Chester Morris

Chester Morris

Born: February 16, 1901
Died: September 11, 1970
in New York City, New York, USA
Chester Morris (born John Chester Brooks Morris; February 16, 1901 – September 11, 1970) was an American stage, film, television, and radio actor. He had some prestigious film roles early in his career, and was nominated for an Academy Award. Chester Morris is best remembered today for portraying Boston Blackie, a criminal-turned-detective, in the modestly budgeted Boston Blackie film series of the 1940s.

Movies for Chester Morris...

Complicated Women
Title: Complicated Women
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: May 6, 2003
Type: Movie
Looks at the stereotype-breaking films of the period from 1929, when movies entered the sound era, until 1934 when the Hays Code virtually neutered film content. No longer portrayed as virgins or vamps, the liberated female of the pre-code films had dimensions. Good girls had lovers and babies and held down jobs, while the bad girls were cast in a sympathetic light. And they did it all without apology.
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Hollywood: The Dream Factory
Title: Hollywood: The Dream Factory
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: January 10, 1972
Type: Movie
A documentary about the glorious history of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and its decline leading to the sale of its back lot and props. By extension this provides a general history of Hollywood's Golden Age and the legendary studio system.
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The Great White Hope
Title: The Great White Hope
Character: Pop Weaver
Released: October 11, 1970
Type: Movie
A black champion boxer and his white female companion struggle to survive while the white boxing establishment looks for ways to knock him down.
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Title: Cimarron Strip
Released: September 7, 1967
Type: TV
Cimarron Strip is an American Western television series that aired on CBS from September 1967 to March 1968. Starring Stuart Whitman as Marshal Jim Crown, the series was produced by the creators of Gunsmoke. Reruns of the original show were aired in the summer of 1971. Cimarron Strip was one of only three 90-minute weekly Western series that aired during the 1960s, and the only 90-minute series of any kind to be centered primarily around one lead character. Cimarron Strip was set in the Oklahoma Panhandle, which comprises, east to west, Beaver, Texas, and Cimarron counties in Oklahoma. The show is set in 1888, just as the continuous frontier of the West, which once ran from the Canadian to the Mexican border, was closing. In less than five years there would no longer be that "continuous frontier," only pockets of undeveloped land. This was the late "Wild West" that Marshall Jim Crown was called to defend.
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The Big Parade of Comedy
Title: The Big Parade of Comedy
Character: Jimmie Burnham in 'The Gay Bride' (archive footage)
Released: September 2, 1964
Type: Movie
Film clips highlight the funniest scenes and brightest comic stars in MGM's history.
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Title: Kraft Suspense Theatre
Character: Blaine Davis
Released: October 10, 1963
Type: TV
Kraft Suspense Theatre is an American anthology series that was telecast from 1963 to 1965 on NBC. Sponsored by Kraft Foods, it was seen three weeks out of every four and was pre-empted for Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall specials once monthly. Como's production company, Roncom Films, also produced Kraft Suspense Theatre. Writer, editor, critic and radio playwright Anthony Boucher served as consultant on the series. Later syndicated under the title Crisis, it was one of the few suspense series telecast in color at the time. While most of NBC's shows were in color then, all-color network line-ups did not become the norm until the 1966-67 season.
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Title: Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
Character: Major Whitman
Released: October 4, 1963
Type: TV
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre is an American anthology series, sponsored by Chrysler Corporation, which ran on NBC from 1963 through 1967. The show was hosted by Bob Hope, but it had a variety of formats, including musical, dramatic, and comedy.
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Title: The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Character: Self
Released: October 1, 1962
Type: TV
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under The Tonight Show franchise from 1962 to 1992. It originally aired during late-night. For its first ten years, Carson's Tonight Show was based in New York City with occasional trips to Burbank, California; in May 1972, the show moved permanently to Burbank, California. In 2002, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson was ranked #12 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.
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Title: The Mike Douglas Show
Character: Self
Released: December 11, 1961
Type: TV
The Mike Douglas Show is an American daytime television talk show hosted by Mike Douglas that originally aired only in the Cleveland area during much of its first two years on the air. It then went into syndication in 1963 and remained on television until 1982. It was distributed by Westinghouse Broadcasting and for much of its run, originated from studios of two of the company's TV stations in Cleveland and Philadelphia.
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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: Dr. Kildare
Character: Tom Monahan
Released: September 27, 1961
Type: TV
The story of a young intern in a large metropolitan hospital trying to learn his profession, deal with the problems of his patients, and win the respect of the senior doctor in his specialty, internal medicine.
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A String of Beads
Title: A String of Beads
Character: Walter Harmon
Released: February 7, 1961
Type: Movie
An ordinary girl's life is radically changed by the mistaken receipt of a $60,000 strand of pearls.
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Title: Route 66
Character: Emmett McNeill
Released: October 7, 1960
Type: TV
Route 66 is an American TV series in which two young men traveled across America in a Chevrolet Corvette sports car. The show ran weekly on Fridays on CBS from October 7, 1960 to March 20, 1964. It starred Martin Milner as Tod Stiles and, for the first two and a half seasons, George Maharis as Buz Murdock. Maharis was ill for much of the third season, during which time Tod was shown traveling on his own. Tod met Lincoln Case, played by Glenn Corbett, late in the third season, and traveled with him until the end of the fourth and final season. Among the series more notable aspects were the featured Corvette convertible, and the program's instrumental theme song, which became a major pop hit.
