Elizabeth Patterson

Elizabeth Patterson

Born: November 21, 1874
Died: January 31, 1966
in Savannah, Tennessee, USA
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mary Elizabeth Patterson (November 22, 1874 – January 31, 1966) was an American theatre, film, and television character actress who gained popular recognition late in her career playing the elderly neighbor Matilda Trumbull on the television comedy series I Love Lucy.

In 1926, at the age of 51, Patterson was cast in her first movie, a silent film, The Boy Friend. Transitioning successfully into the era of "talkies", she remained a very busy actress in Hollywood throughout the 1930s, averaging more than five films a year during that decade, usually in supporting roles. A few of her screen credits at that time include Tarnished Lady; Husband's Holiday; A Bill of Divorcement; So Big!; The Story of Temple Drake; Hold Your Man; Dinner at Eight; High, Wide, and Handsome; and No Man of Her Own. She also appeared in the role of Susan in two adaptations of John Willard's popular play The Cat and the Canary: The Cat Creeps in 1930 and The Cat and the Canary in 1939.

Patterson continued to perform frequently in the 1940s, when she was cast in more than 30 additional films. Among her notable roles is her 1949 portrayal of the heroic character Eunice Habersham in the groundbreaking racial crime drama Intruder in the Dust, a film based on the William Faulkner novel of the same name and set in the Deep South. Although she would appear in a few more feature films in the 1950s, such as Washington Story and Pal Joey, Patterson by then began to focus her work increasingly on roles in the rapidly expanding medium of television.

In 1952, at the age of 77, Patterson made her first appearance on the hit CBS-TV sitcom I Love Lucy in the episode "The Marriage License". Her character on I Love Lucy proved to be so popular among viewers, as well as useful to the writers of the series, that she continued in the role for three more years, often serving in episode storylines as a convenient babysitter for "Little Ricky".

Prior to, during, and after her work on I Love Lucy, Patterson appeared in many other American television series during the 1950s and early 1960s. Her first credited performance on the "small screen" was in March 1950 in "The Walking Stick", a teleplay on the NBC anthology series The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre. During the 11 years after that initial televised performance to her final role on television in 1961, she portrayed characters in a variety of other series, including Pulitzer Prize Playhouse, Studio One in Hollywood, General Electric Theater, Stage 7, Lux Video Theatre, Crossroads, The Star and the Story, The Adventures of Jim Bowie, Adventures of Superman, New York Confidential, 77 Sunset Strip, Johnny Stacatto, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Playhouse 90, The Barbara Stanwyck Show, and The New Breed.

Patterson, who never married, lived at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel during her 35-year film and television career.. On January 31, 1966, she died at age 91 in Los Angeles of complications from pneumonia. Her gravesite is in Savannah Cemetery in her hometown in Tennessee.

Movies for Elizabeth Patterson...

Title: The Barbara Stanwyck Show
Character: Mrs. Melvane
Released: September 19, 1960
Type: TV
The Barbara Stanwyck Show is an American anthology drama television series which ran on NBC from September 1960 to September 1961. Barbara Stanwyck served as hostess, and starred in all but four of the half-hour productions. The four she did not star in were actually pilot episodes of potential series programs which never materialized. Stanwyck won the Emmy Award in 1961 for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Series. Three of the shows in which Stanwyck starred were an attempt at spinning off a dramatic series of her own, in which she appeared as "Josephine Little", an American woman running an import-export shop in Hong Kong. The series, produced at Desilu Studios, was directed by Stuart Rosenberg. The Barbara Stanwyck Show lasted one season. It aired at 10 p.m. Eastern on Mondays opposite Jackie Cooper's military sitcom Hennesey on CBS and the second half of Gardner McKay's Adventures in Paradise on ABC.
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Title: Johnny Staccato
Released: September 10, 1959
Type: TV
Johnny Staccato is an American private detective series which ran for 27 episodes on NBC from September 10, 1959 through March 24, 1960.
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The Oregon Trail
Title: The Oregon Trail
Character: Maria Cooper
Released: August 31, 1959
Type: Movie
In 1846, a reporter for the New York Herald joins a wagon train bound for the Oregon Territory. He hopes to confirm a rumor that President Polk is sending in soldiers disguised as settlers in order to strengthen American claims to the Territory.
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Title: New York Confidential
Released: January 1, 1959
Type: TV
New York Confidential is a British-American crime drama series that aired from 1958 to 1959. The series aired in syndicated in the United States and was broadcast on London's local ITV station, Associated-Rediffusion, in the UK. It was co-produced by ITC Entertainment, Metropolis Productions, Inc., and Television Programs of America.
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Title: 77 Sunset Strip
Released: October 10, 1958
Type: TV
Stu Bailey and Jeff Spencer are the wisecracking, womanizing private-detective heroes of this Warner Brothers drama. They work out of an office located at 77 Sunset Strip in Los Angeles, California, right next door to a snazzy restaurant where Kookie works as a valet. The finger-snapping, slang-talking Kookie occasionally helps Stu and Jeff with their cases, and eventually becomes a full-fledged member of the detective agency. Rex Randolph and J.R. Hale also join the firm, and Suzanne is their leggy secretary.
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Title: Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
Released: October 6, 1958
Type: TV
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse is an American television anthology series produced by Desilu Productions. The show ran on CBS television between 1958 and 1960. Two of its 48 episodes served as pilots for the 1950s television series The Twilight Zone and The Untouchables.
