William Seiter Movies
A man of enormous appetites who preferred his leisure activities to filmmaking, William A. Seiter was every bit as easygoing as his directorial style. After attending Hudson River Military Academy, Seiter broke into films as a bit player at Mack Sennett's Keystone studios. He graduated to director in 1918, and a director he remained until his retirement in 1954. At Universal in the mid-'20s, Seiter was principal director of the popular Reginald Denny vehicles, most of which co-starred Seiter's then-wife Laura La Plante (his second wife was actress Marion Nixon). In the early talkie era, Seiter helped nurture the talents of RKO's comedy duo Wheeler and Woolsey in such rollicking features as Caught Plastered (1931) and Diplomaniacs (1933). He also proved to be the perfect director for Laurel and Hardy, guiding the Derbied Ones through their best feature, Sons of the Desert (1933). Among the many stars directed by Seiter during his long career were Shirley Temple, Fred Astaire, Henry Fonda, Margaret Sullavan, Jack Haley, Deanna Durbin, Jean Arthur, John Wayne, Fred MacMurray, Lucille Ball, and the Marx Brothers. While many of his films were minor gems, Seiter was capable of turning out a clinker once in a while; if, for example, he ran into friction from his star (as was the case with Lou Costello in 1946's Little Giant), Seiter would get even by adhering religiously to the script, refusing to add any nuance or creativity to the project (this pettiness may have been the reason that one prominent actress of the 1930s referred to Seiter as the most unimaginative director she'd ever worked with). On his final four films, William A. Seiter functioned as both producer and director: the best of this quartet was The Lady Wants Mink (1953), a gentle satire of the then topical "raise your own coat" craze. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi- 1973
Director Francesco Rosi returns to his recurring theme of the connections between legal and illegal exercises of power in this sensationalized account of the infamous gangster Charles "Lucky" Luciano (Gian Maria Volonte). The film examines the life of Luciano after serving nine years of his 50-year sentence in the 1930s and 1940s, after which he was pardoned and deported to Italy. Once back in Italy, Luciano travels to Naples, where he finds himself under a continuous ten-year investigation by narcotics investigator Charles Siragusa (who plays himself). Rosi uses Luciano as a clinical study, questioning his legendary status and exploring the truth behind the legend. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- Gian Maria Volontè, Rod Steiger, (more)
- 1954
A gangster is sentenced to prison for killing his wife, but the woman isn't really dead: she's alive and well, raising her daughter in New Mexico. After 18 years, though, the husband comes back looking for revenge. Dorothy McGuire and Stephen McNally star in the 1954 film. ~ John Bush, Rovi
- Starring:
- Dorothy McGuire, Stephen McNally, (more)
- 1953
In this comedy, a housewife schemes to make her dreams of feeling the soft touch of mink on her hardworking shoulders a reality. Unfortunately her husband does not have enough money for such a luxury. Being a resourceful lass, the wife decides the only viable alternative is to raise her own mink. Unfortunately, her project doesn't set well with the landlord and the family ends up having to move into the country. More trouble follows when the husband loses his job. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Dennis O'Keefe, Ruth Hussey, (more)
- 1953
Based on William Fay's short story The Disappearance of Dolan, Champ for a Day stars Alex Nicol as young pugilist George Wilson. Upon arriving in a small town for a scheduled bout, George discovers that his manager, Dolan, has vanished from sight. Also caught up in the mystery is Dolan's girlfriend Miss Gormley (Audrey Totter). Before long, George finds out that his missing manager was tied up with gangsters--and that George is expected to lose his next fight. How he extricates himself from this dilemma, and also solves his manager's disappearance, consumes the final four reels of this 90-minute Republic "special." The film's topnotch cast includes Harry Morgan as a trainer, Charles Winninger and Hope Emerson as the owners of a roadside hotel, and Joseph Wiseman as a wacko villain. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Alex Nicol, Audrey Totter, (more)
- 1951
