Billie Bird

Billie Bird

Born: February 28, 1908
Died: November 27, 2002
in Pocatello, Idaho
Vaudeville comedienne Billie Bird Sellen was discovered at an orphanage at the age of eight years and hired to tour theater circuits with a vaudeville troupe. During the Vietnam War she accompanied 12 USO tours entertaining the troops in the war zone in the 1960s and 1970s. She had worked as recently as 1995 when she appeared in Jury Duty (1995), starring Pauly Shore. Other notable performances were in Dennis the Menace (1993) and Home Alone (1990).

One of her best-known film appearances was in the 1968 movie The Odd Couple (1968). Her last appearance was a cameo in 1997 in the short-lived television comedy George & Leo (1997) with Judd Hirsch and Bob Newhart. She had also been a regular from 1988-1992 in the sitcom Dear John (1988), and in a series of performances as a cheerful and sassy senior citizen in such productions as Ernest Saves Christmas (1988) and Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol (1987).

Date of Death: 27 November 2002, Granada Hills (Alzheimer's disease)

Movies for Billie Bird...

Jury Duty
Title: Jury Duty
Character: Rose
Released: April 12, 1995
Type: Movie
When jobless Tommy Collins discovers that sequestered jurors earn free room and board as well as $5-a-day, he gets himself assigned to a jury in a murder trial. Once there, he does everything he can to prolong the trial and deliberations and make the sequestration more comfortable for himself.
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Dennis the Menace
Title: Dennis the Menace
Character: Edith Butterwell
Released: June 24, 1993
Type: Movie
Mr. Wilson's ever-present annoyance comes in the form of one mischievous kid named Dennis. But he'll need Dennis's tricks to uncover a collection of gold coins that go missing when a shady drifter named Switchblade Sam comes to town.
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The End of Innocence
Title: The End of Innocence
Character: Mrs. Yabledablov
Released: December 6, 1990
Type: Movie
Seemingly autobiographical story of a woman overwhelmed with trying to please everyone except herself, and not finding any answers until she's admitted to a rehab center by her parents. Eventually here is where she finds her answers.
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Home Alone
Title: Home Alone
Character: Woman in Airport
Released: November 16, 1990
Type: Movie
Eight-year-old Kevin McCallister makes the most of the situation after his family unwittingly leaves him behind when they go on Christmas vacation. But when a pair of bungling burglars set their sights on Kevin's house, the plucky kid stands ready to defend his territory. By planting booby traps galore, adorably mischievous Kevin stands his ground as his frantic mother attempts to race home before Christmas Day.
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Police Academy 6: City Under Siege
Title: Police Academy 6: City Under Siege
Character: Mrs. Stanwyck
Released: March 9, 1989
Type: Movie
Our favourite police men are called together to deal with a gang who rob banks and jewelers. Using their various talents as well as their extraordinary luck, the crooks stand no chance against our men and women in blue.
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That's Adequate
Title: That's Adequate
Character: Lillian Darling
Released: January 1, 1989
Type: Movie
This mockumentary about fictional movie studio Adequate Pictures boasts an interesting cast. Tony Randall hosts, and James CoCo (practically on his deathbed) stars as head of the studio. Includes parodies of everything from silent comedies to porn, including an ultra violent "three stooges" style comedy team who put a new spin on the eye poking gag.
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Title: Murphy Brown
Released: November 14, 1988
Type: TV
Murphy Brown (Candice Bergen) is a recovering alcoholic who returns to the fictional newsmagazine FYI for the first time following a stay at the Betty Ford Clinic residential treatment center. Over 40 and single, she is sharp tongued and hard as nails. In her profession, she is considered one of the boys, having shattered many glass ceilings encountered during her career. Dominating the FYI news magazine, she is portrayed as one of America's hardest-hitting (though not the warmest or more sympathetic) media personalities.
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Ernest Saves Christmas
Title: Ernest Saves Christmas
Character: Mary Morrissey
Released: November 11, 1988
Type: Movie
When Santa Claus decides to retire and pass on his magic bag of Christmas surprises to a new Saint Nick, he enlists the aid of a hilarious assortment of characters. A perky teen runaway and hapless taxi driver Ernest P. Worrell must convince a skeptical kiddie-show host to take over the post of Father Christmas.