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Title: Route 66
Character: Mr. Hull
Released: October 7, 1960
Type: TV
Route 66 is an American TV series in which two young men traveled across America in a Chevrolet Corvette sports car. The show ran weekly on Fridays on CBS from October 7, 1960 to March 20, 1964. It starred Martin Milner as Tod Stiles and, for the first two and a half seasons, George Maharis as Buz Murdock. Maharis was ill for much of the third season, during which time Tod was shown traveling on his own. Tod met Lincoln Case, played by Glenn Corbett, late in the third season, and traveled with him until the end of the fourth and final season. Among the series more notable aspects were the featured Corvette convertible, and the program's instrumental theme song, which became a major pop hit.
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Title: Checkmate
Character: Albert DeWitt
Released: September 17, 1960
Type: TV
Checkmate is an American detective television series starring Anthony George, Sebastian Cabot, and Doug McClure. The show aired on CBS Television from 1960 to 1962 for a total of 70 episodes and was produced by Jack Benny's production company, "JaMco Productions" in co-operation with Revue Studios. Guest stars included Charles Laughton, Peter Lorre, and Lee Marvin, among many other commensurately prominent performers.
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Title: Diagnosis: Unknown
Released: July 5, 1960
Type: TV
Diagnosis: Unknown is an American medical drama that aired on CBS from July 5 to September 20, 1960. Produced by Bob Banner, the series aired as a summer replacement for The Garry Moore Show, a variety program.
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Title: Play of the Week
Character: Swanson
Released: October 12, 1959
Type: TV
This syndicated anthology series staged a different play every week covering all genres, dramas, comedies, musicals, fantasies, mysteries, et al, utilizing some of the best talent appearing on Broadway.
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Title: Rawhide
Character: Hugh Clements
Released: January 9, 1959
Type: TV
The tale of trail boss Gil Favor and his trusty foreman Rowdy Yates as they drives cattle across the old west. Along the way they meet up with adventure and drama.
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Title: Pursuit
Character: Moody
Released: October 22, 1958
Type: TV
Pursuit is an American television anthology drama series which aired on CBS from October 1958 to January 1959.
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Title: Naked City
Character: Frank Manfred
Released: September 30, 1958
Type: TV
Naked City is a police drama series which aired from 1958 to 1963 on the ABC television network. It was inspired by the 1948 motion picture of the same name, and mimics its dramatic “semi-documentary” format. In 1997, the episode “Sweet Prince of Delancey Street” was ranked #93 on TV Guide’s “100 Greatest Episodes of All Time”.
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Title: Tonight Starring Jack Paar
Character: Self
Released: July 29, 1957
Type: TV
Tonight Starring Jack Paar is an American talk show hosted by Jack Paar under The Tonight Show franchise from 1957 to 1962. It originally aired during late-night. During most of its run it was broadcast from Studio 6B inside the RCA Building. The same studio would also host early episodes of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Its theme song was an instrumental version of "Everything's Coming Up Roses", and the closing theme was "So Until I See You" by Al Lerner.
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Title: Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
Character: Frank Simmons
Released: October 5, 1956
Type: TV
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre, sometimes simply called Zane Grey Theatre, is an American Western anthology series which ran on CBS from 1956 to 1961.
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The She-Creature
Title: The She-Creature
Character: Dr. Carlo Lombardi
Released: August 1, 1956
Type: Movie
A mysterious hypnotist reverts his beautiful assistant back into the form of a prehistoric sea monster that she was in a past life.
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The Arena
Title: The Arena
Character: Jack Feeney
Released: April 9, 1956
Type: Movie
Arriving in Washington, a freshman senator gets an experienced advisor who warns him not to continue a heated feud with his state's senior salon, held over from his father. But later in a drunken jag, he blurts out secret evidence that can end the career of the older man.
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Unchained
Title: Unchained
Character: Kenyon Scudder
Released: August 25, 1955
Type: Movie
This fact-based prison drama tells the tale of a band of prisoners living in the innovative 2,600-acre prison at Chino, California. The place takes a humanistic approach to reform and there are no armed guards, no lockups and no uniforms. The underlying philosophy is that if these things are not there, the prisoners will not want to escape, and will instead accept their punishment. A new inmate arrives and soon accustoms himself to the new idea. The story includes the Oscar nominated song Unchained Melody.
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Title: Gang Busters
Character: Host
Released: March 20, 1952
Type: TV
Gang Busters is a 30 minute television series, hosted by Chester Morris, that aired on NBC from March 20 to Oct. 23, 1952. The series dramatized FBI cases.
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Title: Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Character: The Dansker
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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Title: The Red Skelton Show
Character: Tony
Released: September 30, 1951
Type: TV
The Red Skelton Show is an American variety show that was a television staple for two decades, from 1951 to 1971. It was second to Gunsmoke and third to The Ed Sullivan Show in the ratings during that time. Skelton, who had previously been a radio star, had appeared in several motion pictures as well. Although his television series is largely associated with CBS, where it appeared for more than fifteen years, it actually began and ended on NBC. During its run, the program received three Emmy Awards, for Skelton as best comedian and the program as best comedy show during its initial season, and an award for comedy writing in 1961.
