Frank Miller Movies

Ladylike Diana Napier is unexpectedly coarse as the female gang boss in Bait. Napier only behaves herself around her lover John Bentley-at least until he spurns her. In retaliation, she frames Bentley for her brother's murder. A knuckle-tough British programmer, Bait is well acted by all concerned. Frank Richardson directed this cinema adaptation of his own stage play. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this suspense film, a tormented young man plots his revenge against his abuser. He decides that he will murder the fellow student. First he will drug the cruel lad. Then he will dump the body in a trunk and drive into the countryside where he will dump it in a deep hole. Things go as planned until the victim wakes up. The disturbed student is subsequently captured. He confesses. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Produced in 1938 at the N.B. Murray dude ranch near Victorville, California, Harlem Rides the Range was the last of three all-black Westerns starring troubadour Herb Jeffries (billed for the occasion Herbert Jeffrey) as cowboy Bob Blake. Blake, on his horse "Stardusk" (!), obtains a job on the ranch belonging to Watson (Spencer Williams of Amos 'n Andy fame). Meanwhile, a neighbor, Dennison (Leonard Christmas), is threatened by Bradley (Clarence Brooks) and his thug Connors (Tom Southern) who want to get their hands of the man's secret radium mine. Leaving Dennison for dead, Bradley schemes to kidnap his daughter Margaret (Artie Young), who is arriving with $6,000 for the mortgage and presumably knows where the secret mine is located. The talkative Connors is killed by his boss, who puts the blame on Blake. Arrested by the sheriff (Wade Dumas), Blake uses his dexterity to break out of jail and arrives just in time to save Margaret from Bradley and his gang. Returning to the Dennison spread, Blake and his sidekick Dusty (Lucius Brooks) find the owner, who has stayed alive by hiding in his underground mine. Jeffries, whose singing was better than his acting, warbled his own I'm a Happy Cowboy (over the opening credits) and Prairie Flower, the latter accompanied by the singing group The Four Tones. Lucius Brooks and Flournoy E. Miller (who wrote his own dialogue) provided the same kind of demeaning comedy that almost all African-Americans were subjected to in the 1930s. Following his brief movie career, Jeffries sang with the Duke Ellington orchestra and ran a nightclub in Paris, France. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Annie Laurie bears little resemblance to the old Scottish ballad, but does serve as a suitable vehicle for Scots character actor Will Fyffe. Burr-accented Fyffe plays Will Laurie, a humble merchant who is the adoptive father of attractive Annie (Annie Laurie). She wants to escape her near-poverty environs and find success on the stage. Annie becomes a star dancer in London musical reviews, but fame means nothing without dead old Dad by her side. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this comedy, a spoiled brat of a young socialite finds herself tossed out of finishing school. This does not cure her of her selfish, manipulative ways, and perhaps it is for the best as everything the woman wants she gets, including her dream lover. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Dandy Dick stars the magnificent Will Hay as supercilious village vicar Rev. Richard Jedd, presently anxious to raise enough money for a new church steeple. Though Jedd draws the line at gambling, he is coerced into risking every penny on a race horse called Dandy Dick. Romance enters the picture when the vicar's daughter Pamela (Nancy Burne) falls in love with wealthy Tony Mardon (Esmond Knight), the horse's part-owner. Based on a play by Arthur Wing Pinero, Dandy Dick incorporates a number of comic highlights that Pinero never dreamed of, including the timorous vicar's first airplane trip. The film was one of several Will Hay vehicles directed by Hollywood's William ("One-Take") Beaudine. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Cinderella story is turned upside down in this musical. This time, the story focuses upon an impoverished young man related to a wealthy family. The family treats him terribly while doing all they can to marry their two sons to a wealthy American heiress. To find out more about the fellows, she disguises herself as a household servant. In the end she saves the poor fellow from a frame-up and eventually marries him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this fantastical mystery, a scientist devises and ingenious, if not cold-blooded plan for collecting insurance money. First he kills the involved parties; then he brings them back to life. He is quite successful--until Scotland Yard puts its best inspector on the case. Unfortunately, even he cannot figure out the scam until he gets some invaluable assistance from his daughter's fiance. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this variation of Brewster's Millions, a fellow's sister will give him a million dollars if he can spend all his money in 30 days. He does his level best by wasting it on prizefights, race horses, and even a suspender factory, but no matter what he does, he cannot seem to lose a dime. Instead he simply continues to make money. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This musical chronicles the escapades of two Spanish couples. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Filmed in German and English back in 1932, this Pagliacci-like musical drama serves as a superb showcase for internationally famous tenor Josef Schmidt. The story is motivated by beautiful young Nina (Charlotte Ander) who falls in love, sight unseen, with radio star Ricardo (Schmidt). When she finally meets her idol, all is bliss -- until she realizes that she's really in love with his much-younger stage partner Rico (Victor de Kova). Jealously, Ricardo breaks up the act, only to save his old pal from public embarrassment in the final reel. The English-language translation of the film's title is My Song Goes Around the World, which later served as the title for a Josef Schmidt biography. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

While at a duke's party, disguised Ruritanian king Gerrard and chancellor McNaughton are accused of jewel thievery, but find assistance from the duke's daughter, Lamont. ~ All Movie Guide

The title lass in this Eclipse production is a goatherd-ess, in love with a strapping mountain youth. During his daily sojourn through the hills, the hero gets mixed up in a skirmish between two hunters. To avoid injury, he collapses to the ground and plays dead then escapes into the mountains. Several weeks pass before he sees his sweetheart again, by which time she has fallen out of love with him. Spotting the girl keeping company with a handsome artist, the mountaineer goes crazy and lunges after his rival with a huge knife. The girl responds with a severe tongue-lashing and flounces off with her new boyfriend, leaving her ex-beau flat. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide