long available only in its 59-minute reissue form, the film was restored to its original 65-minute running time in the mid-1980s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dennis O'Keefe, Margo, (more)
- 1943
When an instructor dies mysteriously at an exclusive girl's school, Tom Lawrence (Tom Conway), a devil-may-care sleuth known as "The Falcon," reluctantly agrees to investigate. The death appears to have been induced by a heart attack, but the instructor's roommate (Rita Corday) had predicted that the victim would be murdered. The school's dean (Barbara Brown) dies shortly afterward, and suspicion falls upon the fencing instructor (Jean Brooks), who'd been in line to inherit the school. Other suspects include a foreign psychology professor (George Givot), who'd once courted the fencing teacher, and a meek music teacher (Isabel Jewell), to whom the foreign prof is secretly married. The murderer is revealed in a heart-stopping climactic scene played out on a perilous cliff overlooking the ocean. The Falcon and the Co-Eds is the sixth film in RKO Radio's "Falcon" series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Conway, Jean Brooks, (more)
- 1943
In this entry, the detective must find two missing industrialists. They and $100,000 suddenly vanished while flying in a passenger plane. It does not take long for the supersleuth to discover that their disappearance is part of a conspiracy against the government. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Conway, Jean Brooks, (more)
- 1943
Quality was seldom a consideration in the low-budget films of PRC Studios; still, the company was a welcome harbor for character actors who aspired to occasional leading roles. In Boss of Big Town, veteran supporting player John Litel is top-billed as crusading city market official Michael Lynn. When a criminal gang muscles in on the local food distribution markets, Lynn vows to throw the rascals out. First, however, he pretends to join the villains as a paid government stooge, the better to find out the identity of the "Mister Big" behind the distribution racket. The exposure of the "mystery villain" will come as a shock to fans of the 1927 Cecil B. DeMille epic The King of Kings--but not to dyed-in-the-wool movie buffs. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Litel, Florence Rice, (more)
- 1942
"The Range Busters" -- "Crash" (Ray "Crash" Corrigan), Dusty (John "Dusty" King), and "Alibi" (Max Terhune) -- go up against yet another licentious saloon owner in this Western series entry from Monogram. As it turns out, the saloon proprietor, Brand Bolton (John Merton), is actually in the employ of Sundance's corrupt mayor (Budd Buster), who dabbles in a bit of stage robbing on the side. Lawman "Crash" Corrigan, who is thought by everyone to have been killed by a local thug, The Maverick (Glenn Strange), is actually very much alive and manages to collect enough evidence to not only prosecute Bolton but also go after the mayor. But first he and "Dusty" must free disgruntled saloon girl May Meadows (Jean Brooks) and "Alibi," who have been kidnapped. Leading lady Brooks later played Kim Hunter's mysterious sister in the Val Lewton thriller The Seventh Victim (1943). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1942
In this Alaskan adventure, a surgeon becomes a pilot to help him distress after a failed operation. Unfortunately, he is caught in a storm, crashes and finds himself cared for by a lovely woman at a trading post. He gets a chance to reclaim his self-esteem when her son suddenly needs the operation the surgeon botched. This time the operation is a success and happiness ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edmund Lowe, Lucille Fairbanks, (more)
- 1941
A Clarence Buddington Kelland story was the source for the mildly farcical For Beauty's Sake. If he wants to inherit a fortune, bookish astronomy professor B. E. Dillsome (Ted North) must operate his aunt's beauty parlor for a two-year period. Business is very, very slow, prompting Dillsome's girlfriend Dime Pringle (Marjorie Weaver) to bring in a hot-shot press agent Jonathan B. Sweet (Ned Sparks) to publicize the establishment. Before long, our benighted hero finds himself mixed up in a murder plot and a blackmail scheme. The raucous comedy relief of Joan Davis and the patented deadpan asides of Ned Sparks more than make up for the film's plot deficiencies. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ned Sparks, Marjorie Weaver, (more)
- 1941
Johnny Mack Brown from Alabama stretches his acting range to play the Man From Montana. The old "divide and conquer" western plotline is trotted out once more, as evil land usurpers pit homesteaders against cattlemen in a range war. Riding into this tense situation is Bob Dawson (Brown), who deduces that the man behind all the trouble is probably a highly respected member of the community. Dawson is absolutely right, but it takes a couple of brutal murders before the "mystery man" finally tips his hand. Nell O'Day, an expert horsewoman in her own right, plays the heroine, while Fuzzy Knight supplies an acceptable blend of comedy relief and rugged self-reliance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Johnny Mack Brown, Fuzzy Knight, (more)
- 1941
