1001 NIGHTS AT THE MOVIES: PART 3

                The 1940’s. Old Hollywood’s boom years.  An era teeming with so many titles I love that it’ll take a couple of installments to detail them.

                 First up, the early period,  1940 to 1944. These were, of course, years dominated and defined by World War 2. Even though battles were never fought on North American soil, people were deeply affected on every level.  There was a sense of unity, a willingness (virtually inconceivable nowadays) to make personal sacrifices.  Democracy’s undoubtedly the most enlightened system of government. And carries a genuine potential for efficiency. An argument could be made that - in early 40’s America - the balance between enlightenment and efficiency was at its most effective. Most people (for better or worse) actually believed in their leaders, believed that people at all levels should be (and were) striving for the common good. With growing awareness of the magnitude of Nazi evil (the camps, the atrocities), people found themselves roused to a very positive sense of righteous outrage.

                There was no internet, no twitter. The public’s visual exposure to news came via cinema newsreels – censored, slanted and presented well after events had transpired. People worked long hours, bought war bonds, accepted rationing and - most seriously of all – many served overseas because they honestly felt it was their patriotic duty. One tends to look back at North America in the war years as one of those best of times, worst of times periods. People were, for the most part, unified - secure in the belief they were on the side of the angels. Yet daily casualty lists burned holes in generations. And there's little doubt the specter of an Axis victory created a huge psychic cloud.

                 The war was won – thank God. But it still took a long time to expose and address the hidden iniquities within the democracy people had fought for. America had - to some extent - been built on the systematic persecution of native people, then the use of slavery. To this day, racial inequities remain a ticking timebomb. Every nation has been guilty of unfair prejudices and exclusionary practices. But not every nation has the words "all men are created equal" ingrained in its constitution. Unity often disguises complacency/complicity in ignoring and/or burying social problems. Not just racial issues, but also robber baron-style business practices and deeply embedded political corruption. The intertwining relationship between democracy and capitalism is complicated – fraught with internal contradictions and problems. Today disillusionment, cynicism, entitlement and reflexive finger-pointing undermine unity. We must be ready to recognize both our rights and our responsibilities. The existence and encouragement of diversity of opinion is a reflection of enlightenment. Something to be desired.  Does it foster efficiency? Possibly - probably - not. But then efficiency is what the Nazis prized most. Can we survive without enlightenment? Can we survive without efficiency? Achieving a just balance between the two is proving more and more difficult. We must be ready to recognize when efficiency turns into ruthlessness. And the moment it does, to put on the brakes. Because democracy remains – compared to all others – the system most worth perfecting, preserving and protecting.

                Anyway, back to the cinema scene of the early 40’s. Movies were, by that time, an integral part of almost everyone’s lives. And it was no surprise that Hollywood jumped into the war effort full throttle, cooperating with the government to produce films that raised morale and encouraged patriotism. Making sure, of course,  that the propaganda was also entertaining. So there were plenty of war movies, spy movies, movies that glorified every branch of the military. All told with the proper amount of uplift.  Mixed, of course, with pure escapist films (including lots of musicals and comedies). Betty Grable and Abbott & Costello became cultural figureheads. And Hollywood energetically supported the Brits in their war effort. Greer (Mrs. Miniver) Garson ) became the most admired woman in movies, Oscar-nominated every time she lifted a teacup. It wasn’t enough that Sherlock Holmes was British. The Holmes film series (with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce) had started off in its proper Victorian milieu with a couple of 1939 releases. But when it commenced again in ’42, the sleuth was catapulted right into the present day to do his patriotic duty outwitting Nazis and fifth columnists.

It's elementary.

                      

The war years brought movie attendance in North America to record levels. Factories involved in war-related production operated night and day. And to accommodate the various shifts, many cinemas were also open round the clock. Hollywood’s war effort went way beyond just making movies. They sent stars on cross country War Bond Drives and international USO tours. They also initiated and operated the Hollywood Canteen, a servicemen-only center where the enlisted could mix and mingle with movie stars, who staffed the place every night. A soldier could watch Eddie Cantor cavort on stage, have Dietrich serve him donuts, then dance with Hedy Lamarr. All for free. New York had its own Broadway-based version, the Stage Door Canteen.