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Title: Tales of Tomorrow
Released: August 3, 1951
Type: TV
Tales of Tomorrow is an American anthology science fiction series that was performed and broadcast live on ABC from 1951 to 1953. The series covered such stories as Frankenstein, starring Lon Chaney, Jr., 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea starring Thomas Mitchell as Captain Nemo, and many others featuring such performers as Boris Karloff, Brian Keith, Lee J. Cobb, Rod Steiger, Bruce Cabot, Franchot Tone, Gene Lockhart, Walter Abel, Leslie Nielsen, and Paul Newman. The series had many similarities to the later Twilight Zone which also covered one of the same stories, "What You Need". In total it ran for eighty-five 30-minute episodes.
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Title: Lux Video Theatre
Character: Lefty
Released: October 2, 1950
Type: TV
Lux Video Theatre is an American anthology series that was produced from 1950 until 1959. The series presented both comedy and drama in original teleplays, as well as abridged adaptations of films and plays.
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Title: Cameo Theatre
Character: Merlini
Released: May 16, 1950
Type: TV
Cameo Theatre was an American anthology series that aired on NBC during the Golden Age of Television, from 1950 to 1955.
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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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Title: Robert Montgomery Presents
Character: Col. Bobo Nolan
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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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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Boston Blackie's Chinese Venture
Title: Boston Blackie's Chinese Venture
Character: Horatio 'Boston Blackie' Black
Released: March 2, 1949
Type: Movie
Blackie is seen leaving a Chinese laundry where the proprietor has been murdered, and must track down the real killer in Chinatown.
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Title: Suspense
Released: January 6, 1949
Type: TV
Suspense is an American television anthology series that ran on CBS Television from 1949 to 1954. It was adapted from the radio program of the same name which ran from 1942 to 1962. Like many early television programs, the show was broadcast live from New York City. It was sponsored by the Auto-Lite corporation, and each episode was introduced by host Rex Marshall, who promoted Auto-Lite spark plugs, car batteries, headlights, and other car parts. Some of the early scripts were adapted from Suspense radio scripts, while others were original for television. Like the radio program, many scripts were adaptations of literary classics by well-known authors. Classic authors such as Edgar Allan Poe, Agatha Christie, and Charles Dickens all had stories adapted for the series, while contemporary authors such as Roald Dahl and Gore Vidal also contributed. Many notable actors appeared on the program, including Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Franchot Tone, Robert Emhardt, Leslie Nielsen, Lloyd Bridges, and many more. The program was a live television series, but most episodes were recorded on kinescope. However, only about 90 of the 260 episodes survive today.
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Title: Suspense
Character: Edwards
Released: January 6, 1949
Type: TV
Suspense is an American television anthology series that ran on CBS Television from 1949 to 1954. It was adapted from the radio program of the same name which ran from 1942 to 1962. Like many early television programs, the show was broadcast live from New York City. It was sponsored by the Auto-Lite corporation, and each episode was introduced by host Rex Marshall, who promoted Auto-Lite spark plugs, car batteries, headlights, and other car parts. Some of the early scripts were adapted from Suspense radio scripts, while others were original for television. Like the radio program, many scripts were adaptations of literary classics by well-known authors. Classic authors such as Edgar Allan Poe, Agatha Christie, and Charles Dickens all had stories adapted for the series, while contemporary authors such as Roald Dahl and Gore Vidal also contributed. Many notable actors appeared on the program, including Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Franchot Tone, Robert Emhardt, Leslie Nielsen, Lloyd Bridges, and many more. The program was a live television series, but most episodes were recorded on kinescope. However, only about 90 of the 260 episodes survive today.
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Title: Studio One
Character: Warden Garry
Released: November 7, 1948
Type: TV
An American radio–television anthology series, created in 1947 by Canadian director Fletcher Markle, who came to CBS from the CBC. Studio One, presented by Westinghouse, was one of the first of the anthology TV programs. The episodes were often abridged remakes of movies from years gone by and many future well-known television and movie actors appeared in the productions.
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Title: Studio One
Character: Jack Feeney
Released: November 7, 1948
Type: TV
An American radio–television anthology series, created in 1947 by Canadian director Fletcher Markle, who came to CBS from the CBC. Studio One, presented by Westinghouse, was one of the first of the anthology TV programs. The episodes were often abridged remakes of movies from years gone by and many future well-known television and movie actors appeared in the productions.
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Title: Studio One
Character: Sam Benson
Released: November 7, 1948
Type: TV
An American radio–television anthology series, created in 1947 by Canadian director Fletcher Markle, who came to CBS from the CBC. Studio One, presented by Westinghouse, was one of the first of the anthology TV programs. The episodes were often abridged remakes of movies from years gone by and many future well-known television and movie actors appeared in the productions.
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Title: Studio One
Character: Jack Sparling
Released: November 7, 1948
Type: TV
An American radio–television anthology series, created in 1947 by Canadian director Fletcher Markle, who came to CBS from the CBC. Studio One, presented by Westinghouse, was one of the first of the anthology TV programs. The episodes were often abridged remakes of movies from years gone by and many future well-known television and movie actors appeared in the productions.
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Trapped by Boston Blackie
Title: Trapped by Boston Blackie
Character: Horatio 'Boston Blackie' Black
Released: May 13, 1948
Type: Movie
Blackie is the natural suspect when an expensive pearl necklace is stolen while he is supposed to be guarding it.
