Frank Lovejoy

Frank Lovejoy

Born: March 28, 1912
Died: October 2, 1962
in Bronx, New York, USA
Frank Andrew Lovejoy Jr. (March 28, 1912 – October 2, 1962) was an American actor in radio, film, and television. He is perhaps best remembered for appearing in the film noir The Hitch-Hiker and for starring in the radio drama Night Beat.

Lovejoy was born in the Bronx, New York City, and grew up in New Jersey. He worked on Wall Street as a teenager, but the Great Depression of 1929 cost him his job. He then turned to acting, appearing in touring companies throughout the Northeast. He made his Broadway debut in 1934 in the play They Knew What They Wanted.

Lovejoy began his radio career in the early 1940s, appearing on such shows as Gang Busters and This Is Your FBI. He also starred in the radio drama Night Beat, which ran from 1949 to 1955.

Lovejoy made his film debut in 1948 in the film Black Bart. He went on to appear in over 50 films, including In a Lonely Place (1950), The Hitch-Hiker (1953), Strategic Air Command (1955), and Goodbye, My Fancy (1956).

Lovejoy also had a successful television career. He starred in the series Man Against Crime (1956-1957) and Meet McGraw (1957-1962).

Lovejoy died of a heart attack in New York City in 1962, at the age of 50. He was posthumously awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960.

Movies for Frank Lovejoy...

