Charles Laughton
Biography: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Charles Laughton (1 July 1899 – 15 December 1962) was an English-American stage and film actor, director, producer and screenwriter. Laughton was trained in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and first appeared professionally on the stage in 1926. In 1927, he was cast in a play with his future wife Elsa Lanchester, with whom he lived and worked until his death. He played a wide range of classical and modern parts, making an impact in Shakespeare at the Old Vic. His film career took him to Broadway and then Hollywood, but he also collaborated with Alexander Korda on notable British films of the era, including The Private Life of Henry VIII, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of the title character. He portrayed everything from monsters and misfits to kings. Among Laughton's biggest film hits were The Barretts of Wimpole Street, Mutiny on the Bounty, Ruggles of Red Gap, Jamaica Inn, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and The Big Clock. In his later career, he took up stage directing, notably in The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, and George Bernard Shaw's Don Juan in Hell, in which he also starred. He directed one film, the thriller The Night of the Hunter. Daniel Day-Lewis cited Laughton as one of his inspirations, saying: "He was probably the greatest film actor who came from that period of time. He had something quite remarkable. His generosity as an actor, he fed himself into that work. As an actor, you cannot take your eyes off him."
Place of Birth: Not available
Birthday: June 30, 1899
Deathday: December 15, 1962
Popularity:
Known For
Spartacus
1960-10-13
Spartacus
Overview: The rebellious Thracian Spartacus, born and raised a slave, is sold to Gladiator trainer Batiatus. After weeks of being trained to kill for the arena, Spartacus turns on his owners and leads the other slaves in rebellion. As the rebels move from town to town, their numbers swell as escaped slaves join their ranks. Under the leadership of Spartacus, they make their way to southern Italy, where they will cross the sea and return to their homes.
Genres: History War Drama Adventure
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1960-10-13
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Island of Lost Souls
1932-12-24
Island of Lost Souls
Overview: An obsessed scientist conducts profane experiments in evolution, eventually establishing himself as the self-styled demigod to a race of mutated, half-human abominations.
Genres: Horror Science Fiction
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1932-12-24
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O. Henry's Full House
1952-08-07
O. Henry's Full House
Overview: Five O. Henry stories, each separate. The primary one from the critics' acclaim was "The Cop and the Anthem". Soapy tells fellow bum Horace that he is going to get arrested so he can spend the winter in a nice jail cell. He fails. He can't even accost a woman; she turns out to be a streetwalker. The other stories are "The Clarion Call", "The Last Leaf", "The Ransom of Red Chief", and "The Gift of the Magi".
Genres: Drama Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1952-08-07
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The Old Dark House
1932-10-20
The Old Dark House
Overview: In a remote region of Wales, five travelers beset by a relentless storm find shelter in an old mansion.
Genres: Drama Horror Thriller
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1932-10-20
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The Paradine Case
1947-12-31
The Paradine Case
Overview: Attorney Anthony Keane agrees to represent Londonite Mrs. Paradine, who has been fingered in her husband's murder. From the start, the married lawyer is drawn to the enigmatic beauty, and he begins to cast about for a way to exonerate his client. Keane puts the Paradine household servant on the stand, suggesting he is the killer. But Keane soon loses his way in the courtroom, and his half-baked plan sets off a stunning chain of events.
Genres: Drama Mystery Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1947-12-31
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The Hunchback of Notre Dame
1939-12-29
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Overview: Paris, France, 1482. Frollo, Chief Justice of benevolent King Louis XI, gets infatuated by the beauty of Esmeralda, a young Romani girl. The hunchback Quasimodo, Frollo's protege and bell-ringer of Notre Dame, lives in peace among the bells in the heights of the immense cathedral until he is involved by the twisted magistrate in his malicious plans to free himself from Esmeralda's alleged spell, which he believes to be the devil's work.
Genres: Drama Romance Horror
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1939-12-29
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Jamaica Inn
1939-05-11
Jamaica Inn
Overview: In coastal Cornwall, England, during the early 19th Century, a young woman who's come there to visit her aunt, discovers that she's married an innkeeper who's a member of a gang of criminals who arrange shipwrecking and murder for profit.
Genres: Crime Adventure Thriller
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1939-05-11
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The Suspect
1945-01-31
The Suspect
Overview: Genial shopkeeper Philip has to endure the constant nagging of a shrewish wife while he secretly yearns for a pretty young stenographer. When the henpecking gets to be too much, Philip murders his wife and manages to make her death look like an accident. A ruthless blackmailer and a low-key detective both discover Philip's secret, and he has to decide which of them poses the more dangerous threat.
Genres: Crime Drama Thriller
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1945-01-31
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The Bribe
1949-02-03
The Bribe
Overview: United States Federal agent Rigby travels to the Central American island Carlotta to investigate a stolen aircraft engines smuggling racket.