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Blind Spot
Title: Blind Spot
Character: Jeffrey Andrews
Released: February 6, 1947
Type: Movie
A mystery writer becomes the prime suspect in a murder investigation when a publisher he last saw is found dead.
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Boston Blackie and the Law
Title: Boston Blackie and the Law
Character: Horatio 'Boston Blackie' Black
Released: December 12, 1946
Type: Movie
Blackie performs in a magic show at a women's prison, which gives an inmate an opportunity to escape.
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The Phantom Thief
Title: The Phantom Thief
Character: Horatio 'Boston Blackie' Black
Released: May 2, 1946
Type: Movie
Boston Blackie, in the 11th film of the Columbia series, indulges in some wit-trading with a squirmy spiritualist who deals in blackmail, murder and the occult. "Blackie" out to help his pal, "Runt," recover some jewels, finds himself involved in the homicides, and also finds himself as the prime suspect, and now has to find the real culprit in order to clear himself. So "Blackie,", a man of many talents and already a proved magician from cases past, shows he knows a little bit about dancing skeletons, walking phantoms and spiritualism himself, and holds a séance to unmask the murderer.
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A Close Call for Boston Blackie
Title: A Close Call for Boston Blackie
Character: Horatio 'Boston Blackie' Black / Cyrus Peyton
Released: January 24, 1946
Type: Movie
Blackie runs into a woman he formally loved who now is married with a kid. When her husband gets out of prison he's killed in Blackie's apartment and of course the police thing Blackie pulled the trigger. Blackie must set out to prove his innocence as well as capture the real killers.
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One Way to Love
Title: One Way to Love
Character: Barry Cole
Released: January 8, 1946
Type: Movie
A Chicago team of radio scriptwriters must split up when he takes a job with his bride-to-be's father, and the other must write commercial jingles.
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Boston Blackie's Rendezvous
Title: Boston Blackie's Rendezvous
Character: Horatio 'Boston Blackie' Black
Released: July 5, 1945
Type: Movie
Blackie helps the police rescue hostage from an escaped maniac on a killing spree.
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Boston Blackie Booked on Suspicion
Title: Boston Blackie Booked on Suspicion
Character: Horatio 'Boston Blackie' Black
Released: May 10, 1945
Type: Movie
Blackie is implicated in a murder when he accidently sells a phony Charles Dickens first edition at an auction.
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Rough, Tough and Ready
Title: Rough, Tough and Ready
Character: Brad Crowder
Released: March 22, 1945
Type: Movie
The story is the old bromide about two brawling buddies, duking it out over the same girl, in this case pert Jo Matheson (Jean Rogers). Owen and Brad own a salvage company, but split up over Jo. Both separately sign up for the army, and both are reunited in the Pacific.
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Double Exposure
Title: Double Exposure
Character: Larry Burke
Released: December 18, 1944
Type: Movie
In New York City, a newly hired photographer becomes embroiled in a scandal when her photo is mistaken for evidence of a murder and she must try to prove her own innocence.
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One Mysterious Night
Title: One Mysterious Night
Character: Horatio 'Boston Blackie' Black
Released: October 21, 1944
Type: Movie
After a rare gem is stolen from an exhibition at a posh hotel, Inspector Farraday decides to recruit former thief Boston Blackie to find the stone. Along with his assistant, "The Runt", Blackie focuses his investigation on the hotel manager, George Daley, and his sister, Eileen. Through disguises and ruses, Blackie and the Runt try to trick their way to discovering the thieves.
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Secret Command
Title: Secret Command
Character: Jeff Gallagher
Released: July 30, 1944
Type: Movie
Sam Gallagher returns home to Los Angeles as an undercover spy for the Navy, getting a job at the shipyards where his brother, Jeff, is a foreman. Jeff still resents Sam for abandoning the family years ago and fears he may steal away Lea Damaron, his current girlfriend -- who is Sam's old flame. While Sam tries to sniff out Nazi saboteurs in the plant, he grows closer to Jill McGann, the agent tasked with pretending to be his wife.
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Gambler's Choice
Title: Gambler's Choice
Character: Ross Hadley
Released: April 27, 1944
Type: Movie
The professional gambler Ross Hadley is the owner of a posh gaming establishment in the heart of New York...
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The Chance of a Lifetime
Title: The Chance of a Lifetime
Character: Horatio 'Boston Blackie' Black
Released: October 26, 1943
Type: Movie
A mad scramble for stolen loot ensues after Boston Blackie has prisoners released for work in a wartime defence plant.
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Tornado
Title: Tornado
Character: Pete Ramsey
Released: August 9, 1943
Type: Movie
The owner of an Illinois coal mine struggles to keep his business in operation, all the while unaware that among his employees is a saboteur planning destruction and chaos.
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High Explosive
Title: High Explosive
Character: Buzz Mitchell
Released: March 27, 1943
Type: Movie
Mike Douglas (Barry Sullivan), owner of a nitroglycerin concern hires his old friend "Buzz" Mitchell (Chester Morris), a race-driver of midget-auto cars who has been banned from racing, to go to work hauling nitro. "Buzz" makes a play for Connie Baker (Jean Parker), Mike's secretary and girlfriend, and also for Doris Lynch (Barbara Lynn), fiancée of Connie's younger brother, Jimmy ('Rand Brooks'), and gets Jimmy to replace him on a dangerous nitro haul and Jimmy, of course, has an accident and gets killed. But "Buzz" finds a way to redeem himself. The hard way.
