Donald Woods

Donald Woods

Born: December 2, 1906
Died: March 5, 1998
in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Donald Woods (born Ralph Lewis Zink, December 2, 1906 – March 5, 1998) was a Canadian-American film and television actor whose career in Hollywood spanned six decades.

Born in Brandon, Manitoba, Woods moved with his family to California and was raised in Burbank. A son of William and Margaret Zink, Presbyterians of German descent. His younger brother, Clarence Russell Zink, also became an actor (Russ Conway).

Woods graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, and made his film debut in 1928. His screen career was spent mostly in B movies, for example as lawyer Perry Mason in the 1937 film The Case of the Stuttering Bishop. He also occasionally played major roles in bigger feature films like A Tale of Two Cities (1935), Anthony Adverse (1936), Watch on the Rhine (1943), The Bridge of San Luis Rey (1944), and Roughly Speaking (1945).

Of considerable importance to his acting career were several seasons as leading man with the Elitch Gardens Theatre Company in Denver, Colorado, where he performed in 1932, 1933, 1939, 1941, 1947, and 1948.

In the early days of television, Woods starred as the title character in the 1951 syndicated TV series Craig Kennedy, Criminologist, and he was the host of Damon Runyon Theater on CBS-TV. He played himself on the dramatic series Hotel Cosmopolitan, also on CBS, and he was one of three hosts of The Orchid Award on ABC-TV. He portrayed Walter Manning on Portia Faces Life on CBS.

He also appeared in such anthology series as The Philco Television Playhouse, Armstrong Circle Theatre, Robert Montgomery Presents, The United States Steel Hour, Crossroads, and General Electric Theater. On April 11, 1961, Woods appeared as "Profesor Landfield" in the episode "Two for the Gallows" on NBC's Laramie western series. Series character Slim Sherman (John Smith) is hired under false pretenses to take Landfield into the Badlands to seek gold. Landfield, however, is really Morgan Bennett, a member of the former Henry Plummer gang who has escaped from prison. Slim has no idea that Lanfield is seeking the loot that his gang had hidden away. Series character Jess Harper (Robert Fuller), Pete Dixon, played by Warren Oates, and Pete's younger brother soon come to Slim's aid. The title stems from the talk that the undisciplined Dixon brothers might eventually wind up on a hangman's noose.

Woods later was a regular in the role of John Brent on the short-lived series Tammy and made guest appearances on Bat Masterson, Wagon Train, Ben Casey, 77 Sunset Strip, Hawaiian Eye, Stoney Burke, Bourbon Street Beat, Bonanza, Coronet Blue, Ironside, Alias Smith and Jones, The Wild Wild West and Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law, among many others before retiring from acting in 1976.

Besides his film career, he also worked as a successful real estate broker in Palm Springs where he lived with his wife, childhood sweetheart Josephine Van der Horck. They were married from 1933 until his death and had two children, Linda and Conrad. He was interred at the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Cathedral City, California.

Movies for Donald Woods...

Horrible Horror
Title: Horrible Horror
Character: Cyrus Zorba in '13 Ghosts'
Released: January 1, 1986
Type: Movie
A collection of trailers and previews from various low-budget horror films of the '50s and '60s.
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Title: Police Story
Released: March 20, 1973
Type: TV
Police Story is an anthology television crime drama. The show was the brainchild of author and former policeman Joseph Wambaugh and represented a major step forward in the realistic depiction of police work and violence on network TV. Although it was an anthology, there were certain things that all episodes had in common; for instance, the main character in each episode was a police officer. The setting was always Los Angeles and the characters always worked for some branch of the LAPD. Notwithstanding the anthology format, there were recurring characters. Scott Brady appeared in more than a dozen episodes as "Vinnie," a former cop who, upon retirement, had opened a bar catering to police officers, and who acted as a sort of Greek chorus during the run of the series, commenting on the characters and plots.
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Title: The Sandy Duncan Show
Released: September 17, 1972
Type: TV
Funny Face and The Sandy Duncan Show are two American sitcoms aired by CBS starring Sandy Duncan as part of its 1971 and 1972 fall lineups, respectively. Both series were created and produced by Carl Kleinschmitt. In the spring of 1971, after having appeared in numerous television commercials and having a great success on Broadway in the 1970 revival of The Boy Friend, Sandy Duncan's show business career was quickly ascending. She had just completed her first major motion picture - The Million Dollar Duck for Walt Disney and was about to start on her second film - the screen adaptation of the Neil Simon play Star Spangled Girl which was to be produced and released by Paramount Pictures. Duncan was also signed by Paramount to film a television pilot loosely based on the 1957 film musical Funny Face which they hoped would be picked up by CBS to be part of their 1971–1972 fall television schedule. A pilot was filmed in the spring of 1971 and CBS executives were very enthusiastic. As a result, Duncan was already being touted by the network as the brightest new star of the 1971 fall season.
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Title: Alias Smith and Jones
Released: January 5, 1971
Type: TV
Alias Smith and Jones is an American Western series that originally aired on ABC from 1971 to 1973. It stars Pete Duel as Hannibal Heyes and Ben Murphy as Jedediah "Kid" Curry, a pair of cousin outlaws trying to reform. The governor offers them a conditional amnesty, as he wants to keep the pact under wraps for political reasons. The condition is that they will still be wanted— until the governor can claim they have reformed and warrant clemency.
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True Grit
Title: True Grit
Character: "Barlow"
Released: June 11, 1969
Type: Movie
The murder of her father sends a teenage tomboy on a mission of 'justice', which involves avenging her father's death. She recruits a tough old marshal, 'Rooster' Cogburn because he has 'true grit', and a reputation of getting the job done.
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Istanbul Express
Title: Istanbul Express
Character: Shepherd
Released: March 7, 1969
Type: Movie
An art dealer on a special mission is pulled into dangerous intrigue while railway detective Cheval tries to help and pursues criminals on the Istanbul Express.