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Portrait of a Murderer
Title: Portrait of a Murderer
Character: Mrs. Finch
Released: February 27, 1958
Type: Movie
Based on a true story, Donald Bashor robs and bludgeons two women to their deaths. While committing the crimes he maintans a normal existence with his girlfriend Florry.
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Pal Joey
Title: Pal Joey
Character: Mrs. Casey
Released: October 25, 1957
Type: Movie
An opportunistic singer woos a wealthy widow to boost his career.
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Title: The Adventures of Jim Bowie
Released: September 7, 1956
Type: TV
The Adventures of Jim Bowie is an American Western television series that aired on ABC from 1956 to 1958. Its setting was the 1830s-era Louisiana Territory. The series was an adaptation of the book Tempered Blade, by Monte Barrett. The series stars Scott Forbes as the real-life adventurer Jim Bowie. The series initially portrayed Jim Bowie as something of an outdoors-man, riding his horse through the wilderness near his home in Opelousas, where he would stumble across someone needing his assistance. He was aided by the Bowie Knife, his ever-present weapon. He designed it in the first episode, The Birth of the Blade.
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Title: Playwrights '56
Released: October 4, 1955
Type: TV
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Title: Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Character: Miss Bessie
Released: October 2, 1955
Type: TV
A television anthology series hosted by Alfred Hitchcock featuring dramas, thrillers, and mysteries.
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Title: Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Character: Grandmother
Released: October 2, 1955
Type: TV
A television anthology series hosted by Alfred Hitchcock featuring dramas, thrillers, and mysteries.
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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Title: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Character: Aunt Polly
Released: September 1, 1955
Type: Movie
This made-for-TV production originally aired on the "Climax!" show and opened up its second season. Huck and his buddy Tom Sawyer become blood brothers right before Huck takes off down the Mississippi River to try and get away from his abusive father. Along his journey Huck comes across a wide range of characters including The Duke.
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Las Vegas Shakedown
Title: Las Vegas Shakedown
Character: Mary Raff
Released: May 15, 1955
Type: Movie
A teacher writing a book about gambling meets a hotel/casino owner threatened by a gangster.
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Title: Climax!
Character: Nellie Eldredge
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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Title: Climax!
Character: Jane Connor
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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Title: Climax!
Character: Mrs. Garr
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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Title: Climax!
Character: Aunt Polly
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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Three Lives
Title: Three Lives
Character: Mrs. Adams
Released: September 17, 1953
Type: Movie
A short film made for the United Jewish Appeal, reuniting the main players behind The Sniper, writers Edna and Edward Anhalt, director Edward Dmytryk, and star Arthur Franz.
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Title: General Electric Theater
Character: Madame Elaine
Released: February 1, 1953
Type: TV
General Electric Theater is an American anthology series hosted by Ronald Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was sponsored by General Electric's Department of Public Relations.
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Title: Cavalcade of America
Character: Mrs. Couche
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: Ma / Mother Baker
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: Adventures of Superman
Released: September 19, 1952
Type: TV
Announcer: "The Adventures of Superman. Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings at a single bound!" Voices: "Look up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Superman!" Announcer: "Yes, it's Superman, strange visitor from another planet who came to Earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men. Superman, who can change the course of mighty rivers, bend steel in his bare hands; and who, disguised as Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper, fights a never ending battle for truth, justice, and the American way."
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Washington Story
Title: Washington Story
Character: Miss Dee
Released: July 1, 1952
Type: Movie
A reporter (Patricia Neal) suspects the "nice guy" image of a respected Congressman (Van Johnson) is all a facade and sets out to uncover the truth.
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Title: I Love Lucy
Character: Mrs. Trumbull
Released: October 15, 1951
Type: TV
Cuban Bandleader Ricky Ricardo would be happy if his wife Lucy would just be a housewife. Instead she tries constantly to perform at the Tropicana where he works, and make life comically frantic in the apartment building they share with landlords Fred and Ethel Mertz, who also happen to be their best friends.
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Title: I Love Lucy
Character: Mrs. Willoughby
Released: October 15, 1951
Type: TV
Cuban Bandleader Ricky Ricardo would be happy if his wife Lucy would just be a housewife. Instead she tries constantly to perform at the Tropicana where he works, and make life comically frantic in the apartment building they share with landlords Fred and Ethel Mertz, who also happen to be their best friends.
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Little Women: Jo's Story
Title: Little Women: Jo's Story
Character: Aunt March
Released: December 25, 1950
Type: Movie
Louisa May Alcott's autobiographical account of her life with her three sisters in Concord, Massachusetts in the 1860s. With their father fighting in the American Civil War, sisters Jo, Meg, Amy and Beth are at home with their mother, a very outspoken women for her time. The story tells of how the sisters grow up, find love and find their place in the world.
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Little Women: Meg's Story
Title: Little Women: Meg's Story
Character: Aunt March
Released: December 18, 1950
Type: Movie
Louisa May Alcott's autobiographical account of her life with her three sisters in Concord, Massachusetts in the 1860s. With their father fighting in the American Civil War, sisters Jo, Meg, Amy and Beth are at home with their mother, a very outspoken women for her time. The story tells of how the sisters grow up, find love and find their place in the world.
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Katie Did It
Title: Katie Did It
Character: Aunt Priscilla Wakely
Released: November 26, 1950
Type: Movie
Katherine Standish, who has been brought up in a strict manner in a prudish New England town, falls in love with a city slicker commercial artist, Peter Van Arden. The romance blossoms until Katie falls victim of some false information, and becomes convinced that Peter is already married and the father of two children.