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Aerial Gunner
Title: Aerial Gunner
Character: Foxy Pattis
Released: March 20, 1943
Type: Movie
Old rivals are pitted against each other in basic training and fight for the same woman.
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After Midnight with Boston Blackie
Title: After Midnight with Boston Blackie
Character: Boston Blackie
Released: March 18, 1943
Type: Movie
Blackie is arrested when retrieving stolen gems from a safety deposit box for a friend.
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Wrecking Crew
Title: Wrecking Crew
Character: Duke Mason
Released: November 7, 1942
Type: Movie
Follows a crew as they work under a deadline set by their boss to complete the demolition of a building. Touches on the lives of several of the crew in their lives away from the job and shows rhe comraderie of the crew in their work and even away from work.
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Boston Blackie Goes Hollywood
Title: Boston Blackie Goes Hollywood
Character: Boston Blackie
Released: November 5, 1942
Type: Movie
Blackie receives a call from a friend who asks him to retrieve some money from his apartment and deliver it to him in California. Performing this good deed, he is accused of theft, but is allowed to proceed to Hollywood to help the police find a lost diamond.
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I Live on Danger
Title: I Live on Danger
Character: Jeff Morrell
Released: June 16, 1942
Type: Movie
A cocky radio reporter sets out to prove an ex-convict is innocent in the murder of a mob boss.
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Alias Boston Blackie
Title: Alias Boston Blackie
Character: Boston Blackie
Released: April 2, 1942
Type: Movie
It is the Christmas Holidays and reformed thief, Boston Blackie goes to Castle Theater to pick up players who will perform for prisoners that are still in prison. He takes a girl with him who has a brother already in prison. She has visited the prison twice in the month, so is not suppose to visit again. However when the group is completed the girl is included as well as Inspector Farrady. One of the clowns in the show is kidnapped and replaced by a con who wants to get even with two ex-partners. Boston Blackie figures out that a con has replaced one of his clowns but is unable to stop him. Blackie's clothes are stolen and a murder is committed. Of course, the Inspector immediately suspects Blackie of being involved. Now it is Blackie's job to find the killer, exonerate himself and help the girl free her brother.
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Confessions of Boston Blackie
Title: Confessions of Boston Blackie
Character: Boston Blackie
Released: December 8, 1941
Type: Movie
A murder is committed during the auction of a valuable statue. The prime suspect is Boston Blackie, whose reputation for living on the edge of the law makes him an easy target for the police. When the body disappears, Blackie must find it to prove his innocence.
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No Hands on the Clock
Title: No Hands on the Clock
Character: Detective Humphrey Campbell
Released: December 1, 1941
Type: Movie
A wise-cracking private detective's honeymoon is interrupted by a kidnapping case.
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Meet Boston Blackie
Title: Meet Boston Blackie
Character: Boston Blackie
Released: February 20, 1941
Type: Movie
When a murder occurs on an ocean liner docked in New York, the trail leads to Coney Island and a spy ring.
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Girl from God's Country
Title: Girl from God's Country
Character: Jim Holden / Dr. Gary Currier
Released: July 30, 1940
Type: Movie
Jim Holden, a young doctor practicing in Alaska, eagerly awaits the arrival of his new nurse, Anne Webster. All of his previous left within a few weeks by the rigors of the Alaskan winter....
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Wagons Westward
Title: Wagons Westward
Character: David Cook / Tom Cook
Released: June 19, 1940
Type: Movie
David Cook and twin brother Tom are poles apart in disposition and traits. When their father dies, Tom goes to New Mexico to live with his Uncle Hardtack while David remains behind to care for their mother. The grown Tom becomes an outlaw while brother David becomes a government lawman. David is charged with apprehending Tom...
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The Marines Fly High
Title: The Marines Fly High
Character: Lt. Jim Malone
Released: March 4, 1940
Type: Movie
Marine lieutenants Dan and Jim fight bandits in the South American jungle, while competing for the attention of beautiful Joan Grant.
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Thunder Afloat
Title: Thunder Afloat
Character: 'Rocky' Blake
Released: September 15, 1939
Type: Movie
A tugboat captain serves under his rival as a U-boat chaser in World War I.
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Rhumba Rhythm at the Hollywood La Conga
Title: Rhumba Rhythm at the Hollywood La Conga
Character: Himself (uncredited)
Released: September 2, 1939
Type: Movie
Two starstruck visitors to Hollywood sneak into the famous nightclub and end up in a Conga contest and get more than they expected.
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Five Came Back
Title: Five Came Back
Character: Bill Brooks
Released: June 23, 1939
Type: Movie
Twelve people are aboard Coast Air Line's flagship the Silver Queen enroute to South America when the airplane encounters a storm and is blown off course. Crashing into jungles known to be inhabited by head hunters, pilots Bill and Joe race against time to fix the engines and attempt a take off. The situation brings out the best and worst in the stranded dozen as they create a makeshift runway and prepare to escape before the natives attack. But damage to the plane and low fuel reserves means that only 5 people can be carried to safety.
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From the Ends of the Earth
Title: From the Ends of the Earth
Character: Self
Released: May 28, 1939
Type: Movie
An MGM short showing how materials are shipped by boat 'From the Ends of the Earth' to Hollywood. Featuring footage from the MGM films being made at the time. Such as The Women, Thunder Afloat, Siren of the Tropics, Ninotchka, Northwest Passage, and At the Circus.