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A Time to Sing
Title: A Time to Sing
Character: Vernon Carter
Released: August 15, 1968
Type: Movie
A young farmer becomes a singer against the wishes of his uncle.
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Title: Hondo
Released: September 8, 1967
Type: TV
Hondo is a 17-episode Western television series starring Ralph Taeger that aired in the United States on ABC during the 1967 fall season. The series was produced by Batjac Productions, Inc., Fenady Associates, Inc., and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television.
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Tammy and the Millionaire
Title: Tammy and the Millionaire
Character: John Brent
Released: May 1, 1967
Type: Movie
A bayou girl (Debbie Watson) and her kin (Frank McGrath, Denver Pyle) have run-ins with some rich folks.
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Title: Ironside
Released: March 28, 1967
Type: TV
When an assassin's bullet confines him to a wheelchair for life ending his career as Chief of Detectives, Robert T. Ironside becomes a consultant to the police department. Detective Sergeant Ed Brown and policewoman Eve Whitfield join with him to crack varied and fascinating cases. Ex-con Mark Sanger is employed by the chief as home help but eventually becomes a fully fledged member of the team also. Officer Whitfield leaves after 4 years service, and is replaced by Officer Fran Belding.
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Dimension 5
Title: Dimension 5
Character: Kane
Released: October 1, 1966
Type: Movie
An American intelligence agent, aided by a Chinese-American female agent, uses a time-travel belt to thwart Chinese operatives who are attempting to import to Los Angeles the materials to make an atomic bomb.
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Title: Felony Squad
Released: September 12, 1966
Type: TV
Twenty-year veteran Detective Sergeant Sam Stone is paired with rookie Briggs in a large Western metropolis.
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Moment to Moment
Title: Moment to Moment
Character: Mr. Singer
Released: January 27, 1966
Type: Movie
When an erring wife's supposedly dead lover turns up an amnesiac, it's her unsuspecting shrink husband who's enlisted to get those memories back.
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Title: Tammy
Released: September 17, 1965
Type: TV
Tammy is an American sitcom, starring Debbie Watson in the title role. Produced by Universal City Studios, 26 color half-hour episodes were aired on ABC from September 17, 1965 to March 11, 1966. Tammy was loosely based on the three Tammy films; Tammy and the Bachelor starring Debbie Reynolds; Tammy Tell Me True; and Tammy and the Doctor both starring Sandra Dee. The films themselves were adaptations of novels by Cid Ricketts Sumner. The series was also partially influenced by other rural themed TV sitcoms such as The Beverly Hillbillies. In particular, there are similarities between Tammy's Cletus Tarleton and The Beverly Hillbillies' Jethro Bodine.
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Title: The Wild Wild West
Released: September 17, 1965
Type: TV
The Wild Wild West is an American television series Developed at a time when the television western was losing ground to the spy genre, this show was conceived by its creator, Michael Garrison, as "James Bond on horseback." Set during the administration of President Ulysses Grant, the series followed Secret Service agents James West and Artemus Gordon as they solved crimes, protected the President, and foiled the plans of megalomaniacal villains to take over all or part of the United States. The show also featured a number of fantasy elements, such as the technologically advanced devices used by the agents and their adversaries. The combination of the Victorian era time-frame and the use of Verne-esque style technology have inspired some to give the show credit for the origins of the steam punk subculture.
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Kissin' Cousins
Title: Kissin' Cousins
Character: General Alvin Donford
Released: March 6, 1964
Type: Movie
An Army officer returns to the Smoky Mountains and tries to convince his kinfolk to allow the Army to build a missile site on their land. Once he gets there, he discovers he has a look-alike cousin.
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Title: Stoney Burke
Released: October 1, 1962
Type: TV
Stoney Burke is an American western television series broadcast on ABC from October 1, 1962 until May 20, 1963. Six years before the premiere of his CBS crime drama, Hawaii Five-0, Jack Lord starred in the title role.
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Title: Sam Benedict
Released: September 15, 1962
Type: TV
Sam Benedict is an American legal drama that aired on NBC from September 1962 to March 1963. The series was created and executive produced by E. Jack Neuman. Sam Benedict is based on real-life lawyer Jacob W. "Jake" Erlich, who served as technical consultant for the series.
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Five Minutes to Live
Title: Five Minutes to Live
Character: Kenneth Wilson
Released: December 7, 1961
Type: Movie
A guitar playing killer terrorizes a housewife while his partner robs the bank where her husband works.
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Title: Ben Casey
Released: October 2, 1961
Type: TV
Ben Casey is an American medical drama series which ran on ABC from 1961 to 1966. The show was known for its opening titles, which consisted of a hand drawing the symbols "♂, ♀, ✳, †, ∞" on a chalkboard, as cast member Sam Jaffe intoned, "Man, woman, birth, death, infinity." Neurosurgeon Joseph Ransohoff was a medical consultant for the show and may have influenced the personality of the title character.
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Title: Thriller
Character: Dr. John Carmody
Released: September 13, 1960
Type: TV
Thriller is an American anthology television series that aired during the 1960–61 and 1961–62 seasons on NBC. The show featured host Boris Karloff introducing a mix of self-contained, macabre weird-horror and morbid, hitchockian crime stories, in some of which he also starred.
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13 Ghosts
Title: 13 Ghosts
Character: Cyrus Zorba
Released: July 18, 1960
Type: Movie
Reclusive Dr. Zorba has died and left his mansion to his nephew Cyrus and his family. They will need to search the house to find the doctor's fortune, but along with the property they have also inherited the occultist's collection of 13 ghosts.
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I'll Give My Life
Title: I'll Give My Life
Released: February 3, 1960
Type: Movie
This story opens with John Bradford throwing a graduation party for his son, Jim, who has just earned a degree in engineering. John has planned to make his son a partner in his engineering firm for many years. However, Jim has decided to enter the ministry.