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Title: Lux Video Theatre
Character: Dr. Gilley
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: Mrs. Sargent
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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Bright Leaf
Title: Bright Leaf
Character: Tabitha Singleton
Released: June 16, 1950
Type: Movie
Two tobacco growers battle for control of the cigarette market.
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Intruder in the Dust
Title: Intruder in the Dust
Character: Miss Eunice Habersham
Released: November 22, 1949
Type: Movie
Rural Mississippi in the 1940s: Lucas Beauchamp, a local black man with a reputation of not kowtowing to whites, is found standing over the body of a dead white man, holding a pistol that has recently been fired. Quickly arrested for murder and jailed, Beauchamp insists he's innocent and asks the town's most prominent lawyer, Gavin Stevens, to defend him, but Stevens refuses. When a local boy whom Beauchamp has helped in the past and who believes him to be innocent hears talk of a mob taking Beauchamp out of jail and lynching him, he pleads with Stevens to defend Beauchamp at trial and prove his innocence.
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Song of Surrender
Title: Song of Surrender
Character: Mrs. Beecham
Released: October 27, 1949
Type: Movie
In 1906 in Connecticut, Elisha Hunt, the 55-year-old curator of a small government museum, marries Abigail, the 19-year-old daughter of a local farmer. In addition to the differences in their ages in this May-to-December union, Elizha is a man of culture while Abigail is uneducated. Bruce Edridge, young, handsome and wealthy, comes into her life, and they fall in love. Abigail is now faced with two choices; the chance of wealth versus her present mediocre circumstances, or her love for Bruce versus her loyalty to Elisha.
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Little Women
Title: Little Women
Character: Hannah
Released: March 10, 1949
Type: Movie
Louisa May Alcott's autobiographical account of her life with her three sisters in Concord Mass in the 1860s. With their father fighting in the civil war, the sisters: Jo, Meg, Amy and Beth are at home with their mother - a very outspoken women for her time. The story is of how the sisters grow up, find love and find their place in the world.
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Miss Tatlock's Millions
Title: Miss Tatlock's Millions
Character: Cora
Released: November 19, 1948
Type: Movie
After the accidental death of an idiot heir, a stunt man is hired to impersonate him while the family gathers to determine the dispersment of the estate of Miss Tatlock's millions.
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Welcome Stranger
Title: Welcome Stranger
Character: Mrs. Gilley
Released: June 13, 1947
Type: Movie
Crusty Dr. McRory of Fallbridge, Maine, hires his vacation replacement sight unseen. Alas, he and young singing Doctor Jim Pearson don't hit it off; but once he meets teacher Trudy Mason, Pearson is delighted to stay. The locals, taking their cue from McRory, cold-shoulder Pearson, especially Trudy's stuffy fiancé. But then, guess who needs an emergency appendectomy?
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Out of the Blue
Title: Out of the Blue
Character: Miss Spring
Released: April 21, 1947
Type: Movie
Set in an apartment building whose occupants include Arthur Earthleigh, a meek and mild type married to the beautiful-but-domineering Mae; a Bohemian artist, David Galleo and his always-there model, Deborah Tyler; and Olive Jensen, a Greenwich Village type who is always slightly-but-continuously inebriated, and whose motto is "love and let love." She calls on George while his wife is out, and when she passes out during his attempts to get her out before his wife returns, he thinks she is dead and deposits her on Galleo's terrace. Galleo takes advantage of the situation by using it in a blackmail scheme against Arthur, which is shaky, at best, as Olive refuses to stay dead.
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The Shocking Miss Pilgrim
Title: The Shocking Miss Pilgrim
Character: Catherine Dennison
Released: January 4, 1947
Type: Movie
In the late 1800s, Miss Pilgrim, a young stenographer, or typewriter, becomes the first female employee at a Boston shipping office. Although the men object to her at first, she soon charms them all, especially the handsome young head of the company. Their romance gets sidetracked when she becomes involved in the Women's Suffrage movement.
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The Secret Heart
Title: The Secret Heart
Character: Mrs. Stover
Released: December 25, 1946
Type: Movie
Penny Addams lives in a constant state of depression stemming from the trauma of her father's death when she was just a young girl. Her brother, Chase, and stepmother, Lee, work to help Penny process her grief through psychotherapy and revisiting their past, but only the revelation of long-buried family secrets -- including her mother's secret lover and the true nature of her father's death -- can bring Penny out of her intense despair.
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I've Always Loved You
Title: I've Always Loved You
Character: Mrs. Sompter
Released: December 2, 1946
Type: Movie
A beautiful young concert pianist is torn between her attraction to her arrogant but brilliant maestro and her love for a farm boy she left back home.
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Colonel Effingham's Raid
Title: Colonel Effingham's Raid
Character: Cousin Emma
Released: January 24, 1946
Type: Movie
The story takes place in 1940. On the eve of America's entry in World War II, a colonel retired to his small Southern town, and discovers that there is a plan afoot to tear down Confederate Monument Square. He begins a campaign to rally the townspeople to save the square.
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Lady on a Train
Title: Lady on a Train
Character: Aunt Charlotte Waring
Released: August 3, 1945
Type: Movie
While watching from her train window, Nikki Collins witnesses a murder in a nearby building. When she alerts the police, they think she has read one too many mystery novels. She then enlists a popular mystery writer to help her solve the crime on her own, but her sleuthing attracts the attentions of suitors and killers.