                For all their outward patriotism, studio heads, with their eyes always on the bottom line, were not above back room finagling to keep prize male stars out of the military as long as possible.  Still, many actors, inspired by genuine patriotic fervor, enlisted before their studios could get those questionable balls rolling. Among those who racked up outstanding service records were Tyrone Power, Henry Fonda, James Stewart and Clark Gable, superstars all.

                Many of the great 30’s icons continued as box office magnets throughout the war years – Cagney, Cooper, Flynn, Tracy.  And some surprising new stars emerged. Humphrey Bogart, a second stringer for years, burst into supernova status in ’41 with the one two punch of “High Sierra” and “The Maltese Falcon”.  Alan Ladd, little more than a bit player since the mid-thirties, created a sensation in 1942’s “This Gun For Hire” and never looked back.

                Women, aside from now being de facto heads of so many households, remained a powerful part of the regular movie-going public. They retained their attachment to the female role models of the thirties - Irene Dunne, Claudette Colbert, Loretta Young, Barbara Stanwyck.  Bette Davis, in particular, went from strength to strength. Of course, new comets soared as well – like the wildly popular pinup queens  Betty Grable, Lana Turner and Rita Hayworth. And - among the foreign imports - Ingrid Bergman was embraced by the movie-going public as a new and cherished favorite.
                Bing Crosby slipped comfortably into the role of America’s best loved regular guy (a regular guy who just happened to have a smoothly naturalistic acting style, terrific comedy chops and a million dollar singing voice). Crosby consolidated his standing even more in the series of “Road” comedies he made with Bob Hope. The two were dominant presences in both film and radio – both during and long after the war. Comedies definitely weren’t limited to Abbott & Costello and Crosby & Hope. Director Ernst Lubitsch had the intelligentsia in stitches with “To Be Not to Be” and “Heaven Can Wait”. Both of which leave me cold.  I don’t like the contrived Damon Runyon at the pearly gates whimsy of “Here Comes Mr. Jordan” either. But all three of these were box office hits and remain critical favorites. Early 40’s comedies I do love? “My Favorite Wife”, “The Devil and Miss Jones” “I Married a Witch” the under-rated Irene Dunne/Charles Boyer outing “Together Again” and some of the Preston Sturges films, especially “Christmas in July” and the superbly realized “Sullivan’s Travels”. These were all major studio A’s.  In addition to turning out gleaming super-productions, Warner Brothers operated a great B picture unit, often producing little movies more entertaining than the A’s they supported. Two of their 1940 comedies, “Calling All Husbands” and” Father is a Prince” were especially engaging.  And gave character actors like Grant Mitchell and Nana Bryant the chance to play leads (which they both do beautifully in “Father is a Prince”). Young Warner Brothers contract player George Reeves is on hand – and exceptionally winning – in both films. Now, there’s someone who surely should have been a top leading man in the 40’s. That big movie break just never came.  

George Reeves, the movie star that should have been

                                

                Westerns continued to boom. Roy Rogers eclipsed Gene Autry as King of the B’s. Best of the A's were possibly MGM's "Billy the Kid"(with a subdued  Robert Taylor very effective in the title role), Fritz Lang's rousing "Western Union" and William Wellman's stark, shocking "The Ox-Bow Incident".

                Film noir, which came into its own right after the war, was definitely in a state of rapid development during the early 40’s – from RKO’s “Stranger on the Third Floor” to Paramount’s “This Gun for Hire” and Fox’s “Laura”. Certainly, the faces and personalities of noir character actors like Sydney Greenstreet  and Elisha Cook Jr. have made much more indelible impressions on later generations than some of the stars they supported.

                Possibly the artistic event of the era was Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane”. It arrived as a creative thunderbolt and its effects are still being felt. The picture proved to be the first salvo in Welles’ remarkable film career. Box office success tended to elude him. But an inordinately large percentage of the movies he directed are now accepted as classics of the canon. 

                Welles already enjoyed a considerable cultural reputation when he arrived at RKO. A more surprising source of eloquently inspired cinema was gifted Val Lewton, who produced a group of low budget horror films for that same studio  (“Cat People” “The Seventh Victim,” “Curse of the Cat People”, among others).  Directors changed from picture to picture – but Lewton’s over-riding influence kept the best of these movies enveloped in an atmosphere of hushed existential menace. There’s seldom been a better case for the theory of producer as auteur.  