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Title: Bourbon Street Beat
Released: October 5, 1959
Type: TV
"Bourbon Street Beat" is a private detective series produced by Warner Brothers Television which aired on the ABC network from October 5, 1959, to July 4, 1960. It featured Richard Long as Rex Randolph, Andrew Duggan as Cal Calhoun, Van Williams as Kenny Madison, and Arlene Howell as Melody Lee Mercer, the secretary at the New Orleans detective agency in which they worked. The show is set in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA and revolves around the lives of Rex Randolph (Long) and Cal Calhoun (Duggan), who run a detective agency called Randolph and Calhoun — Special Services. The agency is based in the Absinthe House, a French Quarter nightclub on Bourbon Street.
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Title: The Rebel
Character: Sam Moss
Released: October 4, 1959
Type: TV
The Rebel is a 76-episode American western television series starring Nick Adams that debuted on the ABC network from 1959 to 1961. The Rebel was one of the few Goodson-Todman Productions outside of their game show ventures. Beginning in December 2011, The Rebel reruns began to air Saturday mornings on Me-TV.
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Title: Men into Space
Released: September 30, 1959
Type: TV
Men Into Space is an American science-fiction television series broadcast from September 30, 1959 to September 7, 1960 by CBS which depicted future efforts by the United States Air Force to explore and develop outer space. The black-and-white filmed show starred William Lundigan as Col. Edward McCauley.
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Title: Tightrope
Released: September 8, 1959
Type: TV
Tightrope is an American crime drama series that aired on CBS from September 1959 to September 1960, under the alternate sponsorship of the J.B. Williams Company, and American Tobacco. Produced by Russell Rouse and Clarence Greene in association with Screen Gems, the series stars Mike Connors as an undercover agent named "Nick" who was assigned to infiltrate criminal gangs. The show was to have originally been titled Undercover Man but it was changed before going to air.
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Title: 77 Sunset Strip
Released: October 10, 1958
Type: TV
Stu Bailey and Jeff Spencer are the wisecracking, womanizing private-detective heroes of this Warner Brothers drama. They work out of an office located at 77 Sunset Strip in Los Angeles, California, right next door to a snazzy restaurant where Kookie works as a valet. The finger-snapping, slang-talking Kookie occasionally helps Stu and Jeff with their cases, and eventually becomes a full-fledged member of the detective agency. Rex Randolph and J.R. Hale also join the firm, and Suzanne is their leggy secretary.
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Title: Bat Masterson
Character: Roger Purcell
Released: October 8, 1958
Type: TV
Bat Masterson is an American Western television series which showed a fictionalized account of the life of real-life marshal/gambler/dandy Bat Masterson. The title character was played by Gene Barry and the half-hour black-and-white shows ran on NBC from 1958 to 1961. The series was produced by Ziv Television Productions, the company responsible for such hit series as Sea Hunt and Highway Patrol.
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Title: Wagon Train
Character: Philip Ayers
Released: September 18, 1957
Type: TV
The series initially starred veteran movie supporting actor Ward Bond as the wagon master, later replaced upon his death by John McIntire, and Robert Horton as the scout, subsequently replaced by lookalike Robert Fuller a year after Horton had decided to leave the series. The series was inspired by the 1950 film Wagon Master directed by John Ford and starring Ben Johnson, Harry Carey Jr. and Ward Bond, and harkens back to the early widescreen wagon train epic The Big Trail starring John Wayne and featuring Bond in his first major screen appearance playing a supporting role. Horton's buckskin outfit as the scout in the first season of the television series resembles Wayne's, who also played the wagon train's scout in the earlier film.
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Title: Hotel Cosmopolitan
Released: August 19, 1957
Type: TV
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A Wind from the South
Title: A Wind from the South
Character: Robert
Released: September 14, 1955
Type: Movie
Set in Ireland, the story centers on a day in the life of Shevawn, an innocent, 30-year-old dreamer who is domineered by her innkeeper brother. An American tourist with a troubled marriage gives Shevawn's life new meaning.
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Title: Damon Runyon Theater
Released: April 16, 1955
Type: TV
Damon Runyon Theater is an American television program that presented dramatized versions of Damon Runyon's short stories. Hosted by Donald Woods, the program, sponsored by Anheuser-Busch's Budweiser beer, aired for a total of 39 episodes on CBS from April 1955 through February 1956.
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Title: The Millionaire
Character: Cobb Marley
Released: January 19, 1955
Type: TV
An anthology series that explored the ways sudden and unexpected wealth changed life for better or for worse. It told the stories of people who were given one million dollars from a benefactor who insisted they never know him, with one exception.
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Title: Lassie
Released: September 12, 1954
Type: TV
Lassie is the pet of Jeff Miller, an 11-year-old farm boy. The two become best friends and enjoy family adventures in the American countryside, teaching each other about love, nature and commitment.
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Title: Portia Faces Life
Released: April 5, 1954
Type: TV
Portia Faces Life was heard on radio from 1940 to 1970, and this soap opera was also telecast for a single season in the mid-1950s. It began in syndication on April 1, 1940, and was broadcast on some stations that carried NBC programs, although it does not seem to have been an official part of that network's programming. The original title was Portia Blake Faces Life. The program starred veteran radio actress Lucille Wall, who had been on Your Family and Mine and other radio dramas since the mid-1920s. Stations airing the series included WNAC in Boston, WLS in Chicago, KRLD in Dallas, KGW in Portland, Oregon and KFI in Los Angeles, according to newspaper advertisements. On October 7, 1940, the program became part of the CBS Radio Network, and its title was changed to Portia Faces Life at that point. It was sponsored by General Foods.