Title: Bus Stop
Released: October 1, 1961
Type: TV
Bus Stop is a 26-episode American drama which aired on ABC from October 1, 1961, until March 25, 1962, starring Marilyn Maxwell as Grace Sherwood, the owner of a bus station and diner in the fictitious town of Sunrise in the Colorado Rockies. The program was adapted from William Inge's play, Bus Stop, and Inge was a script consultant for the series, which followed the lives of travelers passing through the bus station and the diner. Maxwell's co-stars were Richard Anderson as District Attorney Glenn Wagner, Rhodes Reason as Sheriff Will Mayberry, Joan Freeman as waitress Elma Gahrigner, Bernard Kates as Ralph the coroner, and Buddy Ebsen as Virge Blessing.
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Title: Target: The Corruptors!
Released: September 29, 1961
Type: TV
Target: The Corruptors! is an American crime drama series starring Stephen McNally which aired on ABC from September 29, 1961 to June 8, 1962. The series was produced by Dick Powell's Four Star Television.
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Title: Wichita Town
Released: September 30, 1959
Type: TV
Wichita Town is a half-hour western television series starring Joel McCrea, Jody McCrea, Carlos Romero, and George Neise that aired on NBC from September 30, 1959, until April 6, 1960. Joel McCrea played Marshal Mike Dunbar, in charge of keeping the peace the booming cowtown of Wichita, Kansas. His deputies were Ben Matheson, played by McCrea's real life son, Jody, and Rico Rodriquez, portrayed by Carlos Romero. Making occasional appearances were the town doctor, Nat Wyndham, the blacksmith, Aeneas MacLinahan, and the bartender in the local saloon, Joe Kingston, played in six episodes by Robert Foulk. The model for shows such as these had already been laid out by other western programs such as Gunsmoke, Lawman, and The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, so Wichita Town may not have been unique in its plotting and structure. The two most unusual features about the series were the presence of Joel McCrea, a favorite of Western movie audiences for his performance in such films as Union Pacific, Buffalo Bill, and Ramrod, and the fact that his real life son was in Wichita Town, but did not play his son. Wichita Town was produced by Mirisch Company and Joel McCrea's Production company for Four Star Television and aired for a single season.
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Title: The DuPont Show with June Allyson
Character: Dave
Released: September 21, 1959
Type: TV
The DuPont Show with June Allyson is an American anthology drama series which aired on CBS from September 21, 1959 to April 3, 1961 with rebroadcasts continuing until June 12, 1961. The series was hosted by actress June Allyson.
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Cole Younger, Gunfighter
Title: Cole Younger, Gunfighter
Character: Cole Younger
Released: March 30, 1958
Type: Movie
An outlaw must decide whether to stick his neck out for an innocent man.
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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: Meet McGraw
Character: McGraw
Released: June 17, 1957
Type: TV
Meet McGraw is an American dramatic television series starring Frank Lovejoy in the role of the hard-hitting detective McGraw, a man specifically given no first name in the program. Forty-one half-hour episodes aired on NBC during the 1957-1958 season, sponsored by Procter & Gamble. The series was produced by the Desilu Studios, most of whose productions were broadcast by CBS. The theme song for the series is "One For My Baby" by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer. Meet McGraw preceded The Bob Cummings Show on Tuesday evenings on NBC. It aired at 9:00pm ET/PT opposite John Lupton’s Western series, Broken Arrow on ABC and Bud Collyer's To Tell the Truth quiz show on CBS. After its cancellation, Meet McGraw was repeated as The Adventures of McGraw on ABC in 1958-1959, but not in prime time. A number of episodes of the series, including "Mohave" and "Lady in Limbo," are available on DVD.
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Three Brave Men
Title: Three Brave Men
Character: Capt. Amos Winfield
Released: December 1, 1956
Type: Movie
A lawyer takes the case of a Navy clerk who sues after he's fired for suspected Communist beliefs.
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Julie
Title: Julie
Character: Det. Lt. Pringle
Released: October 17, 1956
Type: Movie
A terrified stewardess is stalked by her psychotic estranged husband.
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Title: Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
Character: Sam Walston
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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Title: Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
Character: Jim Todd
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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Shack Out on 101
Title: Shack Out on 101
Character: Prof. Sam Bastion
Released: December 4, 1955
Type: Movie
A greasy spoon diner provides a base for a spy smuggling nuclear secrets.
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The Crooked Web
Title: The Crooked Web
Character: Stanley E. 'Stan' Fabian
Released: November 30, 1955
Type: Movie
Following WWII, ex-G.I. Stan opened up a drive-in restaurant. His girlfriend, Joanie, is one of the car hops. They want to get married someday, but the less-than-stellar business the restaurant takes in puts a hold on that plan. One day, Joanie's ne’er-do-well brother Frank blows into town with a money-making scheme. She's against it, but Stan - an inveterate gambler - finds the promise of riches too seductive to resist…
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The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
Title: The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
Released: October 1, 1955
Type: Movie
When a US Naval captain shows signs of mental instability that jeopardizes the ship, the first officer relieves him of command and faces court martial for mutiny.
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Strategic Air Command
Title: Strategic Air Command
Character: Ennis Hawkes
Released: July 12, 1955
Type: Movie
Air Force reservist Lt. Col. Robert "Dutch" Holland is recalled into active duty at the peak of his professional baseball career.
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Finger Man
Title: Finger Man
Character: Casey Martin
Released: June 15, 1955
Type: Movie
An ex-con is inspired to go undercover and "finger" the mob after finding out his sister is hooked on illegal drugs.
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Mad at the World
Title: Mad at the World
Character: Police Capt. Tom Lynn
Released: May 13, 1955
Type: Movie
A neighborhood is terrorized by group of young juvenile delinquents called The WolfPack. When a young father's infant child is seriously injured because of the WolfPack, he decides that the police aren't working fast enough to catch the ones who hurt his baby and sets out to infiltrate the gang himself and mete out the punishment they deserve.
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Top Of The World
Title: Top Of The World
Character: Brad Cantrell