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Title: Dear John
Character: Margie Philbert
Released: October 6, 1988
Type: TV
Dear John starred Judd Hirsch as easygoing Drake Prep high school teacher John Lacey who is dumped by his wife, Wendy, via a Dear John letter. Wendy ends up with everything in the divorce settlement, including custody of the couple's son, forcing John to move into an apartment in Ozone Park, Queens. John soon joins the One-2-One Club, a self help group for divorced, widowed or lonely people. The group is led by Louise (Jane Carr), a sex-obsessed British woman. Other members of the group include Kate McCarron (Isabella Hofmann), a sweet divorcée; Kirk Morris (Jere Burns), a cocky ladies' man; Ralph Drang (Harry Groener), a shy and neurotic tollbooth collector; Bonnie Philbert (Billie Bird), a feisty senior citizen; and Tom, Mrs. Philbert's quiet boyfriend (Tom Willett).
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Title: The Wonder Years
Character: Woman
Released: January 31, 1988
Type: TV
The story of Kevin Arnold facing the trials and tribulations of youth while growing up during the 1960s and 70s. Told through narration from an adult Kevin, Kevin faces the difficulties of maintaining relationships and friendships on his enthralling journey into adulthood.
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Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol
Title: Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol
Character: Mrs. Feldman
Released: April 2, 1987
Type: Movie
A new batch of recruits arrives at Police Academy, this time a group of civilian volunteers who have joined Commandant Lassard's new Citizens on Patrol program. Although the community relations project has strong governmental support, a disgusted Captain Harris is determined to see it fail.
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Title: Max Headroom
Released: March 31, 1987
Type: TV
Max Headroom is a British-produced American satirical science fiction television series by Chrysalis Visual Programming and Lakeside Productions for Lorimar-Telepictures that aired in the United States on ABC from March 1987 to May 1988. The series was based on the Channel 4 British TV pilot produced by Chrysalis, Max Headroom: 20 Minutes into the Future. The series is often mistaken as an American-produced show due to the setting and its use of an almost entirely US cast along with being broadcast in the USA on the ABC network. Cinemax aired the UK pilot followed by a six-week run of highlights from The Max Headroom Show, a music video show where Headroom appears between music videos. ABC took an interest in the pilot and asked Chrysalis/Lakeside to produce the series for US audiences. The show went into production in late 1986 and ran for six episodes in the first season with eight being produced in season two.
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Title: The Charmings
Released: March 20, 1987
Type: TV
The Charmings is an American fantasy sitcom that aired from March 1987 to February 1988 on ABC. Based on the fairy tale Snow White, it chronicles Snow White and Prince Charming after they are transported in time from the Enchanted Forest to the 20th Century Los Angeles suburbs.
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Title: The Bronx Zoo
Released: March 19, 1987
Type: TV
The Bronx Zoo is a 1987 NBC drama series directed by Allan Arkush and Paul Lynch. It lasted two seasons before cancellation.
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Ratboy
Title: Ratboy
Character: Psychic
Released: October 17, 1986
Type: Movie
A failed window dresser exploits a being with rat-like features in an effort to make money.
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Title: Starman
Released: September 19, 1986
Type: TV
Starman is an American science fiction television series, starring Robert Hays and Christopher Daniel Barnes and continuing the story from John Carpenter's 1984 film. The series ran on the ABC network from September 19, 1986 to May 2, 1987. The series was an adaptation and sequel to a movie of the same name produced in 1984.
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One Crazy Summer
Title: One Crazy Summer
Character: Grandma
Released: August 8, 1986
Type: Movie
An aspiring teenage cartoonist and his friends come to the aid of a singer trying to save her family property from developers.
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Help Wanted: Kids
Title: Help Wanted: Kids
Character: Bea
Released: February 2, 1986
Type: Movie
When the Burkes loose their jobs in New York, they have to move to Arizona, where Tom has an job-offer in the management of a small company for children's clothing. Unfortunately Tom's new boss Sirus Lovelin turns out to be extremely fond of the traditional American family and automatically assumes Amanda to be housewife and mother - but the Burkes don't even have children! To not offend him, they "hire" two kids they met prowling the streets. When they turn out witty, but nasty and impertinent, the Burkes want to rid themselves of them, but are entangled already too deeply in their lie...
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Title: Who's the Boss?
Character: Tessie
Released: September 20, 1984
Type: TV
A former professional baseball player, along with his preteen daughter, moves into New York advertising executive Angela Bower's house to be both a housekeeper and a father figure to her young son. Tony 's laid-back personality contrasts with Angela's type-A behavior.