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Title: Inner Sanctum
Released: January 9, 1954
Type: TV
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Title: The United States Steel Hour
Released: October 27, 1953
Type: TV
The United States Steel Hour is an anthology series which brought hour-long dramas to television from 1953 to 1963. The television series and the radio program that preceded it were both sponsored by the United States Steel Corporation.
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The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms
Title: The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms
Character: Capt. Jackson
Released: June 13, 1953
Type: Movie
The controlled explosion of an atomic bomb in the Arctic Circle awakens a frozen dinosaur that will wreak havoc in New York City.
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Born to the Saddle
Title: Born to the Saddle
Character: Matt Daggett
Released: March 15, 1953
Type: Movie
A naïve, recently-orphaned young man discovers he's being used as a pawn in a crooked gambler's plan to rig a July 4 horserace. Western.
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Title: General Electric Theater
Character: Norman Frost Bennett
Released: February 1, 1953
Type: TV
General Electric Theater is an American anthology series hosted by Ronald Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was sponsored by General Electric's Department of Public Relations.
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Title: General Electric Theater
Released: February 1, 1953
Type: TV
General Electric Theater is an American anthology series hosted by Ronald Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was sponsored by General Electric's Department of Public Relations.
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The Studebaker Story
Title: The Studebaker Story
Character: John Mohler Studebaker
Released: January 1, 1953
Type: Movie
The history of the Studebaker family, their success at making wagons and the company's venture into automobiles.
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Title: Craig Kennedy, Criminologist
Character: Craig Kennedy
Released: January 1, 1952
Type: TV
Craig Kennedy is a prominent scientist at a prestigious university. He uses his knowledge of chemistry plus newer devices such as lie detectors to solve difficult cases.
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Tall, Dark and Dead
Title: Tall, Dark and Dead
Character: Craig Kennedy
Released: January 1, 1952
Type: Movie
A 1952 crime film edited from tv series Craig Kennedy, Criminologist. A well-known stage star is shot at when he approaches the front door of Craig Kennedy's laboratory. Later, the actor is murdered in his backstage dressing room, and Kennedy, aided by Police Inspector J. J. Burke and Evening Star reporter Walt James, is drawn into one of his most bizarre adventures. Blamour, sex and publicity motivate the mystery, played before an intriguing background of Oriental stage-settings and theatrical backdrops. Passions, bot homicidal and amorous, almost lead to Kennedy's death at the hands of the killer.
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Title: Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Character: Kirby Sinclair
Released: October 5, 1951
Type: TV
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars is an anthology series that was telecast from 1951 until 1959 on CBS. Offering both comedies and drama, the series was sponsored by the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company. The title was shortened to Schlitz Playhouse, beginning with the fall 1957 season.
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All That I Have
Title: All That I Have
Character: Pastor William Goodwin
Released: October 1, 1951
Type: Movie
As a wealthy retired surgeon nears the end of his life, he begins to distribute his wealth to those in need, stating that "all that I have belongs to God." His nephews bring him to court to determine his mental competence in the hopes of stopping him from disposing of all his money.
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Mr. Music
Title: Mr. Music
Character: Tippy Carpenter
Released: December 8, 1950
Type: Movie
A golf-crazy songwriter tries to avoid the long, solitary hours of concentration needed to produce a hit musical. His producer and his secretary conspire to get him back on track.
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The Lost Volcano
Title: The Lost Volcano
Character: Paul Gordon
Released: June 25, 1950
Type: Movie
Little David Gordon lives in the jungle with his parents Ruth and Fred, along with their servant Nona. David likes living there while his father captures wild animals; he's made friends with Bomba the jungle boy, who has shown him a great deal about life in the jungle. One day two adventurers come looking for ancient treasure in the shadow of a live volcano.
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Johnny One-Eye
Title: Johnny One-Eye
Character: Vet
Released: May 5, 1950
Type: Movie
Johnny One-Eye was adapted from one of Damon Runyon's lesser-known stories. Martin Martin and Dane Cory were former partners in crime who have long since split up. When a new district attorney puts the heat on, Cory, anxious to save his own hide, accuses Martin of an unsolved murder. Holed up in abandoned house, Martin is befriended by a little girl and her dog. It so happens that the girl is the daughter of the crusading DA, and thereby hangs the rest of this tale.
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Title: Robert Montgomery Presents
Released: January 30, 1950
Type: TV
Robert Montgomery Presents is an American dramatic television series which was produced by NBC from January 30, 1950 until June 24, 1957. The live show had several sponsors during its seven-year run, and the title was altered to feature the sponsor, usually Lucky Strike cigarettes, for example, Robert Montgomery Presents Your Lucky Strike Theater, ....The Johnson's Wax Program, and so on.
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Barbary Pirate
Title: Barbary Pirate
Character: Maj. Tom Blake
Released: November 10, 1949
Type: Movie
U.S. agent Major Tom Blake is sent to Tripoli to uncover who it is in Washington that is tipping off the pirates as to what's being shipped where. A fast-moving story with lots of sabers and rapiers.
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Free For All
Title: Free For All
Character: Roger Abernathy
Released: November 1, 1949
Type: Movie
The discovery of a way of turning petrol into water makes a fortune and romance for the young inventor.
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Scene of the Crime
Title: Scene of the Crime
Character: Bob Herkimer
Released: July 28, 1949
Type: Movie
A cop investigates the shooting of another policeman... that may have been involved in crooked activities.
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Title: Lights Out
Released: July 19, 1949
Type: TV
Lights Out was an extremely popular American old-time radio program, an early example of a network series devoted mostly to horror and the supernatural, predating Suspense and Inner Sanctum. Versions of Lights Out aired on different networks, at various times, from January 1934 to the summer of 1947 and the series eventually made the transition to television. In 1946, NBC Television brought Lights Out to TV in a series of four specials, broadcast live and produced by Fred Coe, who also contributed three of the scripts. NBC asked Cooper to write the script for the premiere, "First Person Singular", which is told entirely from the point of view of an unseen murderer who kills his obnoxious wife and winds up being executed. Variety gave this first episode a rave review ("undoubtedly one of the best dramatic shows yet seen on a television screen"), but Lights Out did not become a regular NBC-TV series until 1949.