Released: May 1, 1955
Type: Movie
A team of Air Force servicemen become stranded after setting up a weather station on an island of ice in Alaska.
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The Americano
Title: The Americano
Character: Bento Hermany
Released: January 19, 1955
Type: Movie
An American Rancher takes a small herd of Brahma bulls to Brazil where he has sold them for a small fortune. There, he finds himself in the middle of a range war......and in love. His concern, who are really his friends and who are his enemies
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Title: Climax!
Character: Ben Dana
Released: October 7, 1954
Type: TV
Climax! is an American anthology series that aired on CBS from 1954 to 1958. The series was hosted by William Lundigan and later co-hosted by Mary Costa. It was one of the few CBS programs of that era to be broadcast in color. Many of the episodes were performed and broadcast live.
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Men of the Fighting Lady
Title: Men of the Fighting Lady
Character: Lt. Cmdr. Grayson
Released: May 7, 1954
Type: Movie
A writer visits an aircraft carrier during the Korean war to learn more about it and the way it's run. He also gets to find out more about the Navy and Marine aviators themselves, their internal and external conflicts and dangers of their job.
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Beachhead
Title: Beachhead
Character: Sgt. Fletcher
Released: February 5, 1954
Type: Movie
On a Japanese-occupied island during World War II, only two soldiers remain alive after a mission attempt goes horribly wrong. Trapped on the island, they must escort a scientist and his daughter to the other side of the island where their ship awaits. They must battle nature, hard terrain, and advancing Japanese troops.
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Title: Letter to Loretta
Character: Walter
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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Title: Letter to Loretta
Character: Joe Winters
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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Title: Letter to Loretta
Character: Walter Davidson
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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The Charge at Feather River
Title: The Charge at Feather River
Character: Sgt. Charlie Baker
Released: July 11, 1953
Type: Movie
A frontier scout leads prisoners on a death mission to save a railroad and rescue two women.
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The System
Title: The System
Character: John E. 'Johnny' Merrick
Released: April 18, 1953
Type: Movie
A gambling boss is pressured by the law and press when a crusade is started against him after one of his collectors becomes a killer.
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House of Wax
Title: House of Wax
Character: Tom Brennan
Released: April 16, 1953
Type: Movie
A New York sculptor who opens a wax museum to showcase the likenesses of famous historical figures runs into trouble with his business partner, who demands that the exhibits become more extreme in order to increase profits.
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The Hitch-Hiker
Title: The Hitch-Hiker
Character: Gilbert Bowen
Released: March 30, 1953
Type: Movie
Roy and Gilbert's fishing trip takes a terrifying turn when the hitchhiker they pick up turns out to be a sociopath on the run from the law. He's killed before, and he lets the two know that as soon as they're no longer useful, he'll kill again. The two friends plot an escape, but the hitchhiker's peculiar physical affliction, an eye that never closes even when he sleeps, makes it impossible for them to tell when they can make a break for it.
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She's Back on Broadway
Title: She's Back on Broadway
Character: John Webber
Released: March 14, 1953
Type: Movie
When Catherine Terris's career in Hollywood hits the skids, she heads back to the site of her first great triumphs...Broadway! She takes the lead in a play which is being directed by Gordon Evans, the man who was both her Svengali and her lover. Evans is still bitter that she walked out on him to become the toast of Hollywood years earlier. Can Terris and Evans put aside their mutual animosity long enough to make a go of this production. The way things start off, it doesn't seem likely.
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Title: Cavalcade of America
Character: Inspector Ed McCook
Released: October 1, 1952
Type: TV
Cavalcade of America is an anthology drama series that was sponsored by the DuPont Company, although it occasionally presented a musical, such as an adaptation of Show Boat, and condensed biographies of popular composers. It was initially broadcast on radio from 1935 to 1953, and later on television from 1952 to 1957. Originally on CBS, the series pioneered the use of anthology drama for company audio advertising. Cavalcade of America documented historical events using stories of individual courage, initiative and achievement, often with feel-good dramatizations of the human spirit's triumph against all odds. This was consistent with DuPont's overall conservative philosophy and legacy as an American company dating back to 1802. The company's motto, "Maker of better things for better living through chemistry," was read at the beginning of each program, and the dramas emphasized humanitarian progress, particularly improvements in the lives of women, often through technological innovation.
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Title: Four Star Playhouse
Character: Randy Stone
Released: September 25, 1952
Type: TV
Four Star Playhouse is an American television anthology series that ran from 1952 to 1956, sponsored in its first bi-weekly season by The Singer Company; Bristol-Myers became an alternate sponsor when it became a weekly series in the fall of 1953. The original premise was that Charles Boyer, Ida Lupino, David Niven, and Dick Powell would take turns starring in episodes. However, several other performers took the lead from time to time, including Ronald Colman and Joan Fontaine. Blake Edwards was among the writers and directors who contributed to the series. Edwards created the recurring character of illegal gambling house operator Willie Dante for Dick Powell to play on this series. The character was later revamped and spun off in his own series starring Howard Duff, then-husband of Lupino. The pilot for Meet McGraw, starring Frank Lovejoy, aired here, as did another episode in which Lovejoy recreated his role of Chicago newspaper reporter Randy Stone, from the radio drama Nightbeat.
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Title: Four Star Playhouse
Character: Capt. Jim Barr
Released: September 25, 1952
Type: TV