Genres: Crime Drama Thriller
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1949-02-03
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Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
1982-05-21
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
Overview: Juliet Forrest is convinced that the reported death of her father in a mountain car crash was no accident. Her father was a prominent cheese scientist working on a secret recipe. To prove it was murder, she enlists the services of private eye Rigby Reardon. He finds a slip of paper containing a list of people who are 'The Friends and Enemies of Carlotta'.
Genres: Comedy Mystery Crime
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1982-05-21
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It Started with Eve
1941-09-26
It Started with Eve
Overview: A young man asks a hat check girl to pose as his fiancée in order to make his dying father's last moments happy. However, the old man's health takes a turn for the better and now his son doesn't know how to break the news that he's engaged to someone else, especially since his father is so taken with the impostor.
Genres: Comedy Romance Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1941-09-26
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Mutiny on the Bounty
1935-11-22
Mutiny on the Bounty
Overview: Fletcher Christian successfully leads a revolt against the ruthless Captain Bligh on the HMS Bounty. However, Bligh returns one year later, hell bent on revenge.
Genres: Adventure Drama History
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1935-11-22
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Tales of Manhattan
1942-08-05
Tales of Manhattan
Overview: Ten screenwriters collaborated on this series of tales concerning the effect a tailcoat cursed by its tailor has on those who wear it. The video release features a W.C. Fields segment not included in the original theatrical release.
Genres: Drama Comedy Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1942-08-05
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The Horror Show
1979-02-06
The Horror Show
Overview: A history of horror movies.
Genres: Horror Documentary TV Movie
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1979-02-06
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Salome
1953-03-24
Salome
Overview: In the reign of emperor Tiberius, Gallilean prophet John the Baptist preaches against King Herod and Queen Herodias. The latter wants John dead, but Herod fears to harm him due to a prophecy. Enter beautiful Princess Salome, Herod's long-absent stepdaughter. Herodias sees the king's dawning lust for Salome as her means of bending the king to her will. But Salome and her lover Claudius are (contrary to Scripture) nearing conversion to the new religion. And the famous climactic dance turns out to have unexpected implications...
Genres: Drama Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1953-03-24
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Arch of Triumph
1948-02-17
Arch of Triumph
Overview: In the winter of 1938, Paris is crowded with refugees from the Nazis, who live in the black shadows of night, trying to evade deportation. One such is Dr. Ravic, who practices medicine illegally and stalks his old Nazi enemy Haake with murder in mind. One rainy night, Ravic meets Joan Madou, a kept woman cast adrift by her lover's sudden death. Against Ravic's better judgment, they become involved in a doomed affair.
Genres: Drama Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1948-02-17
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Payment Deferred
1932-11-01
Payment Deferred
Overview: Bank clerk William Marble is desperate for money to pay his family's bills. When his wealthy nephew visits, Marble asks him for a loan, but the young man refuses. Marble decides to kill his nephew. It is a twisted path to justice after Marble is transformed by the crime he committed and the wealth he gains.
Genres: Crime Thriller
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1932-11-01
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Ruggles of Red Gap
1935-03-08
Ruggles of Red Gap
Overview: In this comedy of an Englishman stranded in a sea of barbaric Americans, Marmaduke Ruggles, a gentleman's gentleman and butler to an Earl is lost in a poker game to an uncouth American cattle baron. Ruggles' life is turned upside down as he's taken to the USA, is gradually assimilated into American life, accidentally becomes a local celebrity, and falls in love along the way.
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1935-03-08
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Witness for the Prosecution
1957-12-17
Witness for the Prosecution
Overview: An ailing famous barrister agrees to defend a man in a sensational murder trial where his self-possessed wife's unconvincing testimony confuses him.
Genres: Drama Mystery Crime
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1957-12-17
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The Private Life of Henry VIII
1933-08-17
The Private Life of Henry VIII
Overview: Renowned for his excess, King Henry VIII goes through a series of wives during his rule. With Anne Boleyn, his second wife, executed on charges of treason, King Henry weds maid Jane Seymour, but that marriage also ends in tragedy. Not one to be single for long, the king picks German-born Anne of Cleves as his bride, but their union lasts only months before an annulment is granted, and King Henry continues his string of spouses.
Genres: History Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1933-08-17
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Forever and a Day
1943-01-21
Forever and a Day
Overview: In World War II, American Gates Trimble Pomfret is in London during the Blitz to sell the ancestral family house. The current tenant, Leslie Trimble, tries to dissuade him from selling by telling him the 140-year history of the place and the connections between the Trimble and Pomfret families.
Genres: Drama History
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1943-01-21
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Captain Kidd
1945-11-22
Captain Kidd
Overview: Cutthroat pirate William Kidd captures Admiral Blayne's treasure ship and hides the bounty in a cave. Three years later, Kidd, posing as a respectable merchant captain, offers his services to the King of England. Seeking a social position, Kidd also negotiates for Blayne's title and lands, provided he can prove Blayne was associated with piracy. Launched upon his royal mission, Kidd is unaware that Blayne's son Adam is among the crew, determined to clear his father's name.