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Title: Hunter
Character: Marie Watson
Released: September 18, 1984
Type: TV
Hunter is an American police drama television series created by Frank Lupo, and starring Fred Dryer as Sgt. Rick Hunter and Stepfanie Kramer as Sgt. Dee Dee McCall, which ran on NBC from 1984 to 1991. However, Kramer left after the sixth season to pursue other acting and musical opportunities. In the seventh season, Hunter partnered with two different women officers. The titular character, Sgt. Rick Hunter, was a wily, physically imposing, and often rule-breaking homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. The show's main characters, Hunter and McCall, resolve many of their cases by shooting dead the perpetrators. The show's executive producer during the first season was Stephen J. Cannell, whose company produced the series.
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Sixteen Candles
Title: Sixteen Candles
Character: Dorothy Baker
Released: May 4, 1984
Type: Movie
With the occasion all but overshadowed by her sister's upcoming wedding, angst-ridden Samantha faces her 16th birthday with typical adolescent dread. Samantha pines for studly older boy Jake, but worries that her chastity will be a turnoff for the popular senior. Meanwhile, she must constantly rebuff the affections of nerdy Ted, who is unfortunately the only boy in school who seems to take an interest in her.
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Title: Goodnight, Beantown
Released: April 3, 1983
Type: TV
Matt Cassidy and Jennifer Barnes are reluctantly paired to anchor the news at a fictional TV station in Boston, Massachusetts, due to the sudden ratings drop.
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Max Dugan Returns
Title: Max Dugan Returns
Character: Older Woman
Released: March 25, 1983
Type: Movie
An English teacher and struggling single mother has her life disrupted when the father who abandoned her as a child comes back into her life.
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Title: It Takes Two
Released: October 14, 1982
Type: TV
It Takes Two is an American sitcom, created by Susan Harris, that aired on ABC from October 14, 1982 to April 28, 1983. The series starred Richard Crenna as Dr. Sam Quinn and Patty Duke Astin as his devoted wife Molly.
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Title: Newhart
Released: October 2, 1982
Type: TV
Dick Loudon and his wife Joanna decide to leave life in New York City and buy a little inn in Vermont. Dick is a how-to book writer, who eventually becomes a local TV celebrity as host of "Vermont Today." George Utley is the handyman at the inn and Leslie Vanderkellen is the maid, with ambitions of being an Olympic Ski champion; she is later replaced by her cousin Stephanie, an heiress who hates her job. Her boyfriend is Dick's yuppie TV producer, Michael Harris. There are many other quirky characters in this fictional little town, including Dick's neighbors Larry, Darryl, and Darryl...three brothers who buy the Minuteman Cafe from Kirk Devane. Besides sharing a name, Darryl and Darryl never speak.
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Title: Remington Steele
Character: Anna Dix
Released: October 1, 1982
Type: TV
Laura Holt, a licensed private detective, opens a detective agency but finds that potential clients refuse to hire a woman, however qualified. To solve the problem, Laura invents a fictitious male superior whom she names Remington Steele. Through a series of events that unfold in the first episode, "License to Steele," a former thief and con man, whose real name is never revealed, assumes the identity of Remington Steele. Behind the scenes, Laura remains firmly in charge.
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Young Doctors in Love
Title: Young Doctors in Love
Character: The Hospital Staff - Flower Lady
Released: July 16, 1982
Type: Movie
An 'Airplane!'-style spoof of hospital soap operas—a brilliant young trainee can't stand the sight of blood; a doctor romances the head nurse in order to get the key to the drugs cabinet; and there's a mafioso on the loose disguised as a woman.
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Title: Knots Landing
Released: December 27, 1979
Type: TV
The domestic adventures, misdeeds and everyday interactions of five families living on a cul-de-sac in a small California community.
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Title: Benson
Character: Rose Cassidy
Released: September 13, 1979
Type: TV
A butler deals with life at the governor's mansion.
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Title: The Facts of Life
Released: August 24, 1979
Type: TV
The Facts of Life is an American sitcom that originally ran on the NBC television network from August 24, 1979, to May 7, 1988, making it the longest running sitcom of the 1980s. A spin-off of the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, the series' premise focuses on Edna Garrett as she becomes a housemother at the fictional Eastland School, an all-female boarding school in Peekskill, New York.
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Title: Apple's Way
Released: February 10, 1974
Type: TV
Apple's Way is a television dramedy which aired on CBS from 1974-1975. It was created by Earl Hamner, Jr..