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Daughter of the West
Title: Daughter of the West
Character: Commissioner Ralph C. Connors
Released: February 15, 1949
Type: Movie
A convent-raised woman (Martha Vickers) learns of her American Indian heritage through romance with an educated Navajo (Philip Reed) during the 1880s.
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Title: The Philco Television Playhouse
Released: October 3, 1948
Type: TV
The Philco Television Playhouse is an American anthology series that was broadcast live on NBC from 1948 to 1955. Produced by Fred Coe, the series was sponsored by Philco. It was one of the most respected dramatic shows of the Golden Age of Television, winning a 1954 Peabody Award and receiving eight Emmy nominations between 1951 and 1956.
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The Return of Rin Tin Tin
Title: The Return of Rin Tin Tin
Character: Father Matthew
Released: November 1, 1947
Type: Movie
A World War II European orphan, Paul, has lost all faith in humanity. Brought to the United States by Father Mathew, Paul's confidence and faith are gradually restored through his close association with a dog, Rin-Tin-Tin.
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Stepchild
Title: Stepchild
Character: Ken Bullock
Released: June 7, 1947
Type: Movie
Although Dale and Ken Bullock should be a happily married couple, their marriage is on the verge of a break-up, because Dale refuses to give up her well-paying job in order to devote more time to Ken and their two children Jimmy, age 9, and Tommy, age 6. They sue for divorce and the Judge rules that the children be placed in the custody of their father. Dale realizes what she has lost but she is too proud to say anything to Ken, whom she still loves. Ken, shopping for the perfect stay-at-home wife to take care of his children, falls for the charms of his secretary, Millie Lynch. Not quite.
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Bells of San Fernando
Title: Bells of San Fernando
Character: Michael 'Gringo' O'Brien
Released: March 1, 1947
Type: Movie
In the New Spain era, a tyrant ruling the San Fernando Valley attempts to wrestle a blacksmith’s daughter from the arms of her Irish sailor fiancé.
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The Time, The Place and The Girl
Title: The Time, The Place and The Girl
Character: Martin Drew
Released: December 26, 1946
Type: Movie
The stuffy manager of lovely opera singer Vicki Cassel and her uncle, a classical conductor, is determined to close down the noisy nightclub next door to the Cassels' home. The club's owners--Steve, a handsome ladies' man, and Jeff, his clownish sidekick--hatch a plan to keep the club open. Steve arranges to meet--and woo--Vicki and then invite her and her uncle to the club. When Vicki's snobbish aunt and the manager discover that Vicki now favors popular music over the classics, they arrange to get the club closed. But that doesn't keep Steve and Jeff down. Instead, they decide to put on a Broadway show if they can get a backer. They find their "angel" in Vicki's uncle who agrees to finance the show only if Vicki is the leading lady. But again, Vicki's aunt and manager may be the spoiler in everyone's plans.
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Never Say Goodbye
Title: Never Say Goodbye
Character: Rex DeVallon
Released: November 9, 1946
Type: Movie
Phil and Ellen Gayley have been divorced for a year, and their 7-year old daughter, Flip, is very unhappy that her parents are not together. Flip starts a correspondence with a Marine, sending a picture of her beautiful mother as the author of Flip's flirtatious letters. When the Marine shows up to meet his pen pal, Ellen takes the opportunity to make her ex-husband jealous.
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Goodbye, Weeds
Title: Goodbye, Weeds
Character: Henry
Released: October 30, 1946
Type: Movie
A sales pitch for an herbicide/fertilizer for the lawn made by Sherwin Williams.
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Night and Day
Title: Night and Day
Character: Ward Blackburn
Released: July 2, 1946
Type: Movie
Swellegant and elegant. Delux and delovely. Cole Porter was the most sophisticated name in 20th-century songwriting. And to play him on screen, Hollywood chose debonair icon Cary Grant. Grant stars for the first time in color in this fanciful biopic. Alexis Smith plays Linda, whose serendipitous meetings with Porter lead to a meeting at the alter. More than 20 of his songs grace this tail of triumph and tragedy, with Grant lending is amiable voice to "You're the Top", "Night and Day" and more. Monty Woolley, a Yale contemporary of Porter, portrays himself. And Jane Wyman, Mary Martin, Eve Arden and others provide vocals and verve. Lights down. Curtain up. Showtune standards embraced by generations are yours to enjoy in "Night and Day."
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Star in the Night
Title: Star in the Night
Character: Hitchhiker
Released: October 13, 1945
Type: Movie
Nick, a motel owner who has lost faith in more than just the humanity of mankind, is visited by a kindly stranger on Christmas Eve. The motel's guests are only concerned for themselves until a poor man and his wife drive up to the motel, unable to go any further. Out of rooms, Nick's wife prepares a place for them in a shed under a neon star Nick had just finished hanging. Their plight brings out the generosity in everyone, including Nick, who remembers another family almost two thousand years earlier that also found a makeshift room at an inn under another kind of star.
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Wonder Man
Title: Wonder Man
Character: Monte Rossen
Released: June 8, 1945
Type: Movie
Boisterous nightclub entertainer Buzzy Bellew was the witness to a murder committed by gangster Ten Grand Jackson. One night, two of Jackson's thugs kill Buzzy and dump his body in the lake at Prospect Park in Brooklyn. Buzzy comes back as a ghost and summons his bookworm twin, Edwin Dingle, to Prospect Park so that he can help the police nail Jackson.