                War-related complications more or less kept foreign films off the menu. It wasn’t till after the conflict that North American audiences – at least the more adventurous of them -  finally saw intriguing European treasures like “La Corona di Ferro”, “Le Baron Fantome”, “I bambini ci guardano” and  “Ossessione” ( a stunning Visconti adaptation of “The Postman Always Rings Twice” – far superior to the later {albeit quite good} Hollywood version).

                For whatever reason, the kind of sci fi  involving interplanetary adventure played virtually no part in 40’s cinema. Mad doctors daring Mother Nature with their in-lab puttering  pretty much defined  the 40’s sci-fi scene. And like the outer space sagas, Biblical spectacles would have to wait till the 50’s to flex their box-office muscles. Closest 40’s equivalents were the Maria Montez Arabian Nights epics that packed cinemas throughout the war years.

                Having lost the European market for the duration, Hollywood courted Latin America assiduously.  With the full encouragement of the U.S. government, eager to ward off Axis influence in that area. Latin American performers scooped up by American studios included Carmen Miranda(Brazilian bombshell actually born in Portugal), Arturo de Cordova(Mexican) and Maria Montez(from the Dominican Republic). All made bids for Hollywood stardom – with varying degrees of success.

                Musicals were entering the peak years of their popularity. Although, without Astaire and Rogers, RKO just couldn’t summon up much in the way of movie musical artistry. And post Busby Berkeley, Warner Brothers lost its edge in the field as well. Paramount had Bing and virtually anything he sang in made money. Technical advances made movies more polished than ever. And Technicolor films, though still something of an event, became more prevalent – especially when it came to musicals. No studio used color more aggressively or more lucratively than 20^th Century Fox. The vibrant lollipop hues of their popular Betty Grable and Alice Faye musicals were never less than eye-popping; Fox's palette seemed specifically calibrated to celebrate the colors of Carmen Miranda’s towering fruit salad hats. The early 40’s witnessed  the heyday of the big band phenomenon, greatest single force in the era’s popular music.  Fox skating star Sonja Henie prolonged her popularity by buttressing her film musicals with name bands. And they weren’t just added attractions in the lady’s extravaganzas; their presence practically drove the storylines in wartime Henie hits like “Sun Valley Serenade”(Glenn Miller),  “Iceland”(Sammy Kaye) and “Wintertime”(Woody Herman).

Sonja Henie, Winter's #1 Ambassadress

 Song-filled Judy Garland/Mickey Rooney films made millions for MGM during the war years. But it wasn’t till Vincente Minnelli directed Judy in the wonderfully crafted “Meet Me in St. Louis” that the Metro musical really moved into its rapturous golden age.

               Among the acknowledged classics of the period you won’t find on my list: “Casablanca”(it took me several attempts to finish it without falling asleep).  Appeal of its script, performances and skin-deep character entanglements all elude me. Maybe I was inoculated against its charms as a baby. Also put me down as a stubborn non-fan of “Yankee Doodle Dandy”, “Arsenic and Old Lace” “The Man Who Came to Dinner” and Bette Davis’ phony baloney “Now Voyager”.  And  phooey on Ginger Rogers’ whole 40’s career.  Watching Astaire’s delightful 30’s partner  – a bewitching combination of the down to earth and the divine – change course in the 40’s was a decade long downer. I hated seeing her parade around self-importantly under a series of elaborately unbecoming hairdos. I’m tempted to blame the change on that 1940 Oscar she snatched away from any number of more deserving candidates.  From then on, at least through the ensuing decade, she always gave me the impression of someone who smugly expected another to be handed to her at any moment.