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Blind Alley
Title: Blind Alley
Character: Hal Wilson
Released: May 11, 1939
Type: Movie
A gangster takes a doctor and his family hostage.
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Pacific Liner
Title: Pacific Liner
Character: Doctor Craig
Released: January 6, 1939
Type: Movie
An outbreak of cholera threatens a luxury liner in this surprisingly low-budget melodrama from RKO. En route from Shanghai to San Francisco, chief engineer Crusher McKay (Victor McLaglen) and shipboard doctor Tony Craig (Chester Morris) become rivals for the attention of nurse Ann Grayson (Wendy Barrie). A Chinese stowaway, meanwhile, infects the stokehold with cholera and it is left to Crusher to keep the engines at full throttle until reaching harbor. But morale sinks to an all-time low when Crusher himself is stricken and the overworked men threaten with mutiny. Tony attempts to keep the stokers in check but the situation is growing more dangerous by the minute when a heroic Crusher rises from his sickbed. Leaving their previous petty squabbles behind, Tony and Crusher manage to guide the ship safely to harbor, where the doc and Ann rekindle their romance.
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Smashing the Rackets
Title: Smashing the Rackets
Character: Jim "Socker" Conway
Released: August 8, 1938
Type: Movie
Jim 'Socker' Conway, former boxer and FBI hero, is maneuvered for political reasons into a do-nothing job in the district attorney's office. Meanwhile, he meets wild debutante Letty Lane, girlfriend of mob mouthpiece Steve Lawrence; and Letty's much nicer sister Susan. Now the slot machine gang brutally beats Jim's friends Franz and Otto. And Jim finds a way to use his nominal position to go into the racket- busting business. But his success puts Letty in deadly peril...
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Sky Giant
Title: Sky Giant
Character: Kenneth 'Ken' Stockton
Released: July 22, 1938
Type: Movie
Given the job of training young pilots for important post-war cargo flights, hard-boiled Col. Stockton forces ex-officer Stag Cahill back into the military to be his aide at the academy. Complications arise when Stockton's son Kenneth arrives for training and Stockton, believing his son to be a slackard, looks for an excuse to drop him from the program. Rivalry develops between Stag and Ken as well, as they fall for the same girl.
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Law of the Underworld
Title: Law of the Underworld
Character: Gene Fillmore
Released: May 6, 1938
Type: Movie
A respected citizen with secret ties to the local mob is faced with revealing his criminal connections to save two innocent people from execution
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Sunday Night at the Trocadero
Title: Sunday Night at the Trocadero
Character: Chester Morris
Released: October 2, 1937
Type: Movie
A series of vignettes with a loose plot. Featured are Frank Morgan, Groucho Marx, Frank McHugh, Robert Benchley and The Brian Sisters. Not bad, more interesting for the historical significance than for entertainment.
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Flight from Glory
Title: Flight from Glory
Character: Paul Smith
Released: August 20, 1937
Type: Movie
Director Lew Landers' 1937 B-film, about a crew of misfit pilots working for an Argentinian air service, stars Chester Morris, Van Heflin, Whitney Bourne, Onslow Stevens, Richard Lane, Douglas Walton, Paul Guilfoyle, Solly Ward, Walter Miller and Rita LaRoy.
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I Promise to Pay
Title: I Promise to Pay
Character: Eddie Lang
Released: April 21, 1937
Type: Movie
A man goes to a loan shark to finance his family's vacation.
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Devil's Playground
Title: Devil's Playground
Character: Robert Mason
Released: January 24, 1937
Type: Movie
A remake of Frank Capra's Submarine (1928), Devil's Playground is a snappy Columbia "B plus" picture starring Richard Dix and Chester Morris. Submarine officers Dorgan (Dix) and Mason (Morris) battle on land for the affections of dance-hall girl Carmen (Dolores del Rio). She marries Dorgan but makes a play for Mason when her husband is on duty. The romantic rivalry is forgotten when Dorgan must rescue Mason and his crew from a sunken sub.
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They Met in a Taxi
Title: They Met in a Taxi
Character: Jimmy Donlin
Released: September 8, 1936
Type: Movie
A cab driver takes in a young woman who claims to be a reluctant bride, and becomes involved in the search for a stolen necklace.
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Counterfeit
Title: Counterfeit
Character: John Joseph Madden
Released: May 25, 1936
Type: Movie
A cop goes undercover to infiltrate and break up a counterfeiting ring.
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Frankie and Johnnie
Title: Frankie and Johnnie
Character: Johnnie Drew
Released: April 30, 1936
Type: Movie
The story of a woman, Frankie, and the man who has done her wrong, Johnnie.
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Moonlight Murder
Title: Moonlight Murder
Character: Steve Farrell
Released: March 27, 1936
Type: Movie
An escaped lunatic, a mysterious swami, and various lovers all have designs on a famous opera singer.
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Three Godfathers
Title: Three Godfathers
Character: Robert 'Bob' Sangster
Released: March 6, 1936
Type: Movie
In a town called New Jerusalem, three bandits hold up a bank. After a gun battle with the townspeople, the three robbers retreat into the scorching Arizona desert. There, they happen upon an ill woman stranded with her child. As the mother dies, she begs the men to take care of her infant. The fugitives want to save the baby -- but to do so, they'll have to travel back to New Jerusalem, where they are wanted men.