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Roughly Speaking
Title: Roughly Speaking
Character: Rodney Crane
Released: January 31, 1945
Type: Movie
In the 1920s, enterprising Louise Randall is determined to succeed in a man's world. Despite numerous setbacks, she always picks herself back up and moves forward again.
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Hollywood Canteen
Title: Hollywood Canteen
Character: Self
Released: December 15, 1944
Type: Movie
Two soldiers on leave spend three nights at a club offering free of charge food, dancing, and entertainment for servicemen on their way overseas. Club founders Bette Davis and John Garfield give talks on the history of the place.
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Enemy of Women
Title: Enemy of Women
Character: Dr. Hans Traeger, MD
Released: November 10, 1944
Type: Movie
Playwright Joseph Goebbels turns Nazi propagandist and loses his girlfriend to another man.
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The Bridge of San Luis Rey
Title: The Bridge of San Luis Rey
Character: Brother Juniper
Released: February 11, 1944
Type: Movie
A rope bridge over a gorge in the Peruvian Andes snaps, sending five people plunging to their deaths. A priest sets out to find out more about the life of each of the victims.
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Hi'ya, Sailor
Title: Hi'ya, Sailor
Character: Bob Jackson
Released: October 8, 1943
Type: Movie
Bob Jackson and his three Merchant Marine shipmates have each invested $50 in a song Bob has written and which he thinks will be published for a fee of $200. In a taxicab driven by Pat Rogers, they search for the publisher's office but finally realize they have been swindled. Plus, they now owe Pat a large taxi-bill.
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So's Your Uncle
Title: So's Your Uncle
Character: Steve Curtis aka Uncle John
Released: September 1, 1943
Type: Movie
Circumstances arise that result in a man impersonating his uncle. As the "uncle", he finds himself pursued by his girlfriend's aunt, who does not approve of their relationship.
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Watch on the Rhine
Title: Watch on the Rhine
Character: David Farrelly
Released: August 27, 1943
Type: Movie
On the eve of World War II, the German Kurt Müller, his American-born wife Sara, and their three children, having lived in Europe for years, visit Sara's wealthy mother near Washington, DC. Kurt secretly works for the anti-Nazi resistance. A visiting Romanian count, becoming aware of this, seeks to blackmail him.
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Corregidor
Title: Corregidor
Character: Dr. Michael
Released: March 29, 1943
Type: Movie
A doctor and his staff in a hospital on the Philippine island of Corregidor shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor try to treat the sick, injured and wounded as American and Filipino troops desperately try to beat back a ferocious Japanese attack.
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The Gay Sisters
Title: The Gay Sisters
Character: Penn Sutherland Gaylord
Released: August 1, 1942
Type: Movie
The eldest of three sisters protects their Fifth Avenue mansion from a developer she once married.
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March On, America!
Title: March On, America!
Character: Francis Scott Key (archive footage) (uncredited)
Released: June 20, 1942
Type: Movie
The story of America from the Pilgrims in 1620 to the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese. Americans always working for freedom.
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Thru Different Eyes
Title: Thru Different Eyes
Character: Ted Farnsworth
Released: June 19, 1942
Type: Movie
A celebrated district attorney reflects on the way circumstantial evidence impacted a famous murder case.
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I Was a Prisoner on Devil's Island
Title: I Was a Prisoner on Devil's Island
Character: Joel Grant / Joseph Elmer
Released: August 4, 1941
Type: Movie
A ship's officer is sentenced to Devil's Island for murder after a fatal brawl.
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Bachelor Daddy
Title: Bachelor Daddy
Character: Edward Smith
Released: June 4, 1941
Type: Movie
The lives of three bachelors is disrupted when one of them is left with a baby.
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Sky Raiders
Title: Sky Raiders
Character: Captain Bob Dayton
Released: April 8, 1941
Type: Movie
Captain Bob Dayton and Lieutenant Ed Carey are partners in a company called "Sky Raiders" which seeks US government contracts for its inventions. Enemy spies attempt to steal, sabotage and discredit the inventions and founders of the company.
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Mexican Spitfire Out West
Title: Mexican Spitfire Out West
Character: Dennis 'Denny' Lindsay
Released: October 29, 1940
Type: Movie
Dennis heads west to work on an important business deal minus the Mexican Spitfire, Carmelita. His hot-tempered spouse decides to surprise him, but ends up as the surprised one when she sees him with another woman. Instead of a second honeymoon, Carmelita begins divorce proceedings
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Young America Flies
Title: Young America Flies
Character: John Woodward
Released: July 13, 1940
Type: Movie
World War II propaganda film from Warner Brothers.
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Love, Honor and Oh-Baby!
Title: Love, Honor and Oh-Baby!
Character: Brian McGrath
Released: June 7, 1940
Type: Movie
In despair after breaking up with his girlfriend, a man hires a thug he has never seen to kill him. However, he changes his mind when he falls in love with another woman--but he can't stop the man trying to kill him because he doesn't know who he is.
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If I Had My Way
Title: If I Had My Way
Character: Fred Johnson
Released: May 5, 1940
Type: Movie
Construction worker Buzz Blackwell becomes the guardian of 12-year-old Pat Johnson after one of his buddies, her father, is killed. Buzz and Pat, along with their chum Axel Swensen, head to New York to look for the girl's uncle. The trio soon unexpectedly become owners of a tired restaurant.
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Forgotten Girls
Title: Forgotten Girls
Character: Dan Donahue
Released: March 15, 1940
Type: Movie
A disillusioned factory worker is charged with the attempted murder of her mother's lover.
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City of Chance
Title: City of Chance
Character: Steve Walker
Released: January 13, 1940
Type: Movie
Texas girl goes to New York, becomes a newspaper reporter, and tries to get her gambler boyfriend to come home.
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Mexican Spitfire
Title: Mexican Spitfire
Character: Dennis Lindsay
Released: January 12, 1940
Type: Movie
Newlyweds Dennis and Carmelita have several obstacles to deal with in their new marriage: Carmelita's fiery Latin temper, a meddling aunt and a conniving ex-fiancee who's determined to break up their marriage.