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Together Again
Title: Together Again
Character: Jessie
Released: December 23, 1944
Type: Movie
Anne Crandall is the mayor of a small town in Vermont. Her deceased husband had been the mayor for years and when he died, she was left to carry on and to raise his daughter from his first marriage. She lives with the daughter, her father-in-law and a housekeeper. In the town square, there was a statue of her late husband and every year since his death, they have an anniversary celebration there. This year during a thunderstorm, the statue is hit by lightning and the head falls off. The daughter insists that a new statue be erected instead of patching the old one. Mayor Crandall is sent to New York to interview the prospective sculptor, George Corday.
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Hail the Conquering Hero
Title: Hail the Conquering Hero
Character: Martha - Libby's Aunt
Released: August 9, 1944
Type: Movie
Having been discharged from the Marines for a hayfever condition before ever seeing action, Woodrow Lafayette Pershing Truesmith delays the return to his hometown, feeling that he is a failure. While in a moment of melancholy, he meets up with a group of Marines who befriend him and encourage him to return home to his mother by fabricating a story that he was wounded in battle with honorable discharge.
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Follow the Boys
Title: Follow the Boys
Character: Annie
Released: May 5, 1944
Type: Movie
During World War II, all the studios put out "all-star" vehicles which featured virtually every star on the lot--often playing themselves--in musical numbers and comedy skits, and were meant as morale-boosters to both the troops overseas and the civilians at home. This was Universal Pictures' effort. It features everyone from Donald O'Connor to the Andrews Sisters to Orson Welles to W.C. Fields to George Raft to Marlene Dietrich, and dozens of other Universal players.
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The Sky's the Limit
Title: The Sky's the Limit
Character: Mrs. Fisher
Released: July 13, 1943
Type: Movie
Flying Tiger Fred Atwell sneaks away from his famous squadron's personal appearance tour and goes incognito for several days of leave. He quickly falls for photographer Joan Manion, pursuing her in the guise of a carefree drifter.
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I Married a Witch
Title: I Married a Witch
Character: Margaret
Released: October 30, 1942
Type: Movie
Rocksford, New England, 1672. Puritan witch hunter Jonathan Wooley is cursed after burning a witch at the stake: his descendants will never find happiness in their marriages. At present, politician Wallace Wooley, who is running for state governor, is about to marry his sponsor's daughter.
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Lucky Legs
Title: Lucky Legs
Character: Annabelle Dinwiddie
Released: October 1, 1942
Type: Movie
Chorus girl Gloria Carroll inherits one million dollars from Broadway playboy Herbert Dinwiddle. Producer Ned McLane persuades her to advance him the money on a production called "Lucky Legs" that will star her. Unfortunately, the money has "made the rounds" prior to reaching Gloria and several less-than-scrupulous characters set out to separate Gloria from her inheritance.
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My Sister Eileen
Title: My Sister Eileen
Character: Grandma Sherwood
Released: September 24, 1942
Type: Movie
Sisters Ruth and Eileen Sherwood move from Ohio to New York in the hopes of building their careers. Ruth wants to get a job as a writer, while Eileen hopes to succeed on the stage. The two end up living in a dismal basement apartment in Greenwich Village, where a parade of odd characters are constantly breezing in and out. The women also meet up with magazine editor Bob Baker, who takes a personal interest in helping both with their career plans.
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Her Cardboard Lover
Title: Her Cardboard Lover
Character: Eva
Released: July 16, 1942
Type: Movie
A flirt tries to make her fiancée jealous by hiring a gigolo.
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Beyond the Blue Horizon
Title: Beyond the Blue Horizon
Character: Mrs. Daly
Released: June 25, 1942
Type: Movie
A young girl's parents are killed on a tropical island, and the girl is raised and protected by the jungle animals. When she is found, as a grown woman, she is taken back to the United States to claim her inheritance. There are several people, with vested interests, who stand to gain something if she is shown not to be the missing heir.
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Almost Married
Title: Almost Married
Character: Aunt Matilda Manning
Released: May 22, 1942
Type: Movie
To avoid a costly breach of contract suit, a rich young man marries a nightclub singer.
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The Vanishing Virginian
Title: The Vanishing Virginian
Character: Grandma
Released: February 1, 1942
Type: Movie
The perineal District Attorney and conservative southern patriarch cherishes the old ways and does his best to adjust to change.
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Belle Starr
Title: Belle Starr
Character: Sarah
Released: September 12, 1941
Type: Movie
After her family's mansion is burned down by Yankee soldiers for hiding the rebel leader Captain Sam Starr Belle Shirley vows to take revenge. Breaking Starr out of prison, she joins his small guerrilla group for a series of raids on banks and railroads, carpetbaggers and enemy troops. Belle's bravado during the attacks earns her a reputation among the locals as well as the love of Starr himself. The pair get married, but their relationship starts to break down when Sam Starr lets a couple of psychotic rebels into the gang, leaving Belle to wonder if he really cares about the Southern cause.
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Kiss the Boys Goodbye
Title: Kiss the Boys Goodbye
Character: Aunt Lily Lou Bethany
Released: August 1, 1941
Type: Movie
New York chorus girl Cindy Lou Bethany becomes frustrated when she prepares for an audition for a Broadway musical, but the auditions close and her roommate, Gwen Abbott, is hired to be secretary to Top Rumson, the show's financial backer. Gwen tells Cindy that the director, Lloyd Lloyd, and composer, Dick Rayburn, have been sent to the South on a talent search for a classic Southern belle type to star in the show, although their shows usually feature Myra Stanhope, an actress whose style is hopelessly inappropriate for this show. Desperate for work, Cindy returns to her aunt Lily Lou and uncle Jefferson Davis Bethany's home in the South and schemes to get Lloyd and Rayburn to audition her.