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Pirate Party on Catalina Isle
Title: Pirate Party on Catalina Isle
Character: Pirate Captain (uncredited)
Released: November 20, 1935
Type: Movie
Various Hollywood performers put on a pirate-themed variety show on Catalina Island, with a number of amiable stars in the audience.
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Pursuit
Title: Pursuit
Character: Mitch Mitchell
Released: August 9, 1935
Type: Movie
"Mitch" Mitchell is an aviator who has been hired to take a child in a guardianship suit out of California into Mexico. He is accompanied by Maxine Rush, the secretary of the head of a private-detective agency who has been hired to care for the kid until the suit is over. (Overview written by Les Adams )
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Public Hero Number 1
Title: Public Hero Number 1
Character: Jeff Crane
Released: May 31, 1935
Type: Movie
G-Man Jeff Crane poses as a crook to infiltrate the notorious Purple Gang, a band of hoodlums which preys upon other hoodlums. Orchestrating the jailbreak of the gang's leader, Crane joins him in a Dillinger-like flight across the country.
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Princess O'Hara
Title: Princess O'Hara
Character: Vic Toledo
Released: March 31, 1935
Type: Movie
When King's beloved horse dies, Princess tries to purchase a new nag, and that's how she inadvertently gets her hands on a "stolen" race horse. Our heroine nearly ends up with a lengthy prison term before the story is resolved during the climactic Big Race.
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I've Been Around
Title: I've Been Around
Character: Eric Foster
Released: March 5, 1935
Type: Movie
Romantic problems of a society girl and an engineer.
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Society Doctor
Title: Society Doctor
Character: Dr. Morgan
Released: January 25, 1935
Type: Movie
Two surgeons (Chester Morris, Robert Taylor) in love with a nurse (Virginia Bruce) end their rivalry in the operating room.
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The Gay Bride
Title: The Gay Bride
Character: Jimmie 'Office Boy' Burnham
Released: December 14, 1934
Type: Movie
Mary wants to marry a gangster because that is where the money is. Unfortunately, the life expectancy and finances of a gangster are unstable.
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The Hollywood Gad-About
Title: The Hollywood Gad-About
Character: Self (uncredited)
Released: October 4, 1934
Type: Movie
A parade highlights the Screen Actors Guild's Film Stars Frolic, hosted by Walter Winchell as Master of Ceremonies.
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Gift of Gab
Title: Gift of Gab
Character: Doyle
Released: September 1, 1934
Type: Movie
Conceited radio announcer irritates everyone else at the station.
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Embarrassing Moments
Title: Embarrassing Moments
Character: Jerry Randolph
Released: September 1, 1934
Type: Movie
Jerry Randolph is an inveterate and obnoxious practical joker. Things take a serious turn when it looks as though Jerry's latest prank has resulted in the death of his best friend.
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Let's Talk It Over
Title: Let's Talk It Over
Character: Mike McGann
Released: June 1, 1934
Type: Movie
A young sailor saves a woman from drowning. The woman turns out to be a rich heiress; unfortunately for the sailor, she was only pretending to be drowning so that another young man she had her eye on would save her.
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King for a Night
Title: King for a Night
Character: Bud Williams
Released: December 9, 1933
Type: Movie
A prizefighter is convicted of a murder that was actually committed by his sister.
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Golden Harvest
Title: Golden Harvest
Character: Chris Martin
Released: September 21, 1933
Type: Movie
A play by Nina Wilcox Putnam was the source for the empire-building drama Golden Harvest. Ambitious grain trader Chris Martin corners the wheat market and becomes a millionaire. Outgrowing his humble farm beginnings, Chris makes a bid for respectability by marrying Chicago socialite Cynthia Flint.
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Tomorrow at Seven
Title: Tomorrow at Seven
Character: Neil Broderick
Released: June 1, 1933
Type: Movie
People in an old, dark mansion are menaced by a maniac called "The Black Ace".
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Infernal Machine
Title: Infernal Machine
Character: Robert Holden
Released: April 8, 1933
Type: Movie
This pre-Code comedy-thriller centers on Robert Holden, a broke and discouraged veteran, who meets fellow American Elinor Green at a cafe in Paris. After their first encounter, Holden's attempt to return Green's thought-to-be stolen purse ends up rendering him a stowaway on board a ship bound for America. Also aboard is a collection of characters, including Green's banker fiancé, a famed scientist, and an opera singer. Romance begins to blossom between Holden and Green, just as a radiogram claims that an “infernal machine,” or bomb, is aboard the ship. Quickly each passenger accuses the others of planting the bomb until eventually Holden, jealous of Green's attention to her undeserving fiancé, falsely admits to being the culprit. In his role as assumed perpetrator, Holden tests the group further.
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Blondie Johnson
Title: Blondie Johnson
Character: R. Burton "Danny" Jones
Released: February 25, 1933
Type: Movie
A Depression-downtrodden waif uses her brains instead of her body to rise from tyro con artist to crime boss.
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Breach of Promise
Title: Breach of Promise
Character: James Pomeroy
Released: October 23, 1932
Type: Movie
A pre-Code drama.
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Red-Headed Woman
Title: Red-Headed Woman
Character: William 'Bill' / 'Willie' Legendre Jr.