                But enough with the gripes. Here’s the list of early 40’s films for which I feel nothing but love:

                   PART 3:  1940-1944

288. the Ape(’40)                       William Nigh

              Boris Karloff,Maris Wrixon

289. Bandwaggon(’40)                Marcel Varnel

              Arthur Askey,Richard Murdoch,Moore Marriott

290. Bitter Sweet(’40)               Victor Saville

              Jeanette MacDonald,Nelson Eddy,George Sanders

291. Black Friday(’40)                Arthur Lubin 

              Stanley Ridges,Boris Karloff,Bela Lugosi,Anne Nagel

292. Brigham Young(’40)             Henry Hathaway

              Tyrone Power,Linda Darnell,Dean Jagger,Vincent price

293. Broadway Melody of 1940(’40)     Norman Taurog

              Fred Astaire,Eleanor Powell,George Murphy

294. Calling All Husbands(’40)     Noel Smith

              George Tobias,Florence Bates,George Reeves

295. the Carson City Kid(’40)       Joseph Kane

              Roy Rogers,Pauline Moore,Bob Steele

296. Charlie Chan in Panama(’40) Norman Foster

              Sidney Toler,Victor Sen Yung,Jean Rogers,Mary Nash

297. Christmas in July(’40)          Preston Sturges

              Dick Powell,Ellen Drew,Raymond Walburn

298. the Devil Bat(’40)               Jean Yarbrough

              Bela Lugosi.Dave O’Brien,Suzanne Kaaren

299. Escape(’40)                        Mervyn LeRoy

              Norma Shearer,Robert Taylor,Conrad Veidt,Nazimova

300. Father is a Prince(’40)        Noel Smith

              Grant Mitchell,Nana Bryant,George Reeves

301. Foreign Correspondent(’40)   Alfred Hitchcock

              Joel McCrea,Laraine Day,Herbert Marshall

302. I Love You Again(’40)         W.S. Van Dyke

              William Powell,Myrna Loy,Frank McHugh

304. I Take This Woman(’40)              W.S. Van Dyke

              Spencer Tracy,Hedy Lamarr,Verree Teasdale

305. Kit Carson(’40)                  George B. Seitz

               Jon Hall,Lynn Bari,Dana Andrews

305. Kora Terry(’40)                 Georg Jacoby

              Marika Rokk,Will Quadflieg

306. Law and Order(’40)            Ray Taylor

              Johnny Mack Brown,Nell O’Day,Fuzzy Knight

307. the Letter(’40)                   William Wyler

              Bette Davis,Herbert Marshall,James Stephenson

308. Lucky Cisco Kid(’40)           Bruce Humberstone

              Cesar Romero,Mary Beth Hughes,Dana Andrews

309. the Man with Nine Lives(’40)  Nick Grinde

              Boris Karloff,Roger Pryor,Jo Ann Sayers

310. the Mark of Zorro(’40)        Rouben Mamoulian

              Tyrone Power,Linda Darnell,Basil Rathbone

311. My Favorite Wife(’40)          Garson Kanin

              Irene Dunne,Cary Grant,Randolph Scott

312. Pride and Prejudice(’40)        Robert Z. Leonard

              Laurence Olivier,Greer Garson,Maureen O’Sullivan

313. Ragtime Cowboy Joe(’40)             Ray Taylor

               Johnny Mack Brown,Nell O’Day,Fuzzy Knight

314. Remember the Night(’40)             Mitchell Leisen

              Barbara Stanwyck,Fred MacMurray,Elizabeth Patterson

315. Return to Yesterday(’40)     Robert Stevenson

              Clive Brook,Anna Lee,Dame May Whitty,Garry Marsh

316. Santa Fe Trail(’40)                    Michael Curtiz

              Errol Flynn,Olivia de Havilland,Raymond Massey

317. the Sea Hawk(’40)               Michael Curtiz

              Errol Flynn,Brenda Marshall,Flora Robson,Henry Daniell

318. Star Dust(’40)                   Walter Lang

              Linda Darnell,John Payne,Mary Beth Hughes

319. Stranger on the Third Floor(’40)  Boris Ingster

              John McGuire,Peter Lorre.Margaret Tallichet

320. Strike Up the Band(’40)              Busby Berkeley

              Mickey Rooney,Judy Garland,Paul Whiteman,Larry Nunn

321. Tear Gas Squad(’40)            Terry Morse

              Dennis Morgan,John Payne,George Reeves,Gloria Dickson

322. the Thief of Bagdad(’40) Michael Powell,Tim Whelan,Ludwig Berger

              Sabu,Conrad Veidt,John Justin,June Duprezs

323. ‘Til We Meet Again(’40)             Edmund Goulding

        Merle Oberon,George Brent,Pat O’brien

324. Tin Pan Alley(’40)                     Walter Lang

              Alice Faye,John Payne,Betty Grable,Jack Oakie

325. Triple Justice(’40)               David Howard

              George O’Brien,Virginia Vale

326. Viva Cisco Kid(’40)                    Norman Foster

       Cesar Romero,Jean Rogers,Chris-Pin Martin

327. When the Daltons Rode(’40) George Marshall

               Randolph Scott,Kay Francis,Brian Donlevy,Mary Gordon

328. a Window in London(’40)      Herbert Mason

              Michael Redgrave,Sally Gray,Patricia Roc,Paul Lukas

329. You’ll Find Out(’40)            David Butler

              Kay Kyser.Boris Karloff,Bela Lugosi,Helen Parrish

330. Among the Living(’41)          Stuart Heisler

       Albert Dekker,Susan Hayward,Frances Farmer

331. Bahama Passage(’41)             Edward H. Griffith

              Madeleine Carroll,Sterling Hayden,Cecil Kellaway

           

Yes, Sterling started out as Stirling

      