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Tobacco Road
Title: Tobacco Road
Character: Ada Lester
Released: February 20, 1941
Type: Movie
Shiftless Jeeter Lester and his family of sharecroppers live in rural Georgia where their ancestors were once wealthy planters. Their slapstick existence is threatened by a bank's plans to take over the land for more profitable farming.
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Michael Shayne: Private Detective
Title: Michael Shayne: Private Detective
Character: Aunt Olivia
Released: December 19, 1940
Type: Movie
Millionaire sportsman Hiram Brighton hires gumshoe Michael Shayne to keep his spoiled daughter Phyllis away from racetrack betting windows and roulette wheels. After Phyllis slips away and continues her compulsive gambling, Shayne fakes the murder of her gambler boyfriend, who is also romancing the daughter of casino owner Benny Gordon, in order to frighten her. When the tout really ends up murdered, Shayne and Phyllis' Aunt Olivia, an avid reader of murder mysteries, both try to find the identity of the killer.
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Who Killed Aunt Maggie?
Title: Who Killed Aunt Maggie?
Character: Maggie Ambler
Released: November 1, 1940
Type: Movie
When a much-despised matriarch is murdered, or apparently murdered, all of her relatives and "friends" fall under suspicion. Sheriff Gregory is the official investigator, but most of the clue gathering is done by amateur sleuths Kirk Pierce and Sally Ambler.
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Anne of Windy Poplars
Title: Anne of Windy Poplars
Character: Rebecca
Released: June 28, 1940
Type: Movie
Sentimental drama about an ambitious young teacher who arrives in a small town to take the job of vice-principal. Based on one of L M Montgomery's 'Anne of Green Gables' sequels.
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Earthbound
Title: Earthbound
Character: Becky Tilden
Released: June 6, 1940
Type: Movie
A murdered man helps his widow bring his killer to justice.
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Adventure in Diamonds
Title: Adventure in Diamonds
Character: Nellie
Released: March 8, 1940
Type: Movie
A government pilot (George Brent) falls for a woman (Isa Miranda) helping her partner (John Loder) smuggle diamonds out of South Africa.
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Remember the Night
Title: Remember the Night
Character: Aunt Emma
Released: January 19, 1940
Type: Movie
When Jack, an assistant District Attorney, takes Lee, a shoplifter caught in the act, home with him for Christmas, the unexpected happens and love blossoms.
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Bad Little Angel
Title: Bad Little Angel
Character: Mrs. Perkins
Released: October 27, 1939
Type: Movie
A bible-guided Victorian orphan befriends a bootblack in a strange town.
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The Cat and the Canary
Title: The Cat and the Canary
Character: Aunt Susan
Released: October 27, 1939
Type: Movie
Ten years after the death of millionaire Cyrus Norman, his will is to be read out to his six relatives, including Joyce Norman and Wally Campbell. Organized by Norman's lawyer, Crosby, the six meet at Norman's eerie New Orleans Gothic mansion. During the reading, the superstitious housekeeper declares that someone will be dead by midnight. Wally fears for Joyce when she is declared the sole inheritor, but all are alarmed when Crosby turns up dead.
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Our Leading Citizen
Title: Our Leading Citizen
Character: Aunt Tillie
Released: August 23, 1939
Type: Movie
Lem Schofield, a lawyer in a one-time small-town turned industrialized big city, runs his firm on examples set by Abraham Lincoln and is a friend to the poor. Clay Clinton, his late partner's son joins the firm but is anxious for fast success and considers Schofield's old-fashioned principles antiquated. Being in love with Schofield's daughter and impatient for success he moves to offices supplied by the city's most powerful industrialist, J.T. Tapley, who has plans to use Clay's good family lineage as a stepping stone to political power. The unscrupulous Tapley precipitates a strike in his factory mill which causes a rupture between the former partners. Schofield sets out to bring Tapley and his political henchmen to justice.
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Bulldog Drummond's Bride
Title: Bulldog Drummond's Bride
Character: Aunt Blanche
Released: July 12, 1939
Type: Movie
Hugh “Bulldog” Drummond is on the precipice of matrimony to his beloved Phyllis -- but a bank robbery and a daring escape is going to get in their way before they reach the altar.
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The Story of Alexander Graham Bell
Title: The Story of Alexander Graham Bell
Character: Mrs. MacGregor
Released: April 4, 1939
Type: Movie
Alexander Graham Bell falls in love with deaf girl Mabel Hubbard while teaching the deaf and trying to invent means for telegraphing the human voice. She urges him to put off thoughts of marriage until his experiments are complete. He invents the telephone, marries and becomes rich and famous, though his happiness is threatened when a rival company sets out to ruin him.
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Bulldog Drummond's Secret Police
Title: Bulldog Drummond's Secret Police
Character: Aunt Blanche
Released: March 29, 1939
Type: Movie
Captain Drummond and his girlfriend want to marry but a hidden treasure in the house in which they want to celebrate their marriage is complicating the situation involving a series of deaths and an elusive murderer.
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Sons of the Legion
Title: Sons of the Legion
Character: Grandmother Lee
Released: September 18, 1938
Type: Movie
Sons of The Legion is a film about a group of young men looking to start a squadron in their Legion Post. However, because the boy's father wrongfully received a dishonorable discharge after World War I, his father cannot join the Legion and in turn his son cannot join the squadron [wikipedia]
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Sing, You Sinners
Title: Sing, You Sinners
Character: Mrs. Daisy Beebe aka Mother Beebe
Released: September 2, 1938
Type: Movie
Of the singing Beebe brothers, young Mike just wants to be a kid; responsible Dave wants to work in his garage and marry Martha; but feckless Joe thinks his only road to success is through swapping and gambling. It seems the only thing all three can join in is their singing act, which Mike and Dave hate. Finally, all Joe's hopes are pinned on a race horse he's acquired swapping, but it's a bigger gamble than his family knows.