Released: June 25, 1932
Type: Movie
Lil works for the Legendre Company and causes Bill to divorce Irene and marry her. She has an affair with businessman Gaerste and uses him to force society to pay attention to her.
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Sinners in the Sun
Title: Sinners in the Sun
Character: Jimmie Martin
Released: May 13, 1932
Type: Movie
A New York fashion model finds herself being pursued by a poor but honest garage mechanic and a rich philanderer.
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The Miracle Man
Title: The Miracle Man
Character: John 'Doc' Madison
Released: April 1, 1932
Type: Movie
A gang of crooks evade the police by moving their operations to a small town. There the gang's leader, John Madison, encounters a faith healer and uses him to scam the gullible public of funds for a supposed chapel. But when a real healing takes place, a change comes over the gang.
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Cock of the Air
Title: Cock of the Air
Character: Lt. Roger Craig
Released: January 23, 1932
Type: Movie
An opera diva sets her sights on a womanizing army officer.
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Corsair
Title: Corsair
Character: John Hawks
Released: November 28, 1931
Type: Movie
A stock market broker plans to liven up his boring life by taking up piracy on the high seas.
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The Bat Whispers
Title: The Bat Whispers
Character: Detective Anderson
Released: November 13, 1930
Type: Movie
Infamous burglar "The Bat" commits a daring jewelry theft despite heavy police presence. Soon after, a bank theft occurs, which may be the work of the criminal as well. Meanwhile, Cornelia Van Gorder has various people arrive at her old mansion, including her niece, Dale, a bank employee, and police detective Anderson. When guests start turning up dead, Cornelia begins to suspect that The Bat may be lurking around the estate.
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The Big House
Title: The Big House
Character: John Morgan
Released: June 14, 1930
Type: Movie
Convicted of manslaughter for a drunken driving accident, Kent Marlowe is sent to prison, where he meets vicious incarcerated figures who are planning an escape from the brutal conditions.
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The Divorcee
Title: The Divorcee
Character: Ted
Released: April 19, 1930
Type: Movie
When a woman discovers that her husband has been unfaithful, she decides to pay him back in kind.
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The Case of Sergeant Grischa
Title: The Case of Sergeant Grischa
Character: Sergeant Grischa
Released: February 23, 1930
Type: Movie
This film earned an Oscar nomination for Sound Recording. It is the only film nominated in this category that is among the lost. No negative or print material is known to have survived. Contemporary reviews were scathing, describing the film as a vastly overlong and boring talk-fest.
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She Couldn't Say No
Title: She Couldn't Say No
Released: February 15, 1930
Type: Movie
A night club singer falls for a gangster.
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Playing Around
Title: Playing Around
Character: Nickey Solomon
Released: January 10, 1930
Type: Movie
New York girl has a dull boyfriend and seems destined for a dull marriage when she meets a rich playboy who has money to burn and places to go.
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Second Choice
Title: Second Choice
Character: Don Warren
Released: January 4, 1930
Type: Movie
Vallery Grove is in love with Don Warren but her mother opposes the match because he is poor and has no social standing. Don decides to terminate his engagement to Vallery after attending a party where he meets a spoiled rich girl who is interested in him.
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Show of Shows
Title: Show of Shows
Character: Performer in $20 Bet Sketch and 'Bicycle Built for Two' Numbers
Released: November 21, 1929
Type: Movie
Now hear this. The studio that gave the cinema its voice offered 1929 audiences a chance to see and hear multiple silent-screen favorites for the first time in a gaudy, grandiose music-comedy-novelty revue that also included Talkie stars, Broadway luminaries and of course, Rin-Tin-Tin. Frank Fay hosts a jamboree that, among its 70+ stars, features bicyclers, boxing champ Georges Carpentier, chorines in terpsichore kickery, sister acts, Myrna Loy in two-strip Technicolor as an exotic Far East beauty, John Barrymore in a Shakespearean soliloquy (adding an on-screen voice to his legendary profile for the first time) and Winnie Lightner famously warbling the joys of Singing in the Bathtub. Watch, rinse, repeat!
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Woman Trap
Title: Woman Trap
Character: Ray Malone
Released: September 28, 1929
Type: Movie
In Woman Trap, Hal Skelly is hard-bitten police sergeant Dan Malone, whose mission in life is to rid his community of gangsters. The revelation that Dan's own brother Ray is the secret head of all local criminal activities does not weaken Dan's resolve in the least. The barely relevant title is a reference to "heroine" Kitty Evans, the wife of a minor gang functionary. Screenwriter Joseph L. Mankiewicz, presumably on a dare, makes a brief appearance as a crime reporter.
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Fast Life
Title: Fast Life
Character: Paul Palmer
Released: September 1, 1929
Type: Movie
A man is tried and convicted for the murder of a man who flirted with his wife., and sentenced to death However, it turns out that he is innocent of the murder and that the real killer has close ties to a powerful politician.
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Alibi
Title: Alibi
Character: Chick Williams
Released: April 20, 1929
Type: Movie
Chick Williams, a prohibition gangster, rejoins his mob soon after being released from prison. When a policeman is murdered during a robbery, he falls under suspicion. The gangster took Joan, a policeman's daughter, to the theater, sneaked out during the intermission to commit the crime, then used her to support his alibi. The detective squad employs its most sophisticated and barbaric techniques, including planting an undercover agent in the gang, to bring him to justice.