332. Belle Starr(’41)                 Irving Cummings

               Gene Tierney,Randolph Scott,Dana Andrews

333. Billy the Kid(’41)               David Miller

              Robert Taylor.Brian Donlevy,Mary Howard,Ian Hunter

334. Blood and Sand(’41)            Rouben Mamoulian

              Tyrone Power,Linda Darnell,Rita Hayworth,Laird Cregar

335. Citizen Kane(’41)                 Orson Welles

              Orson Welles,Joseph Cotten,Dorothy Commingore,Ray Collins

336. the Cowboy and the Blonde(’41)     Ray McCarey

              George Montgomery,Mary Beth Hughes

337. Crook’s Tour(’41)               John Baxter

              Basil Radford,Naunton Wayne,Greta Gynt

338. the Devil and Miss Jones(’41)  Sam Wood

              Jean Arthur,Charles Coburn,Spring Byington,S.Z. Sakall

339. Footsteps in the Dark(’41)    Lloyd Bacon

              Errol Flynn,Brenda Marshall,Ralph Bellamy,Lee Patrick

340. Freedom Radio(’41)              Anthony Asquith

              Clive Brooks,Diana Wynyard,Raymond Huntley

341. Hellzapoppin(’41)                H.C. Potter

              Ole Olsen,Chic Johnson,Martha Raye

342. High Sierra(’41)                 Raoul Walsh

              Humphrey Bogart,Ida Lupino,Joan Leslie,Henry Travers

343. Invisible Ghost(’41)                    Joseph H. Lewis

              Bela Lugosi,Polly Ann Young,John McGuire,Clarence Muse

344. LA Corona di Ferro(’41)        Alessandro Blasetti

              Massimo Girotti, Elisa Cegani,Gino Cervi

345. Ladies in Retirement(’41)             Charles Vidor

              Ida Lupino,Louis Hayward,Isobel Elsom,Evelyn Keyes

346. Love Crazy(’41)                  Jack Conway

              William Powell,Myrna Loy,Gail Patrick,Jack Carson

347. Man-Made Monster(’41)        George Waggner

              Lon Chaney Jr.,Lionel Atwill,Anne Nagel

348. Never Give a Sucker an Even Break(’41)       Edward F. Cline

              W.C. Fields,Gloria Jean

349. Silver Stallion(’41)                    Edward Finney

              David Sharpe,Chief Thundercloud,LeRoy Mason

350. Singapore Woman(’41)          Jean Negulesco

              Brenda Joyce,David Bruce,Jerome Cowan

351. Sis Hopkins(’41)                  Joseph Santley

              Judy Canova,Bob Crosby,Susan Hayward

352. Sullivan’s Travels(’41)          Preston Sturges

               Joel McCrea,Veronica Lake

353. Sun Valley Serenade(’41)      Bruce Humberstone

              Sonja Henie,John Payne,Glenn Miller,Lynn Bari

354. Sunny(’41)                         Herbert Wilcox

              Anna Neagle,John Carroll,Ray Bolger

355. Swamp Water(’41)               Jean Renoir

               Walter Brennan,Walter Huston,Dana Andrews

356. That Night in Rio(’41)         Irving Cummings

              Alice Faye,Don Ameche,Carmen Miranda

357. They Died with ther Boots On(’41)       Raoul Walsh

              Errol Flynn,Olivia de Havilland

358. Two-Faced Woman(’41)         George Cukor

              Greta Garbo,Melvyn Douglas,Constance Bennett

359. Week-end in Havana(’41)      Walter Lang

              Alice Faye,John Payne,Carmen Miranda,Cesar Romero

360. Western Union(’41)                     Fritz Lang

              Robert Young,Randolph Scott,Virginia Gilmore

361. You’ll Never Get Rich(’41)    Sidney Lanfield

              Fred Astaire,Rita Hayworth,Robert Benchley

362. Ziegfeld Girl(’41)                Robert Z. Leonard

              Lana Turner,Judy Garland,Hedy Lamarr,James Stewart

363. A-Haunting We Will Go(’42) Alfred L. Werker

               Stan Laurel,Oliver Hardy,Sheila Ryan

364. Arabian Nights(’42)             John Rawlins

              Maria Montez,Jon Hall,Sabu,Turhan Bey

365. Captains of the Clouds(’42)  Michael Curtiz

               James Cagney,Brenda Marshall

366. Cat People(’42)                  Jacques Tourneur

              Simone Simon,Kent Smith,Jane Randolph,Tom Conway

367. Desperate Journey(’42)         Raoul Walsh

               Errol Flynn,Raymond Massey,Ronald Reagan,Nancy Coleman

368. Die Grosse Liebe(’42)           Rolf Hansen

              Zarah Leander,Viktor Staal

369. Hab Mich Lieb(’42)              Harald Braun

              Marika Rokk,Viktor Staal

370. Halalos Csok(’42)               Laszlo Kalmar

              Katalin Karady,Istvan Nagy

371. Holiday Inn(’42)                 Mark Sandrich

       Bing Crosby,Fred Astaire,Marjorie Reynolds,Virginia Dale

372. I Married a Witch(’42)        Rene Clair

              Fredric March,Veronica Lake,Susan Hayward,Cecil Kellaway

373. I Married an Angel(’42)              W.S. Van Dyke

              Jeanette MacDonald,Nelson Eddy

374. Iceland(’42)                       Bruce Humberstone

              Sonja Henie,John Payne,Osa Massen

375. In Old California(’42)          William McGann

              John Wayne,Binnie Barnes,Helen Parrish,Edgar Kennedy
376. In This Our Life('42)              John Huston
              Bette Davis,Olivia de Havilland,Dennis Morgan 