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Heritage of the Desert
Title: Heritage of the Desert
Character: John Abbott
Released: June 23, 1939
Type: Movie
John Abbott returns to the desert land he owns, and after being wounded by hired gunman Chick Chance, he is befriended by rancher Andrew Naab and his son, Marvin. Naab's daughter, Marian, falls in love with John but is about to marry Snap Thornton to keep a promise made by her father. She runs away on her wedding day but is captured and held hostage by outlaw Henry Holderness. John, the Naabs and fellow ranchers rush to her rescue.
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The Girl from Mexico
Title: The Girl from Mexico
Character: Dennis Lindsay
Released: June 1, 1939
Type: Movie
Carmelita Fuentes is a fiery-Latin singer/dancer in Mexico City who has designs on Dennis Lindsay, an American publicity agent, for unclear reasons, while Lindsay's shiftless uncle Matthew Lindsay aids and abets her every step of the way to the marriage altar.
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Beauty for the Asking
Title: Beauty for the Asking
Character: Jeffrey Martin
Released: February 24, 1939
Type: Movie
Denny breaks up with his fiancée Jean to marries wealthy Flora. When Jean is fired from her job she decides to market the face cream she invented. After sending it to twelve rich woman, only Flora decides to invest in the business. As Denny has no job, the girls give him an office at the factory. The business takes off, but Jean finds that she is still in love with Denny and Denny seems to forget he is married to Flora.
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Danger on the Air
Title: Danger on the Air
Character: Benjamin Butts
Released: June 30, 1938
Type: Movie
Trouble begins when a hated cad of a sponsor is found murdered during the climax of a live radio show. A radio engineer then tries to solve the murder.
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Romance on the Run
Title: Romance on the Run
Character: Barry Drake
Released: May 11, 1938
Type: Movie
A (rather shady?) private detective specializing in recovering highly insured items gets involved in recovering a stolen necklace. In the process also gets involved with a secretary at the insurance company.
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The Black Doll
Title: The Black Doll
Character: Nick Halstead
Released: January 31, 1938
Type: Movie
Nicholas Rood, dishonest mine owner, finds a Black Doll on his desk and knows that vengeance is about to overtake him for murdering his former partner. He is knifed as he talks to his daughter Marian. She summons her fiancé Nick Halstead, a private detective. He finds that six people had a motive for the murder; Rood's sister Mrs. Laura Leland; her son Rex; Rood's associates Mallison and Walling; Esteban, a servant and Dr. Giddings. Sheriff Renick and his deputy Red get the clues all mixed up, but Nick finally narrows the search down to one suspect...
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Big Town Girl
Title: Big Town Girl
Character: Mark Tracey
Released: December 3, 1937
Type: Movie
When a department store songstress becomes a radio star she keeps her identity secret, as the "Masked Countess", because he estranged husband is a crook.
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Charlie Chan on Broadway
Title: Charlie Chan on Broadway
Character: Speed Patten, Reporter New York Bulletin
Released: September 22, 1937
Type: Movie
Returning from European exile where she avoided testifying against her criminal associates, a former singer with a tell-all diary is murdered to insure her silence.
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Talent Scout
Title: Talent Scout
Character: Steve Stewart
Released: July 24, 1937
Type: Movie
A Hollywood heartthrob helps a small-town girl achieve stardom.
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The Case of the Stuttering Bishop
Title: The Case of the Stuttering Bishop
Character: Perry Mason
Released: June 8, 1937
Type: Movie
A Bishop from Australia comes to Perry to ask him to take a case of a woman wrongly accused of manslaughter 22 years before. The case would involve the wealthy Mr. Brownley and the fact that his alleged granddaughter may be an imposter. With that, the Bishop leaves and is clubbed in his hotel room. Soon after, he leaves on a boat and Perry meets the woman - Ida Gilbert. Perry goes to see Mr. Brownley, but gets nowhere. Later that night, Brownley is to meet Ida, but he is shot by a woman who drops Ida's gun. Ida is arrested for the murder of Mr. Brownley and Perry gets involved.
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Sea Devils
Title: Sea Devils
Character: Steve Webb
Released: February 19, 1937
Type: Movie
Doris lives with her rough Coast Guardsman father. He has plans for her to marry an up and coming officer, but there is competition when a new, brash, Guardsman enters the picture. Dad hates the new guy, mostly because he is like himself.
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Once a Doctor
Title: Once a Doctor
Character: Steven Brace
Released: January 23, 1937
Type: Movie
Dr. Frank Brace (Joe King) is an important doctor with son Jerry (Gordon Oliver) as well as foster son Steven (Donald Woods). The sons are both interns at Frank's hospital. Steven is the better doctor who takes blame for Jerry's mistakes.Steven has his license revoked when he is blamed for two deaths. Steven goes through years of hell trying to redeem himself.
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Breakdowns of 1936
Title: Breakdowns of 1936
Character: Self
Released: December 30, 1936
Type: Movie
Flubs and bloopers that occurred on the set of some of the major Warner Bros. pictures of 1936.
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Isle of Fury
Title: Isle of Fury
Character: Eric Blake
Released: October 10, 1936
Type: Movie
An island fugitive and his bride make room for a shipwrecked detective.
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Anthony Adverse
Title: Anthony Adverse
Character: Vincent Nolte
Released: August 26, 1936
Type: Movie
Based on the novel by Hervey Allen, this expansive drama follows the many adventures of the eponymous hero, Anthony Adverse. Abandoned at a convent by his heartless nobleman father, Don Luis, Anthony is later mentored by his kind grandfather, John Bonnyfeather, and falls for the beautiful Angela Giuseppe. When circumstances separate Anthony and Angela and he embarks on a long journey, he must find his way back to her, no matter what the cost.