Dear Brat was the second sequel to the 1947 comedy hit Dear Ruth (the first sequel, in case you're interested, was Dear Wife). Mona Freeman is back as Miriam Watkins, still minding everyone's business but her own. This time around, Miriam "adopts" a criminal (Lyle Bettger) who claims he wants to go straight. The crook's presence does not sit well with Miriam's politician father (Edward Arnold), nor does it appear that the "lost sheep" has any real intention of reforming. Thanks to Miriam's influence, however, the criminal ends up being as good as his word. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Mona Freeman, Billy De Wolfe, (more)
This crime melodrama with humorous undertones involves the investigation of dope smugglers on the Mexican border. Americans Fred MacMurray and Claire Trevor enter the scene and find themselves embroiled in the illicit activities. Both are government agents, but each one thinks the other is a crook. The real bad guy is Raymond Burr, head of the smuggling ring. At one point, MacMurray and Trevor must pretend to be husband and wife, which weakens their mutual mistrust. Eventually, MacMurray and Trevor sort out the heroes from the villains, and the dope ring is scuttled...at least for the time being. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Fred MacMurray, Claire Trevor, (more)
- 1948
The Dorothy Fields-Sigmund Romberg Broadway musical Up in Central Park has been retooled as a vehicle for a pleasantly plump Deanna Durbin. Set in New York in the 1870s, the film casts Durbin as hoydenish Irish immigrant Rosie Moore, who becomes the romantic bone of contention between muckraking newspaper reporter John Matthews (Dick Haymes) and corrupt but charming political boss Tweed (Vincent Price, considerably handsomer and slimmer than the real Tweed). With Rosie's help, John manages to expose Tweed's Tammany Hall shenanigans. Though only two songs have been retained from the original Broadway production, both Durbin and Haymes are afforded several opportunities to sing. Featured in the cast as Durbin's father is Albert Sharpe, who'd just completed a run in the smash New York musical Finian's Rainbow and who later played the title role in Disney's Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959). Best scene: The Currier & Ives ballet, one of the few holdovers from the stage version of Up in Central Park. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Deanna Durbin, Dick Haymes, (more)
The spirit of love is back, and she's working in retail in this bubbly romantic musical comedy. Eddie Hatch (Robert Walker) is a window dresser at a large department store; he's become especially fond of one of his mannequins who looks like the sort of girl he'd like to meet, and one night he impulsively gives the dummy a kiss. To his tremendous surprise, the mannequin comes to life, and it turns out to be inhabited by the spirit of Venus, the Goddess of Love (Ava Gardner). Suddenly, romance is in the air as Eddie's fellow employees throw caution to the wind and finally express their infatuations with their co-workers; however, Eddie is too intimidated to follow through on his feelings for Venus, even though she'll only be in human form for 24 hours. Adapted from a popular Broadway musical, One Touch of Venus features a number of memorable songs by Kurt Weill and Ogden Nash, including "Speak Low" and "The Trouble with Women," though a number of other songs they wrote for the stage production were replaced for the film. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Walker, Ava Gardner, (more)
- 1947
In this musical comedy, Louise Ginglebusher (Deanna Durbin) is a girl from a small town who comes top New York City with dreams of making it in show business. She gets her foot in the door in a roundabout way when she gets a job as an usherette at a prestigious movie palace run by tycoon J. Conrad Nelson (Adolphe Menjou). It soon becomes obvious that Nelson has eyes for his new hire, while Louise is more interested George Prescott (Tom Drake), a young lawyer looking to establish himself. Hoping to discourage Nelson while helping Prescott at the same time, Louise fibs and tells Nelson that Prescott is her husband, and could use a job within his organization. However, Louise's white lie turns out to have unexpected repercussions. Like any Deanna Durbin vehicle, I'll Be Yours features the star singing several tunes, including "Sari Waltz and "Granada"; two years after making this film, she would retire from the screen. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Deanna Durbin, Tom Drake, (more)
- 1946