377. Journey into Fear(’42)         Norman Foster

              Joseph Cotten,Dolores del Rio,Orson Welles

378. Let the People Sing(’42)             John Baxter

              Edward Rigby,Patricia Roc,Alastair Sim

379. the Magnificent Ambersons(’42)             Orson Welles

              Tim Holt,Joseph Cotten,Anne Baxter,Ray Collins

380. the Man Who Wouldn’t Die(’42)    Herbert I. Leeds

              Lloyd Nolan,Marjorie Weaver,Helene Reynolds

381. Man With Two Lives(’42)      Phil Rosen

              Edward Norris,Margo Dwyer

82. Moontide(’42)                     Archie Mayo

              Jean Gabin,Ida Lupino,Thomas Mitchell,Helene Reynolds

383. Night Monster(’42)                    Ford Beebe

              Bela Lugosi,Lionel Atwill,Irene Hervey,Janet Shaw

384. Noi Vivi(’42)                      Goffredo Alessandrini

              Alida Valli,Rossano Brazzi

385. Orchestra Wives(’42)          Archie Mayo

              George Montgomery,Ann Rutherford,Lynn Bari

386. the Palm Beach Story(’42)     Preston Sturges

              Claudette Colbert,Joel McCrea,Rudy Vallee

387. Ride ‘Em Cowboy(’42)          Arthur Lubin

              Bud Abbott,Lou Costello,Dick Foran,Anne Gwynne

388. Secret Enemies(’42)                    Ben Stoloff

              Craig Stevens,Faye Emerson,Robert Warwick

389. Spy Ship(’42)                     B. Reeves Eason

              Irene Manning,Craig Stevens,Maris Wrixon

390. Syncopation(’42)                William Dieterle

               Jackie Cooper,Bonita Granville,Adolphe Menjou

391. This Gun for Hire(’42)         Frank Tuttle

              Veronica Lake,Alan Ladd,Robert Preston,Laird Cregar

392. Went the Day Well?(’42)     Cavalcanti

              Leslie Banks,David Farrar,Muriel George

393. Who Done It(’42)               Erle C. Kenton

              Bud Abbott,Lou Costello,William Bendix,Louise Allbritton

394. Wir machen Musik(’42)        Harold Kautner

              Ilse Werner,Viktor de Kowa

395. Behind the Rising Sun(’43)    Edward Dmytryk

              Tom Neal,Margo,Gloria Holden,J. Carrol Naish,Don Douglas

396. Crime Doctor(’43)               Michael Gordon

              Warner Baxter,Margaret Lindsay,John Litel

397. Der Weisse Traum(’43)         Geza von Cziffra

              Olly Holzmann,Wolf Albach-Retty

398. Ghost Ship(’43)                  Mark Robson

              Richard Dix,Russell Wade,Edith Barrett,Skelton Knaggs

399. the Hard Way(’43)               Vincent Sherman

               Ida Lupino,Dennis Morgan,Joan Leslie,Jack Carson

400. Headin’ for God’s Country(’43)     William Morgan

              William Lundigan,Virginia Dale,Harry Davenport

401. Hitler’s Children(’43)           Edward Dmytryk

              Bonita Granville,Tim Holt,Kent Smith