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The Saturday matinee crowd got two cowboy stars for the price of one in this lavishly budgeted western serial starring former singing cowboy Dick Foran and Buck Jones. The latter contributed deadpan humor to the proceedings, making Jones perhaps the highest paid B-western comedy relief in history. The two heroes defend the Death Valley borax miners from an outlaw gang headed by Wolf Reade. An extraordinarily strong cast -- for a serial, at least -- supported the stars, headed by Charles Bickford as Reade, Leo Carillo, Lon Chaney, Jr., and silent screen star Monte Blue. Leading lady Jeanne Kelly later changed her name to Jean Brooks and starred in the atmospheric RKO thriller The Seventh Victim (1943). Universal claimed to have spent $1 million on this serial and made sure to get their money's worth by endlessly recycling the action footage in serials and B-westerns for years to come. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1941
One wonders if the title Too Many Blondes was inspired by the well-publicized romantic peccadilloes of the film's star, Rudy Vallee. The plot centers on a husband-wife radio team, Dick (Vallee) and Virginia (Helen Parrish). When Dick is caught in an innocent but compromising situation with brassy blonde showgirl Hortense (Iris Adrian), Virginia is encouraged to inaugurate divorce proceedings by her oily ex-beau Ted (Jerome Cowan). It all winds up in Mexico, with Dick ardently chasing Virginia until she catches him. This being a Universal B-picture, it goes without saying that Shemp Howard shows up as comedy relief. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rudy Vallee, Helen Parrish, (more)
- 1940
In this comedy-adventure two petroleum engineers must investigate strange reports from a Company outpost in the South Seas. The minute they arrive they are arrested, framed and sentenced to hard labor. They find themselves working for the local oil magnate. It seems that the crook is using the "convicts" as a source of cheap labor; he keeps all their salaries. The two investigators successfully incite an uprising against the malicious magnate and gain their freedom. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Arlen, Andy Devine, (more)
Invisible Killer was the second effort from Producers Distributing Corporation, the enterprising poverty-row movie firm that would eventually matriculate into PRC Pictures. Based on Carter Wayne's novel Murder for Millions, the story concerns a trio of mysterious murders, each committed in the same bizarre fashion. Girl reporter Sue (Grace Bradley) and her police-officer boyfriend Jerry (Roland Drew) suspect that all three killings were perpetrated by the same murderer (duh!), and set about to prove it. The gimmick is a tiny poison pellet concealed in a telephone receiver, which is released into the air when the victim-to-be answers the phone. But knowing how it's done isn't quite the same thing as knowing who, and that's what Sue and Jerry want to find out. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Grace Bradley, Roland Drew, (more)
- 1940
In this exciting western, Roaring Dan is the meanest old cuss around. He and his "son" are constantly bickering. But things are not as they seem as the young man is only pretending to be Dan's son so they can find the killers of the young man's real father. Among the guilty are two women. In the end, the young hero and the killer engage in a thrilling fist fight. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Johnny Mack Brown, Fuzzy Knight, (more)
- 1940
In this touching holiday drama, a sad carnival dancer happens upon an abandoned baby on Christmas Eve. She takes the infant in, but when her cruel estranged husband suddenly appears, trouble follows. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1939
Bold for its time (just prior to World War II), Confessions of a Nazi Spy is an expose of a genuine Nazi espionage ring operating in the United States. Dedicated National Socialist Paul Lukas arrives in America to conduct Bund rallies and enlist German-Americans in the service of Hitler. His rabble-rousing speeches inspire a blue collar worker (Francis Lederer) to join a Bund, and then participate in spy activities. FBI agent Edward G. Robinson is assigned to investigate. Extracting a confession from the not-too-bright Lederer, Robinson traces the espionage activities to Lukas. The Nazi official's notoriety and his undesirability as a security risk compels the German secret police to kidnap Lukas and spirit him back to the Fatherland, presumably to face liquidation. The spy ring is rounded up, but Robinson realizes that this is only the beginning. Confessions of a Nazi Spy may seem dated today, but in 1939 it packed a real wallop, especially since most filmmakers of that era chose to ignore the Nazis lest they lose the valuable European market. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward G. Robinson, Francis Lederer, (more)
- 1935
One of several Liberty productions picked up for release by Republic, The Crime of Dr. Crespi is a modern-dress adaptation of Edgar Allen Poe's The Premature Burial. Erich Von Stroheim stars as brilliant surgeon Dr. Anton Crespi, who seeks revenge against Ross (John Bohn), the man who stole his sweetheart away. When Ross is brought into the hospital E.R. for a crucial operation, Crespi is handed a golden opportunity to get even. Ross seemingly dies on the operating table, but in fact Crespi has administered a powerful drug that places his old enemy in a deathlike trance. Fully conscious and aware of what is happening, Ross is buried alive, but not before Crespi has some fun taunting his helpless victim. Meanwhile, Crespi's associate Dr. Arnold suspects that something is amiss, and with the help of Dr. Thomas (Dwight "Renfield" Frye in a rare non-lunatic role) he exhumes Ross to perform an autopsy. The "corpse" quickly revives?and then??AAAAAH!!!! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Erich Von Stroheim, Dwight Frye, (more)