Lucille Ball stars as the wife of a war correspondent, anxiously awaiting her husband's return. Ball is convinced that hubby (George Brent) is looking forward to feminine companionship after four long years at the front. Imagine her surprise when it looks as though her husband wasn't quite as lonely as she'd thought--thanks to sexy combat photographer Vera Zorina. Ball files for divorce, but the outcome is tipped off by the title: the Lovers come back. Lucille Ball is merely decorative for the most part in this film, though she has one delightful comic scene involving an attempt to smoke a cigar. To avoid confusion with a 1962 Doris Day/Rock Hudson epic of the same name, Lover Come Back was retitled When Lovers Meet for television. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- George Brent, Lucille Ball, (more)
- 1946
With the profits of the Abbott & Costello films in decline, Universal decided to experiment with the comedians' standard formula. In both Little Giant and The Time of Their Lives, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello play separate characters, rather than the usual smart guy/dumb guy comedy team. In Giant, Costello is cast as farm boy Benny Miller, a would-be salesman who goes to work for the Hercules Vacuum Cleaner company. Almost immediately running afoul of crooked general manager Morrison (Bud Abbott), bumbling Benny is about to be fired when he is convinced by a bunch of practical jokers that he has the power to read minds. His newfound self-confidence enables Benny to become Hercules' top salesman, which delights branch manager Tom Chandler (also Bud Abbott), Morrison's cousin and principal rival. About to receive a salesmanship award, Benny falls into a trap laid by Morrison and his wife (Jacqueline de Wit), who conspire to discredit Chandler by exposing Benny as a fraud. Thoroughly disillusioned, Benny returns home, only to discover that not only is he still Hercules' fair-haired boy, but that he's also replaced Morrison as general manager. Written by Richard Collins and Paul Jarrico, Little Giant is hardly typical Abbott and Costello fare, though the film contains several characteristic comedy setpieces, including an interpolation of Abbott & Costello's classic "Seven Goes Into Twenty-Eight Thirteen Times" routine. Perennial Marx Brothers foil Margaret Dumont shows up in one of the better slapstick scenes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, (more)
It's a Pleasure was the third release from International Pictures, the feisty independent that would later merge with Universal. Skating sensation Sonja Henie does her usual as ice-show star Chris Linden, who falls in love with hockey champ Don Martin (Michael O'Shea). A combative, troublesome sort, Martin is barred from hockey for life thanks to his numerous brawls and drinking binges. Meanwhile, Chris rises ever higher in her chosen profession, driving a wedge between herself and Martin. Since there was never a Sonja Henie picture with an unhappy ending, audiences were assured that things would aright themselves shortly after the climactic music-and-ice ensemble number. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sonja Henie, Michael O'Shea, (more)
- 1945
It all begins when popular actress Susan Darrell (Joan Fontaine) returns from a USO tour to marry business exectuive Richard Aiken (Walter Abel). During his bachelor party, Aiken commisserates with Susan's ex-husband, Broadway producer Roger Berton (George Brent), and two of her former sweethearts, lumberman Mike Ward (Don DeFore) and novelist Bill Anthony (Dennis O'Keefe). Each man recalls his experiences with Susan-and each has an entirely different impression of the girl's personality! While trying to determine who the "real" Susan is, her three previous beaux decide that the stuffy Aiken is not for her. Indeed, Susan does reconsider her impending marriage in order to renew her romance with one of her earlier amours, but it wouldn't be fair to reveal which one. An amusing distaff variation on Citizen Kane (with a bit of Rashomon thrown in), The Affairs of Susan is a tour de farce for Joan Fontaine, called upon to essay four different interpretation of the same character. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Joan Fontaine, George Brent, (more)
- 1945
In this musical comedy, a young singer becomes so desperate to appear on Broadway that she goes to a prominent producer and tells him that she is the daughter who resulted from his day-long marriage to a young woman he knew years ago. The producer is delighted and soon puts his daughter up on stage. The trouble begins when the girl's "mother" suddenly pays a call. For her own reasons, the woman decides to play along with the girl's ruse. Fortunately, by the story's end, the truth is revealed, all differences are reconciled and happiness ensues. Songs include: "Once Upon a Dream" (Jack Brooks, Hans J. Salter), "Market Place," "Shadows," and "Largo al Factotum" (from Rossini's Barber of Seville). ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Franchot Tone, David Bruce, (more)