402. Jitterbugs(’43)                   Malcolm St. Clair

              Stan Laurel,Oliver Hardy,Vivian Blaine,Lee Patrick

403. L’Eternel Retour(’43)          Jean Delannoy

              Jean Marais,Madeleine Sologne,Pieral

404. Le Baron Fantome(’43)        Serge de Poligny

              Alain Cuny,Gabrielle Dorziat,Jany Holt

405. the Leopard Man(’43)           Jacques Tourneur

              Dennis O’Keefe,Jean Brooks,Margo,James Bell

406. the Mad Ghoul(’43)                    James Hogan

              David Bruce,Evelyn Ankers,George Zucco

407. the Man in Grey(’43)            Leslie Arliss

              James Mason,Phyllis Calvert,Margaret Lockwood

408. Millions Like Us(’43)           Sidney Gilliat,Frank Launder

              Patricia Roc,Gordon Jackson,Moore Marriott

409. North Star(’43)                 Lewis Milestone

              Anne Baxter,Dana Andrews,Farley Granger,Walter Huston

410. Ossessione(’43)                   Luchino Visconti

              Massimo Girotti,Clara Calamai,Elio Marcuzzo

411. the Ox-Bow Incident(’43)        William Wellman

               henry Fonda,Dana Andrews,Jane Darwell

412. the Peterville Diamond’43)     Walter Forde

              Anne Crawford,Donald Stewart,Renee Houston

413. the Phantom of the Opera(’43)        Arthur Lubin

              Nelson Eddy,Claude Rains,Susanna Foster,Edgar Barrier

414. Return of the Vampire(’43)   Lew Landers

               Bela Lugosi,Frieda Inescort,Nina Foch

415. the Seventh Victim(’43)         Mark Robson 

               Kim Hunter,Jean Brooks,Hugh Beaumont,Tom Conway

416. Shadow of a Doubt(’43)              Alfred Hitchcock

              Joseph Cotten,Teresa Wright

417. Son of Dracula(’43)            Robert Siodmak

              Lon Chaney Jr.,Louise Allbritton,Robert Paige,Evelyn Ankers

418. the Song of Bernadette(’43)   Henry King

              Jennifer Jones,Charles Bickford,Vincent Price,Gladys Cooper

419. Stormy Weather(’43)           Andrew L. Stone

              Bill Robinson,Lena Horne,Dooley Wilson,Emmett Wallace

420. the Sultan’s Daughter(’43)    Arthur Dreifuss

              Ann Corio,Tim Ryan,Edward Norris,Irene Ryan

421. Swing Fever(’43)                 Tim Whelan

              Marilyn Maxwell,Kay Kyser,William Gargan,Lena Horne

422. Thank Your Lucky Stars(’43)              David Butler

              Eddie Cantor,Dennis Morgan,Joan Leslie,Bette Davis,Errol Flynn

423. Thursday’s Child(’43)           Rodney Ackland

              Sally Ann Howes,Wilfred Lucas,Stewart Granger

424. Wintertime(’43)                  John Brahm

              Sonja Henie,Cornel Wilde,Cesar Romero,Helene Reynolds

425. Yellow Canary(’43)             Herbert Wilcox

              Anna Neagle,Richard Greene

426. Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves(’44)     Arthur Lubin