Four Star Playhouse is an American television anthology series that ran from 1952 to 1956, sponsored in its first bi-weekly season by The Singer Company; Bristol-Myers became an alternate sponsor when it became a weekly series in the fall of 1953. The original premise was that Charles Boyer, Ida Lupino, David Niven, and Dick Powell would take turns starring in episodes. However, several other performers took the lead from time to time, including Ronald Colman and Joan Fontaine. Blake Edwards was among the writers and directors who contributed to the series. Edwards created the recurring character of illegal gambling house operator Willie Dante for Dick Powell to play on this series. The character was later revamped and spun off in his own series starring Howard Duff, then-husband of Lupino. The pilot for Meet McGraw, starring Frank Lovejoy, aired here, as did another episode in which Lovejoy recreated his role of Chicago newspaper reporter Randy Stone, from the radio drama Nightbeat.
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Title: Four Star Playhouse
Character: McGraw
Released: September 25, 1952
Type: TV
Four Star Playhouse is an American television anthology series that ran from 1952 to 1956, sponsored in its first bi-weekly season by The Singer Company; Bristol-Myers became an alternate sponsor when it became a weekly series in the fall of 1953. The original premise was that Charles Boyer, Ida Lupino, David Niven, and Dick Powell would take turns starring in episodes. However, several other performers took the lead from time to time, including Ronald Colman and Joan Fontaine. Blake Edwards was among the writers and directors who contributed to the series. Edwards created the recurring character of illegal gambling house operator Willie Dante for Dick Powell to play on this series. The character was later revamped and spun off in his own series starring Howard Duff, then-husband of Lupino. The pilot for Meet McGraw, starring Frank Lovejoy, aired here, as did another episode in which Lovejoy recreated his role of Chicago newspaper reporter Randy Stone, from the radio drama Nightbeat.
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The Winning Team
Title: The Winning Team
Character: Rogers Hornsby
Released: June 20, 1952
Type: Movie
Poor health and alcoholism force Grover Cleveland Alexander out of baseball, but through his wife's faithful efforts, he gets a chance for a comeback and redemption.
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Retreat, Hell!
Title: Retreat, Hell!
Character: Lt. Col. Steve L. Corbett
Released: February 17, 1952
Type: Movie
During the Korean War, a U.S. Marine battalion must fight its way out of a frozen mountain pass despite diminishing supplies, freezing temperatures and constant attacks by overwhelming numbers of Chinese soldiers.
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Starlift
Title: Starlift
Character: Frank Lovejoy
Released: December 14, 1951
Type: Movie
To impress a movie star, a U.S. Air Force crewman pretends he is soon to see combat. When his lie gets out, chaos ensues.
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I'll See You in My Dreams
Title: I'll See You in My Dreams
Character: Walter Donaldson
Released: December 6, 1951
Type: Movie
Songwriter Gus Kahn fights to make his name, then has to fight again to survive the Depression.
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Force of Arms
Title: Force of Arms
Character: Maj. Blackford
Released: August 13, 1951
Type: Movie
During the winter of 1943, the German Army halted the American advance in the mountains of Italy; back-and-forth combat decimates Joe Peterson's platoon. On leave in Naples, Joe meets WAC lieutenant Eleanor MacKay; initially cool, she begins to melt during a bombing raid. Their romance develops despite Joe's periodic returns to the front. But whether he'll come back in the end becomes more than doubtful.
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Goodbye, My Fancy
Title: Goodbye, My Fancy
Character: Matt Cole
Released: May 19, 1951
Type: Movie
Agatha has fond memories of her romance with college president Dr. James Merrill, when she was a student and he was her professor, and wants to see if there is still a spark between them.
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I Was a Communist for the FBI
Title: I Was a Communist for the FBI
Character: Matt Cvetic
Released: May 2, 1951
Type: Movie
A fact-based story about a man who posed as an American Communist for years as part of a secret plan to infiltrate their organization.
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The Sound of Fury
Title: The Sound of Fury
Character: Howard Tyler
Released: December 12, 1950
Type: Movie
A family man – desperate for a job – latches onto a friend who encourages him into being a criminal.
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Breakthrough
Title: Breakthrough
Character: Sgt. Pete Bell
Released: November 17, 1950
Type: Movie
Filmed with the full cooperation of the U.S. Army, Breakthrough is a lean, no-nonsense war film set during the 1944 invasion of the continent.
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Three Secrets
Title: Three Secrets
Character: Bob Duffy
Released: October 20, 1950
Type: Movie
A five-year-old boy is the sole survivor of a devastating plane crash in the mountains of California. When the newspapers reveal the boy was adopted and that the crash occurred on his birthday, three women begin to ponder if it's the son each gave up for adoption. As the three await news of his rescue at a mountain cabin, they recall incidents from five years earlier and why they were forced to give up their son.
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Title: Lux Video Theatre
Character: Uncle Charlie
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: Lux Video Theatre
Character: Walter Neff
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: Lux Video Theatre
Character: Clark
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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South Sea Sinner
Title: South Sea Sinner
Character: Doc
Released: August 30, 1950
Type: Movie
A tramp steamer lands sick crewman Jake Davis on rubber-growing island Oraka, from which voluptuous, bedroom-eyed saloon singer Coral is about to be ejected because "men like her too much." But Coral's slimy boss Cognac gets her a reprieve so she can learn Jake's secret.
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In a Lonely Place
Title: In a Lonely Place
Character: Brub Nicolai
Released: May 17, 1950
Type: Movie
An screenwriter with a violence record is a murder suspect until his lovely neighbor clears him. However, she soon starts to have her doubts.
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Home of the Brave
Title: Home of the Brave
Character: Sergeant Mingo
Released: May 12, 1949
Type: Movie
A sensitive, educated black man's World War II-time problems. This is essentially the duplicate of his peace-time problems which are pointed up in a flashback of his life, and primarily of his war-time adventures with four white soldiers on a dangerous reconnaissance mission on a Japanese-held island.
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Black Bart
Title: Black Bart
Character: Mark Lorimer
Released: February 17, 1948
Type: Movie
Cheerful outlaw Charlie Boles leaves former partners Lance and Jersey and heads for California, where the Gold Rush is beginning. Soon, a lone gunman in black is robbing Wells Fargo gold shipments. One fateful day, the stage he robs carries old friends Lance and Jersey...and notorious dancer Lola Montez, coming to perform in Sacramento. Black Bart and Lance become rivals for both Lola's favors and Wells Fargo's gold.