Four Jills in a Jeep is the (mostly) true story of a four-girl USO team, entertaining American troops overseas. Kay Francis, Martha Raye, Carole Landis and Mitzi Mayfair play "themselves," recreating their recent whirlwind tour of Europe and North Africa. This wisp of a plot takes a back seat to the musical numbers performed by the four stars, by Dick Haymes in his screen debut as a singing GI, and by guest stars Alice Faye, Betty Grable and Carmen Miranda. Phil Silvers, George Jessel, and Jimmy Dorsey and his orchestra also pop up to do their usual. Very much a time capsule of the War years, Four Jills in a Jeep was later adapted into a best-selling book, ostensibly written by costar Carole Landis. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kay Francis, Carole Landis, (more)
Belle Of The Yukon is standard backstage musical fare, featuring Randolph Scott as a reformed con man who has fled north from the law and opened a successful dancehall/ gambling establishment in the upper reaches of Malamute. Meanwhile, his former lover Belle (Gypsy Rose Lee), who he deserted when he went on the lam, arrives as part of a new show troupe and finds her ex-boyfriend's new ways powerfully attractive. But Lettie Candless (Dinah Shore) also has designs on our hero. A thin plot and light characterizations are kept afloat by bouncy performances, glitzy production, and the usual clutch of sprightly musical numbers. ~ Don Kaye, Rovi
- Starring:
- Randolph Scott, Gypsy Rose Lee, (more)
Manhattan working girl Jean Arthur bids goodbye to her three erstwhile suitors (Grant Withers, Hans Conried and Grady Sutton) to take a bus tour of the west. En route, she meets handsome rodeo-star John Wayne, whose bucking bronco hurls him directly into her lap. Stranded in a tank town with Wayne and his sidekick Charles Winninger, Arthur is introduced to the sort of frontier activities not covered by the tour books: gambling, boozing and brawling. Not surprisingly, Arthur wants to hightail it back to the East, but by now Wayne has fallen in love with her. Lady Takes a Chance was produced for RKO by Jean Arthur's then-husband, Frank Ross. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jean Arthur, John Wayne, (more)
- 1943
Edward G. Robinson portrays a hard-driving, hard-nosed perfectionist who causes dissension aboard the WWII destroyer he helped build before re-enlisting in the Navy. Coming aboard as a senior crewman and trying to emulate the perfection of his hero John Paul Jones, he drives himself as hard as he drives the younger generation of sailors he commands, even going so far as recounting the last battle of the Bon Homme Richard to the increasingly disgruntled crew. But it is not his words that earn him their respect. During a major battle Robinson proves himself a true hero. The harsh training also pays off and the young sailors successfully defeat the enemy. Afterward they realize that Robinson was right to be tough on them and never question him again. Meanwhile, the captain who stood by Robinson through the thick of it even winds up involved with the old salt's daughter. ~ Tana Hobart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Edward G. Robinson, Glenn Ford, (more)
- 1942
In this musical, which manages to look back with nostalgia upon prohibition and the depression (no small accomplishment), George Raft plays George, a hoofer looking back on his glory days. His memories are triggered when The Paradise Club, a nightspot where he used to work, is about to be turned into a bowling alley. In the Roaring '20s, George and his partner Billie (Janet Blair) were a star attraction at The Paradise, run by Nick (S.Z. Sakall). George wants his relationship with Billie to be as graceful off-stage as on, but he has several rivals vying for her affections, including gangster Steve (Broderick Crawford) and policeman Dan (Pat O'Brien). Marjorie Rambeau plays Lil, modeled after brassy nightclub owner Texas Guinan. Raft actually worked for Guinan in his early days as a dancer, and he gets a chance to show off his fancy footwork accompanied by a number of classic tunes, including "Alabamy Bound", "Yes Sir, That's My Baby", "Sweet Georgia Brown", and "I'm Just Wild About Harry". Broadway was a loose remake of the 1929 Merna Kennedy vehicle of the same name. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- George Raft, Pat O'Brien, (more)