              Maria Montez,Jon Hall,Turhan Bey

427. Bluebeard(’44)                   Edgar G. Ulmer

              John Carradine,Jean Parker,Nils Ssther,Henry Kolker

428. Can’t Help Singing(’44)        Frank Ryan

              Deanna Durbin,Robert Paige,Akim Tamiroff

429. a Canterbury Tale(’44)    Michael Powell,Emeric Pressburger

              Eric Portman,Sheila Sim,Dennis Price

430. Die Frau meiner Traume(’44)   Georg Jacoby

               Marika Rokk,Wolfgang Lukschy

431. Don’t Take It to Heart(’44)  Jeffrey Dell

              Richard Greene,Patricia Medina,Moore Marriott

432. Dragon Seed(’44)         Harold S. Bucquet,Jack Conway

              Katharine Hepburn,Turhan Bey,Walter Huston

433. Frenchman’s Creek(’44)  Mitchell Leisen

              Joan Fontaine,Arturo de Cordova,Basil Rathbone

434. Gaslight(’44)              George Cukor

              Ingrid Bergman,Charles Boyer,Joseph Cotten

435. Henry V(’44)              Laurence Olivier

              Laurence Olivier,Leslie Banks,Renee Asherson

436. House of Frankenstein(’44)   Erle C. Kenton

              Boris Karloff,Lon Chaney Jr.,John Carradine,J. Carrol Naish

437. I Bambini ci Guardano(’44)    Vittorio de Sica

              Luciano De Ambrosis,Isa Pola,Emilio Cigoli                      

438. In Society(’44)                   Jean Yarbrough

              Bud Abbott,Lou Costello,Marion Hutton,Kirby Grant

439. the Invisible Man’s Revenge(’44)     Ford Beebe

              Jon Hall,Evelyn Ankers,Gale Sondergaard

440. Jane Eyre(’44)                   Robert Stevenson

               Joan Fontaine,Orson Welles,Peggy Ann Garner

441. Laura(’44)                         Otto Preminger

              Gene Tierney,Dana Andrews,Clifton Webb

442. Lifeboat(’44)                     Alfred Hitchcock

              Tallulah Bankhead,John Hodiak,Walter Slezak

443. Lights of Old Santa Fe(’44)  Frank McDonald

               Roy Rogers,Dale Evans.George “Gabby” Hayes

444. the Mask of Dimitrios(’44)    Jean Negulesco

              Sydney Greenstreet,Peter Lorre,Zachary Scott

445. Meet Me in St. Louis(’44)     Vincente Minnelli

              Judy Garland,Margaret O’Brien,Tom Drake,Mary Astor

446. the Pearl of Death(’44)        Roy William Neill

              Basil Rathbone,Nigel Bruce,Evelyn Ankers

447. the Scarlet Claw(’44)          Roy William Neill

              Basil Rathbone,Nigel Bruce,Paul Cavanagh

448. Since You Went Away(’44)   John Cromwell

              Claudette Colbert,Jennifer Jones,Joseph Cotten

449. Song of Nevada(’44)           Joseph Kane

              Roy Rogers,Dale Evans,Thurston Hall

450. Song of Russia(’44)            Gregory Ratoff

              Robert Taylor,Susan Peters,Robert Benchley

451. the Spider Woman(’44)          Roy William Neill

              Basil Rathbone,Nigel Bruce,Gale Sondergaard

452. This Happy Breed(’44)          David Lean

              Robert Newton,Celia Johnson,Kay Walsh,John Mills

453. To Have and Have Not(’44)  Howard Hawks

              Humphrey Bogart,Lauren Bacall.Hoagy Carmichael

454. Together Again(’44)            Charles Vidor

              Irene Dunne,Charles Boyer,Charles Coburn.Mona Freeman

455. the Whistler(’44)                William Castle

              Richard Dix,Gloria Stuart,J. Carrol Naish