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Title: Happy Days
Released: January 15, 1974
Type: TV
In 1950s Milwaukee the Cunningham family must contend with Fonzie, a motorcycle riding Casanova.
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Title: The Waltons
Released: September 14, 1972
Type: TV
The Waltons live their life in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and World War II.
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Stand Up and Be Counted
Title: Stand Up and Be Counted
Character: uncredited
Released: May 1, 1972
Type: Movie
Sheila is a newspaper reporter who returns to her home town in order to write an article about the progress of the liberation of the women. Arriving at the town she is very surprised to see that her sister and also her mother agree very much with the feministic arguments.
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Getting Straight
Title: Getting Straight
Character: Landlady
Released: May 13, 1970
Type: Movie
Graduate student Harry Bailey was once one of the most visible undergraduate activists on campus, but now that he's back studying for his master's, he's trying to fly right. Trouble is, the campus is exploding with various student movements, and Harry's girlfriend, Jan, is caught up in most of them. As Harry gets closer to finishing his degree, he finds his iconoclastic attitude increasingly aligned with the students rather than the faculty.
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Title: Adam-12
Character: Winnie Goodrich
Released: September 21, 1968
Type: TV
Adam-12 is a television police drama that followed two police officers of the Los Angeles Police Department, Pete Malloy and Jim Reed, as they patrolled the streets of Los Angeles in their patrol unit, 1-Adam-12.
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The Odd Couple
Title: The Odd Couple
Character: Chambermaid (uncredited)
Released: May 16, 1968
Type: Movie
In New York, Felix, a neurotic news writer who just broke up with his wife, is urged by his chaotic friend Oscar, a sports journalist, to move in with him, but their lifestyles are as different as night and day are, so Felix's ideas about housekeeping soon begin to irritate Oscar.
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Barefoot in the Park
Title: Barefoot in the Park
Character: Drunken Neighbor (uncredited)
Released: May 25, 1967
Type: Movie
In this film based on a Neil Simon play, newlyweds Corie, a free spirit, and Paul Bratter, an uptight lawyer, share a sixth-floor apartment in Greenwich Village. Soon after their marriage, Corie tries to find a companion for mother, Ethel, who is now alone, and sets up Ethel with neighbor Victor. Inappropriate behavior on a double date causes conflict, and the young couple considers divorce.
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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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This Property Is Condemned
Title: This Property Is Condemned
Character: Party Guest (uncredited)
Released: August 3, 1966
Type: Movie
Owen Legate, a railroad official, comes to Dodson, Mississippi to shut down the local railway - the town's main income. But Owen unexpectedly finds love with Dodson's flirt and main attraction, Alva Starr.
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Las Vegas Hillbillys
Title: Las Vegas Hillbillys
Released: May 11, 1966
Type: Movie
A Hillbilly hits the big time in Las Vegas.
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The Cat Burglar
Title: The Cat Burglar
Character: Mrs. Prattle
Released: July 1, 1961
Type: Movie
Unwitting pickup artist Jack Coley (Jack Hogan) nabs a briefcase holding a costly scientific formula, turning himself into a moving target for owner Alan Sheridan (John Baer), foreign agents and the fuzz -- all bent on a blistering game of finders, keepers. In this stylized crime drama, the quarry coolly eludes the pack while eliciting the aid of an unlikely party: blonde beauty Nan Baker (June Kenney), the attaché's original carrier.
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Too Soon to Love
Title: Too Soon to Love
Character: Mrs. Jefferson
Released: February 1, 1960
Type: Movie
Unmarried teenage lovers turn to desperate measures after their clandestine tryst results in an unplanned pregnancy.
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Blue Denim
Title: Blue Denim
Character: Woman (uncredited)
Released: July 30, 1959
Type: Movie
Two naive high-school students must deal with the unexpected consequences after a night of passion.
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Born to Be Loved
Title: Born to Be Loved
Character: Drunk's Wife
Released: June 1, 1959
Type: Movie
Director Hugo Haas reprises the theme of romantic love in this routine yet innocent story of matchmaking. The setting is an overcrowded tenement building in which the residents seem to live beyond the reach of muggers or drug dealers or trigger-happy gangs because they mingle and mix in the halls as they energetically interact with each other.
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Unwed Mother
Title: Unwed Mother
Character: Gertie
Released: November 23, 1958
Type: Movie
A young, sweet girl from the country moves to Los Angeles with her mother and meets a young man who she thinks is just perfect. That is until she gets pregnant and he's on his way to jail.