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Bluebeard's Eighth Wife
Title: Bluebeard's Eighth Wife
Character: Aunt Hedwige
Released: March 25, 1938
Type: Movie
American multi-millionaire Michael Brandon marries his eighth wife, Nicole, the daughter of a broken French Marquis. But she doesn't want to be only a number in the row of his ex-wives and starts her own strategy to tame him.
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Bulldog Drummond's Peril
Title: Bulldog Drummond's Peril
Character: Aunt Blanche
Released: March 18, 1938
Type: Movie
Drummond's wedding with Phyllis is interrupted when the inspector guarding their gifts is killed. He tries to trace the killers and uncovers the mystery of diamond counterfeiters.
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Scandal Street
Title: Scandal Street
Character: Ada Smith
Released: February 11, 1938
Type: Movie
Joe McKnight temporarily leaves his fiancée, Nora Langdon, for an expedition in a South American jungle. Nora gets a position as librarian in the small town of Midberg, where she boards with the Smith family. Nora is befriended by her next-door neighbor Austin Brown, who, unknown to his wife, is engaged in a moneymaking scheme with James Wilson.
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Night Club Scandal
Title: Night Club Scandal
Character: Mrs. Elvira Ward
Released: November 11, 1937
Type: Movie
When Dr. Ernest Tindal's wife is murdered, evidence mounts to convict her lover, Frank Marian. But Frank knows he didn't do it.....
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Hold 'Em Navy
Title: Hold 'Em Navy
Character: Grandma Holland
Released: November 4, 1937
Type: Movie
Two football players fight over the same girl.
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High, Wide and Handsome
Title: High, Wide and Handsome
Character: Grandma Cortlandt
Released: July 21, 1937
Type: Movie
The setting is a small town in 1870s Pennsylvania. Sally Waterson and her father have stopped in town with their traveling medicine show, but when their wagon catches fire, they find themselves stranded. They're taken in by Mrs. Cortlandt and her grandson, Peter, who is trying to set up a pipeline that will supply oil throughout the state. Sally and Peter soon fall in love and marry. Neither their marriage nor Peter's pipe dreams flow too smoothly.
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Night of Mystery
Title: Night of Mystery
Character: Mrs. Tobias Greene
Released: May 21, 1937
Type: Movie
One of a series of movies based on the character Philo Vance
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Go West Young Man
Title: Go West Young Man
Character: Aunt Kate Barnaby
Released: November 18, 1936
Type: Movie
Mavis Arden is a sensational movie star. Her following spans the world and her personal appearance tours prove her popularity. On her way home from one such appearance, Arden's car breaks down. She orders her publicity man to find her a place to stay, suspicious that he planned the break down to keep her away from a man. However, she soon finds herself mooning over an attractive repairman in town and listening to his ideas about inventing equipment for film.
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Old Hutch
Title: Old Hutch
Character: Sarah Hutchins
Released: September 25, 1936
Type: Movie
Life changes in surprising ways when a lazy, unemployed husband and father finds a box containing thousands of dollars in cash.
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The Return of Sophie Lang
Title: The Return of Sophie Lang
Character: Araminta Sedley
Released: June 18, 1936
Type: Movie
In order to give up her life of crime and go straight, renowned jewel thief Sophie Lang fakes her own death and retires to London. She soon finds a job as a companion to a wealthy old lady who is also a jewel collector. One day her employer decides to take an ocean trip to the US, taking Sophie with her. She also takes along a $200,000 diamond, which she locks up in the ship's safe. Of course, the diamond is soon stolen from the safe. A reporter also happens to be aboard the ship, and he has had his suspicions about who Sophie really is. Sophie has to find the real thief and recover the jewel before the ship docks in New York, because an investigation could reveal her true identity.
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Small Town Girl
Title: Small Town Girl
Character: Ma Brannan
Released: April 10, 1936
Type: Movie
Kay is a girl living in a small rural town whose life is just too dull and repetitious to bear. One night, she meets young, handsome, and rich Bob Dakin, who asks her for directions while drunk and then proceeds to take her out on a night on the town. Kay likes the stranger, and when the drunken Bob decides that they should get married, Kay hesitates little before consenting. The morning after the affair, Bob, once sober, regrets his mistake. His strict and upright parents, however, insist that the young couple pretend marriage for 6 months before divorcing, in order to avoid bad publicity. Bob resents Kay for standing in the way of him and his fiancée, Priscilla, but Kay still hopes that he'd have a change of heart.
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Timothy's Quest
Title: Timothy's Quest
Character: Vilda Cummins
Released: January 31, 1936
Type: Movie
Timothy (Dickie Moore), an orphan, is sent with his sister, Gay (Sally Martin), to a farm run by Vilda Cummins (Elizabeth Patterson, an old maid with a dislike for children. Timothy eventually wins her over, and also pushes along the romance for her niece, Martha (Eleanore Whitney), with David Masters (Tom Keene).
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Her Master's Voice
Title: Her Master's Voice
Character: Mrs. Ellie Martin
Released: January 17, 1936
Type: Movie
Besieged by his adoring female fans, radio celebrity Ned "The Fireside Troubadour" Farrar hides out at the home of his wife Queena's imperious Aunt Min. Pretending to be Aunt Min's handyman, he performs his tasks so well that she refuses to let him leave.