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A Son Comes Home
Title: A Son Comes Home
Character: Denny
Released: July 31, 1936
Type: Movie
A mother experiences the torment of discovering that her own son is a killer.
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The Song of a Nation
Title: The Song of a Nation
Character: Francis Scott Key
Released: July 4, 1936
Type: Movie
This historical featurette dramatizes the events that led to Francis Scott Key writing the words to "The Star-Spangled Banner."
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The White Angel
Title: The White Angel
Character: Charles Cooper
Released: June 25, 1936
Type: Movie
In mid-nineteenth century England the medical establishment does not recognize the value of skilled nurses, cleanliness, nutrition and kindness. Florence Nightingale's heroic measures slowly changes all of this.
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The Making of a Great Motion Picture
Title: The Making of a Great Motion Picture
Released: April 15, 1936
Type: Movie
Narrated documentary of the making of Anthony Adverse (1936), featuring many clips from the actual film.
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Road Gang
Title: Road Gang
Character: James 'Jim' Larrabie
Released: March 28, 1936
Type: Movie
A crusading young reporter planning a series of articles about a corrupt politician is framed for a crime and sentenced to serve five years at a prison farm.
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The Story of Louis Pasteur
Title: The Story of Louis Pasteur
Character: Dr. Jean Martel
Released: February 22, 1936
Type: Movie
A true story about Louis Pasteur, who revolutionized medicine by proving that much disease is caused by microbes, that sanitation is paramount and that at least some diseases can be cured by vaccinations.
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A Dream Comes True
Title: A Dream Comes True
Character: Himself (uncredited)
Released: December 31, 1935
Type: Movie
A promotional short to hype the production of A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935).
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A Tale of Two Cities
Title: A Tale of Two Cities
Character: Charles Darnay
Released: December 25, 1935
Type: Movie
The exciting story of Dr. Manette, who escapes the horrors of the infamous Bastille prison in Paris. The action switches between London and Paris on the eve of the revolution where we witness 'the best of times and the worst of times' - love, hope, the uncaring French Aristocrats and the terror of a revolutionary citizen's army intent on exacting revenge.
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Things You Never See on the Screen
Title: Things You Never See on the Screen
Character: Self
Released: December 1, 1935
Type: Movie
Flubs and bloopers that occurred on the set of some of the major Warner Bros. pictures of 1935.
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Frisco Kid
Title: Frisco Kid
Character: Charles Ford
Released: November 30, 1935
Type: Movie
After a roustabout sailor avoids being shanghaied in 1850s San Francisco, his audacity helps him rise to a position of power in the vice industry of the infamous Barbary Coast.
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Stranded
Title: Stranded
Character: John Wesley
Released: June 29, 1935
Type: Movie
A Traveler's Aid worker who delights in solving people's problems gets mixed up with gangsters.
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The Case of the Curious Bride
Title: The Case of the Curious Bride
Character: Carl
Released: April 13, 1935
Type: Movie
After giving the District Attorney another stinging defeat, Perry plans to take a vacation in China. That is, he was, until Rhoda, his old flame, meets him at a restaurant. It seems that her husband Moxley, who had been allegedly dead for four years, is alive and demanding money as she has married into wealth. The case escalates when the police find the body of Moxley and charge her with the murder.
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The Florentine Dagger
Title: The Florentine Dagger
Character: Juan Cesare
Released: March 30, 1935
Type: Movie
A playwright descended from the Borgia family becomes a murder suspect.
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Sweet Adeline
Title: Sweet Adeline
Character: Sid Barnett
Released: December 29, 1934
Type: Movie
In 1898, composer Sid Barnett manages to get his sweetheart, Adeline the beer-garden singer, to sing the lead in his new Broadway operetta; this infuriates Elysia, the erstwhile star. But Sid frets as Adeline spends increasing amounts of time with the dashing Major Day.
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She Was a Lady
Title: She Was a Lady
Character: Tommy Traill
Released: August 22, 1934
Type: Movie
Before his daughter can formally claim her rightful title, her father dies. Now her blue-blooded American suitor finds that his father refuses to allow the two to marry as she is not a high-born lady.
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Charlie Chan's Courage
Title: Charlie Chan's Courage
Character: Bob Crawford
Released: July 6, 1934
Type: Movie
Charlie is hired to deliver a pearl necklace to a millionaire at his ranch. When murder intervenes he disguises himself as a Chinese servant and begins sleuthing.
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Fog Over Frisco
Title: Fog Over Frisco
Character: Tony Sterling
Released: June 2, 1934
Type: Movie
Val takes the assistance of a society reporter and a journalist to investigate the disappearance of her half-sister Arlene, a wealthy socialite who is involved in criminal activities.
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Merry Wives of Reno
Title: Merry Wives of Reno
Character: Frank
Released: April 18, 1934
Type: Movie
Three couples raise a ruckus when they travel to Nevada for quickie divorces.
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Hollywood Newsreel
Title: Hollywood Newsreel
Character: Himself
Released: March 24, 1934
Type: Movie
A potpourri of features involving Hollywood celebrities. The Columbia University football team, winner of the 1934 Rose Bowl game, visits the Warner Bros. Studios and is greeted by several stars; Margaret Lindsay, Guy Kibbee, and Dick Powell work at a gold mine; Joan Blondell, recovered from a recent illness, thanks her fans; songs from the movie Harold Teen (1934) are performed by the songwriters and the film's stars.
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As the Earth Turns
Title: As the Earth Turns
Character: Stan
Released: February 14, 1934
Type: Movie
Love happens between the son of Polish immigrants settled in Maine and the daughter of a neighboring farm family.
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Motorboat Mamas
Title: Motorboat Mamas
Character: Yacht Club Patron (uncredited)
Released: September 30, 1928
Type: Movie
Motorboat Mamas is a silent comedy short.