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The Joker Is Wild
Title: The Joker Is Wild
Character: Ticket Seller / Cashier (uncredited)
Released: September 26, 1957
Type: Movie
Prohibition-era nightclub crooner Joe E. Lewis has his career and nearly his life cut short when his throat is slashed as payback for leaving the employ of Chicago mob boss Georgie Parker. A broken alcoholic, Joe is brought back from the abyss by his faithful piano player, Austin Mack, who helps turn the former singer into a successful stand-up comedian. But Joe's demons plague his romantic life even as he reaches new heights of success.
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Title: Gunsmoke
Character: Old Woman
Released: September 10, 1955
Type: TV
Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West. The central character is lawman Marshal Matt Dillon, played by William Conrad on radio and James Arness on television.
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Title: Letter to Loretta
Character: Mrs. Shubb
Released: September 20, 1953
Type: TV
Letter to Loretta is an American anthology drama series telecast on NBC from September 1953 to June 1961 for a total of 165 episodes. The filmed show was hosted by Loretta Young who also played the lead in various episodes. Letter to Loretta was sponsored by Procter & Gamble from 1953 through 1960. The final season's sponsor was Warner-Lambert's Listerine.
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My Wife's Best Friend
Title: My Wife's Best Friend
Character: Katie
Released: October 9, 1952
Type: Movie
When a man confesses to his wife that he has been unfaithful, she imagines all the different ways that historical figures such as Cleopatra and Joan of Arc might handle the situation.
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Somebody Loves Me
Title: Somebody Loves Me
Character: Essie
Released: September 24, 1952
Type: Movie
Backstage musical biography of nightclub star Blossom Seeley that charts her rocky relationship with vaudeville singer Benny Fields.
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Just Across the Street
Title: Just Across the Street
Character: Pearl
Released: June 15, 1952
Type: Movie
A plumber's secretary poses as the daughter of a prominent society couple.
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Journey Into Light
Title: Journey Into Light
Character: Gertie
Released: September 28, 1951
Type: Movie
John Burrows, an ordained minister from a small village in the East, envisions himself with a larger congregation. He is mortified when his wife drunkenly interrupts a sermon, then despondent after her suicide. Burrows travels to Los Angeles for a fresh start, but takes to the bottle himself and ends up arrested for public intoxication. A skid-row con man, Gandy, finds him a bed at a flop house, while a street preacher, Doc Thorssen, and daughter Christine take him to a local mission. Christine is blind. She falls in love with Burrows, enjoying his discussions of the spirit and the soul but knowing little of his past. One day she is struck by a streetcar and knocked unconscious, causing Burrows to once again question his faith. He ultimately accepts the Lord's will and is offered a better place to live and preach. Burrows decides he is better suited to the mission, with Christine by his side.
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Rhubarb
Title: Rhubarb
Character: Mona Lizzie (uncredited)
Released: August 29, 1951
Type: Movie
Rich, eccentric T.J. Banner adopts a feral cat who becomes an affectionate pet he names Rhubarb. Then T.J. dies, leaving to Rhubarb most of his money and a pro baseball team, the Brooklyn Loons. When the team protests, publicist Eric Yeager convinces them Rhubarb is good luck. But Eric's fiancée Polly seems to be allergic to cats, and the team's success may mean new hazards for Rhubarb.
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Darling, How Could You!
Title: Darling, How Could You!
Character: Rosie
Released: August 8, 1951
Type: Movie
Two absentee American parents get to know their three children again after spending five years in Panama.
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The Lemon Drop Kid
Title: The Lemon Drop Kid
Character: Racetrack Bettor on Iron Bar (uncredited)
Released: April 2, 1951
Type: Movie
When the Lemon Drop Kid accidentally cheats gangster Moose Moran out of his track winnings, the Kid promises to repay Moose the money by Christmas. Creating a fake charity for "Apple Annie" Nellie Thursday, the Kid tricks his gang into donning Santa suits and "collecting dough for old dolls" like Nellie who have nowhere to live.
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The Mating Season
Title: The Mating Season
Character: Mugsy
Released: January 12, 1951
Type: Movie
Ellen McNulty leaves her New Jersey hamburger stand and heads west to pay a surprise visit to her son and his new bride. When Ellen arrives, her daughter-in-law mistakes her for the maid she has hired for a big party they are throwing. Rather than cause any embarrassment, Ellen goes along with the charade, which leads to many complications.