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So Red the Rose
Title: So Red the Rose
Character: Mary Cherry
Released: December 20, 1935
Type: Movie
During the American Civil War, Valette Bedford waits patiently for her husband Duncan Bedford, to return home, praying that she will not become a widow.
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Men Without Names
Title: Men Without Names
Character: Aunt Ella
Released: June 29, 1935
Type: Movie
A G-man woos a newswoman and corners bank robbers with a hostage in a factory.
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Chasing Yesterday
Title: Chasing Yesterday
Character: Mlle. Prefere
Released: May 3, 1935
Type: Movie
An elderly bachelor, feeling nostalgic for his youth, seeks out his late sweetheart's teenage daughter, now an orphan forced to attend a strict boarding school.
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Hide-Out
Title: Hide-Out
Character: 'Ma' Miller
Released: August 24, 1934
Type: Movie
Wounded criminal Lucky Wilson takes refuge in a small Connecticut farm. He falls in love with the farmer's daughter who at first is unaware of his criminal record. Lucky is fully prepared to shoot his way out when the cops come calling, but he is softened by the daughter's affections.
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Dinner at Eight
Title: Dinner at Eight
Character: Miss Copeland
Released: December 22, 1933
Type: Movie
An ambitious New York socialite plans an extravagant dinner party as her businessman husband, Oliver, contends with financial woes, causing a lot of tension between the couple. Meanwhile, their high-society friends and associates, including the gruff Dan Packard and his sultry spouse, Kitty, contend with their own entanglements, leading to revelations at the much-anticipated dinner.
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Doctor Bull
Title: Doctor Bull
Character: Aunt Patricia Banning
Released: September 22, 1933
Type: Movie
In this engaging adaptation of James Gould Cozzen's novel The Last Adam, film icon Will Rogers portrays Dr. George Bull, a compassionate, highly regarded small-town physician who often prescribes a healthy dose of common sense! But when Bull begins dating a widow (Vera Allen), the local gossips misconstrue the story. To make matters worse, Bull's plainspoken manner earns him an enemy in the wealthy owner of a nearby construction camp. But once it's learned that the camp has caused illness by polluting the local water supply, the good doctor steps in to try to restore the town's health - and his reputation!
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Golden Harvest
Title: Golden Harvest
Character: Lydia
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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Secret of the Blue Room
Title: Secret of the Blue Room
Character: Mary, Cook
Released: July 20, 1933
Type: Movie
According to a legend, the mansion's "blue room" is cursed -- everyone who has ever spent the night in that room has met with an untimely end. The three suitors of the heroine wager that each can survive a night in the forbidding blue room.
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Hold Your Man
Title: Hold Your Man
Character: Miss Tuttle
Released: June 30, 1933
Type: Movie
Ruby falls in love with small-time con man Eddie. During a botched blackmail scheme, Eddie accidentally kills the man they were setting up. Eddie takes off and Ruby is sent to a reformatory for two years.
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The Story of Temple Drake
Title: The Story of Temple Drake
Character: Aunt Jennie
Released: May 6, 1933
Type: Movie
The coquettish granddaughter of a respected small-town judge is stranded at a bootleggers’ hide-out, subjected to an act of nightmarish sexual violence, and plunged into a criminal underworld that threatens to swallow her up completely.
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Infernal Machine
Title: Infernal Machine
Character: Elinor's Aunt
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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They Just Had to Get Married
Title: They Just Had to Get Married
Character: Lizzie
Released: January 5, 1933
Type: Movie
Molly Hull, a maid, and Sam Sutton, a butler, are bequeathed a million dollars, and they encounter many problems and difficulties as they try to become the newest members of the idle rich.
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No Man of Her Own
Title: No Man of Her Own
Character: Mrs. Randall
Released: December 30, 1932
Type: Movie
An on-the-lam New York card shark marries a small-town librarian who thinks he's a businessman.
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Boo
Title: Boo
Character: Susan (edited from "The Cat Creeps")
Released: December 1, 1932
Type: Movie
A wisecracking narrator mocks footage featuring Frankenstein's monster and Count Dracula.
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They Call It Sin
Title: They Call It Sin
Character: Mrs. Cullen
Released: November 5, 1932
Type: Movie
An innocent, young, small-town church organist is thrown out of her home, told she was adopted, and that her mother was an evil woman. She follows a crush to the big city and is left fending for herself.
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Breach of Promise
Title: Breach of Promise
Character: Cora Pugmire
Released: October 23, 1932
Type: Movie
A pre-Code drama.
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A Bill of Divorcement
Title: A Bill of Divorcement
Character: Aunt Hester Fairfield
Released: September 28, 1932
Type: Movie
Hilary Fairfield returns home after fifteen years in an asylum with his sanity restored. But he is disturbed to find that everything has changed: his daughter grown and about to marry; his wife divorced and also about to marry.
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Love Me Tonight
Title: Love Me Tonight
Character: First Aunt
Released: August 18, 1932
Type: Movie
A Parisian tailor finds himself posing as a baron in order to collect a sizeable bill from an aristocrat, only to fall in love with an aloof young princess.
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Guilty as Hell
Title: Guilty as Hell
Character: Elvira Ward
Released: August 5, 1932
Type: Movie
Richard Arlen is the convicted murderer and Adrienne Ames his sister who believes in his innocence. We see the murder and the framing set-up at the beginning of the film, so there’s no mystery for the audience to solve. Just the pleasure of watching an intricate cat-and-mouse game, with the murderer one step ahead of his pursuers until the final, tense confrontation.