The second and last of the Fred Astaire-Rita Hayworth vehicles, You Were Never Lovelier takes place in Argentina (courtesy of the Columbia Pictures art-direction department). Fred plays an American dancer whose fondness for betting on horse races has left him broke. Rita is the daughter of wealthy Argentinian nightclub owner Adolphe Menjou, who has vowed that his daughters will marry in the order of their ages-and since older sister Leslie Brooks is about to walk to the altar, Rita is next in line. To encourage his daughter to seek out an eligible husband, Menjou sends Rita unsigned love notes so that she'll think she has a secret admirer. Through a series of misunderstandings that could only happen in the movies, Rita becomes convinced that Fred is the man who's been plying her with notes and gifts. Menjou hires the impoverished Astaire as a potential son-in-law. Fred bridles at the thought of being a "bought spouse", but changes his mind when he falls in love with Rita on his own. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Fred Astaire, Rita Hayworth, (more)
- 1941
Nice Girl? answers its own question by casting the relentlessy nice Deanna Durbin in the title role. In her first truly adult role, Durbin plays Jane Dana, the blossoming daughter of high school principal Oliver Dana (Robert Benchley). Jane is being ardently courted by longtime boyfriend Don Webb (Robert Stack) and by the more worldly Richard Calvert (Franchot Tone). A series of misunderstandings leads to the demure Jane earning an unsavory (and wholly unjustified) "reputation", but it all turns out okay by fadeout time. It is not only unfair to reveal the ending, but also quite difficult, since the current video version of Nice Girl includes the film's "alternate" ending, which is rather different than the denoument in the officially released version. Ms. Durbin's songs on this occasion range from such standards as "Old Folks at Home" to four newly-minted tunes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Deanna Durbin, Franchot Tone, (more)
- 1941
What's a modern guy to do when his wife's ideas about marriage are a bit too modern for his taste? Andre Casall (Charles Boyer) is a successful, free-thinking playwright who becomes infatuated with a progressive female doctor, Jane Alexander (Margaret Sullavan). They marry impulsively, and Andre soon learns that Jane's ideas about marriage are a bit different from his own -- she demands that they keep separate apartments, and they are to meet only once a day, at 7 a.m. This isn't quite the way that Andre had imagined wedded bliss, and he is soon scheming to make her jealous, in hopes that she'll demand a more traditional living arrangement. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Charles Boyer, Margaret Sullavan, (more)
- 1940
In It's a Date, the teenage diva Deanna Durbin is cast as Pamela Drake, the daughter of celebrated stage actress Georgia Drake (Kay Francis). Hoping to find success as an actress herself, Pamela energetically lobbies for the role of the maid in an upcoming play based on the life of St. Bernadette -- a role that has already been given to Georgia. When those conducting the auditions hear Pamela's singing, however, they quickly change their mind and offer the part to her. The rivalry between Pamela and Georgia intensifies when both fall in love with handsome middle-ager John Arlen (Walter Pidgeon). Innumerable complications follow, leading to a happy ending for both mother and daughter, though not quite the ending that either one had in mind. Deanna Durbin's musical repertoire this time out includes "Musetta's Street Song" from La Bohème, "Loch Lomond," "Love Is All," and a curious climactic rendition of "Ave Maria." It's a Date was remade in 1950 as Nancy Goes to Rio, with Jane Powell and Ann Sothern. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Deanna Durbin, Kay Francis, (more)
- 1940
Rosalind Russell and Brian Aherne go through their customary farcical paces in the formula romantic comedy Hired Wife. Russell plays Kendal Browning, the superefficient secretary of business executive Stephen Dexter (Brian Aherne). When Dexter is legally obliged to put his business and its assets in his wife's name, he is momentarily stymied, inasmuch as he has no wife. Rather than enter into a hasty marriage with one of his various amours, Dexter proposes to Kendal, with the firm understanding that their union will be strictly a business arrangement. Is it any surprise that this "in-name-only" set-up culminates in a deep and abiding romance by fade-out time. Also contributing mightily to the overall frivolity is Robert Benchley as Dexter's prudish business partner and Virginia Bruce as a sexy model whom Dexter plans to wed as soon as his financial problems are straightened out, and John Carroll as a temperamental Latin Lover-type-stock characters all, but consummately played. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Rosalind Russell, Brian Aherne, (more)
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