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New Morals for Old
Title: New Morals for Old
Character: Aunty Doe
Released: June 4, 1932
Type: Movie
Proper parents who treat their adult children as teenagers have a son who wants to go to Paris to study art, and a daughter in love with a married man.
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Miss Pinkerton
Title: Miss Pinkerton
Character: Juliet Mitchell
Released: May 27, 1932
Type: Movie
Scion of the once-rich Mitchell family, Herbert Wynn is found shot to death. Nurse Adams, bored by hospital routine, is recruited by the police to ferret out clues as she tends to Wynn's elderly aunt Julia. Jokingly given the 'rank' of Miss Pinkerton, after the famous detective agency, Adams probes into the mystery, but not before a second death.
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So Big!
Title: So Big!
Character: Mrs. Tebbit (uncredited)
Released: April 30, 1932
Type: Movie
A farmer's widow takes on the land and her late husband's tempestuous son.
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Man Wanted
Title: Man Wanted
Character: Miss Harper
Released: April 23, 1932
Type: Movie
A female editor of a magazine falls in love with her male secretary.
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The Expert
Title: The Expert
Character: Miss Crackenwald
Released: March 5, 1932
Type: Movie
An elderly gentleman arrives for an extended stay with his grown son in Chicago.
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Husband's Holiday
Title: Husband's Holiday
Character: Mrs. Caroline Reid
Released: December 19, 1931
Type: Movie
A stuffy family man cheats on his wife but she refuses him a divorce at first. Meanwhile his mistress resents her second class status.
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Heaven on Earth
Title: Heaven on Earth
Character: Vergie
Released: November 27, 1931
Type: Movie
A young boy finds out that the man he thought was his father actually killed his real father, then adopted him.
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Penrod and Sam
Title: Penrod and Sam
Character: Schoolteacher (uncredited)
Released: October 1, 1931
Type: Movie
Best pals Penrod and Sam are leaders of a super-secret neighborhood society, the In-Or-In Boys Club. Troubles arise when a pompous prig tries to join the club and when the boys lose their clubhouse in a land sale. But there’s also plenty of time to play pranks, put on a carnival, experience the pangs of first love, and romp with Duke, the world’s best dog.
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The Smiling Lieutenant
Title: The Smiling Lieutenant
Character: Baroness Von Schwedel (uncredited)
Released: August 1, 1931
Type: Movie
An amorous lieutenant is forced to marry a socially awkward princess, though he tries to keep his violin-playing girlfriend on the side.
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Daddy Long Legs
Title: Daddy Long Legs
Character: Mrs. Lippett
Released: June 5, 1931
Type: Movie
Wealthy Jervis Pendleton acts as benefactor for orphan Judy Abbott, anonymously sponsoring her in her boarding school. But as she grows up, he finds himself falling in love with her, and she with him, though she does not know that the man she has fallen for is her benefactor.
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Tarnished Lady
Title: Tarnished Lady
Character: Mrs. Courtney
Released: May 1, 1931
Type: Movie
Nancy Courtney, a once wealthy socialite, has had to struggle to maintain a facade of prosperity ever since her father's death. Although she loves writer DeWitt Taylor, who is indifferent to amassing a fortune, her mother urges her to marry stockbroker Norman Cravath instead. Nancy acquiesces to her mother's wishes but, despite the fact her new husband does everything he can to please her, she is miserable in her marriage.
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The Cat Creeps
Title: The Cat Creeps
Character: Susan
Released: November 10, 1930
Type: Movie
Disappearances and strange goings-on in a spooky old mansion.
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Harmony at Home
Title: Harmony at Home
Character: Emma Haller
Released: January 12, 1930
Type: Movie
This comedy story of Joe Haller unwittingly running a sweatshop and Mama Haller keeping the suitors away from her daughters by discussing marriage.
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The Lone Star Ranger
Title: The Lone Star Ranger
Character: Sarah Martin
Released: January 5, 1930
Type: Movie
After shooting a man in self-defense, Buck Duane finds himself accused of many crimes, none of which he committed. In order to prove his innocence, he joins the Texas Rangers, and also hopes to win the approval and hand of Mary Aldridge, a girl from the East. He is assigned to round up a gang of cattle rustlers who are, unknown by Mary. led by her father.
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South Sea Rose
Title: South Sea Rose
Character: Sarah
Released: December 9, 1929
Type: Movie
A French girl raised in the south seas is brought to prim and proper New England by her New England born and bred sea captain husband. She wears short skirts and shocks the puritanical New Englanders in her new home with her wild candid ways...
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Words and Music
Title: Words and Music
Character: Dean Crockett
Released: August 18, 1929
Type: Movie
Phil and Pete compete for Mary's love and also in a contest for best song written by a college student.
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The Dancing Town
Title: The Dancing Town
Character: Ma Pepperall
Released: October 26, 1928
Type: Movie
Young kids face off in a dance competition.
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The Return of Peter Grimm
Title: The Return of Peter Grimm
Character: Mrs. Bartholomey
Released: December 7, 1926
Type: Movie
"Old Peter Grimm makes his ward Katie promise to marry his nephew Frederik [ sic ] and then dies. Frederik proves to be a scapegrace and Peter's spirit returns to right matters and finally succeeds in doing so by communicating with Jimmie who is in a delirium." ( Moving Picture World, 20 Nov 1926, p164.) Peter thus thwarts selfishness and greed and rewards virtue.
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The Boy Friend
Title: The Boy Friend
Character: Mrs. Harper
Released: January 1, 1926
Type: Movie
A young man uses tips from an absurd book to woo a woman he fancies.