Genres: Action Adventure History
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1945-11-22
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The Barretts of Wimpole Street
1934-09-21
The Barretts of Wimpole Street
Overview: Remarkable poet Elizabeth Barrett is slowly recovering from a crippling illness with the help of her siblings, especially her youngest sister, Henrietta, but feels stifled by the domestic tyranny of her wealthy widowed father. When she meets fellow poet Robert Browning in a romantic first encounter, her heart belongs to him. However, her controlling father has no intention of allowing her out of his sight.
Genres: Drama Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1934-09-21
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Les Misérables
1935-04-20
Les Misérables
Overview: In 19th century France, Jean Valjean, a man imprisoned for stealing bread, must flee a relentless policeman named Javert. The pursuit consumes both men's lives, and soon Valjean finds himself in the midst of the student revolutions in France.
Genres: Drama History Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1935-04-20
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Young Bess
1953-05-29
Young Bess
Overview: The mother died under the executioner's axe; the daughter rose to become England's greatest monarch -- the brilliant and cunning Queen Elizabeth I. Jean Simmons portrays young Bess in this rich tapestry of a film that traces the tumultuous, danger-fraught years from Elizabeth's birth to her unexpected ascension to the throne at a mere 25. Charles Laughton reprises his Academy Award®-winning* role as her formidable father Henry VIII. Deborah Kerr plays her last stepmother (and Henry's last of six wives), gentle Catherine Parr. And Simmons' then real-life husband, Stewart Granger, adds heroics as Lord Admiral Thomas Seymour. In a resplendent world of adventure, romance and court intrigue, Young Bess reigns.
Genres: Drama History Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1953-05-29
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This Land Is Mine
1943-05-07
This Land Is Mine
Overview: Somewhere in Europe, in a city occupied by the Nazis, a gentle school teacher finds himself torn between collaboration and resistance, cowardice and courage.
Genres: Drama War
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1943-05-07
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Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd
1952-12-27
Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd
Overview: Two hapless waiters in a tavern on the Spanish Main play cupid between aristocratic Lady Jane and tavern co-worker Bruce Martindale, but the two bumpkins mix-up a love letter with Captain Kidd's treasure map of Skull Island, leading to them being kidnapped and taken off to the notorious pirate's island.
Genres: Comedy Music Adventure
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1952-12-27
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Because of Him
1946-01-18
Because of Him
Overview: A young woman who wants to break into the theater schemes to become the protege of a famous Broadway star.
Genres: Comedy Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1946-01-18
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Hobson's Choice
1954-04-19
Hobson's Choice
Overview: Henry Hobson owns and tyrannically runs a successful Victorian boot maker’s shop in Salford, England. A stingy widower with a weakness for overindulging in the local Moonraker Public House, he exploits his three daughters as cheap labour. When he declares that there will be ‘no marriages’ to avoid the expense of marriage settlements at £500 each, his eldest daughter Maggie rebels.
Genres: Comedy Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1954-04-19
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The Man on the Eiffel Tower
1949-12-12
The Man on the Eiffel Tower
Overview: A down-and-out student is hired to kill a wealthy woman. When someone else is suspected of the crime, the student taunts police until they realize that they may have to wrong man.
Genres: Thriller
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1949-12-12
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Advise & Consent
1962-06-06
Advise & Consent
Overview: Proposed by the President of the United States to fill the post of Secretary of State, Robert Leffingwell appears before a Senate committee, chaired by the idealistic Senator Brig Anderson, which must decide whether he is the right person for the job.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1962-06-06
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The Strange Door
1951-06-21
The Strange Door
Overview: The wicked Alain plots an elaborate revenge against his younger brother Edmund, leading to a deadly confrontation in his dungeon deathtrap.
Genres: Horror Thriller
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1951-06-21
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The Canterville Ghost
1944-07-20
The Canterville Ghost
Overview: The descendent of a ghost imprisoned for cowardice hopes to free the spirit by displaying courage when under duress.
Genres: Comedy Fantasy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1944-07-20
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Rembrandt
1936-11-06
Rembrandt
Overview: A character study depicting the life of Rembrandt Van Rijn at the height of his fame in the mid 1600s. Beginning with the death of his wife, Rembrandt's work takes a dark turn, which offends many of his patrons.
Genres: Drama History
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1936-11-06
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The Sign of the Cross
1932-11-30
The Sign of the Cross
Overview: After burning Rome, Emperor Nero decides to blame the Christians, and issues the edict that they are all to be caught and sent to the arena. Two old Christians are caught, and about to be hauled off, when Marcus, the highest military official in Rome, comes upon them. When he sees their stepdaughter Mercia, he instantly falls in love with her and frees them. Marcus pursues Mercia, which gets him into trouble with Emperor (for being easy on Christians) and with the Empress, who loves him and is jealous.
Genres: Drama History
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1932-11-30
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Piccadilly
1929-02-01
Piccadilly
Overview: A young Chinese woman, working in the kitchen at a London dance club, is given the chance to become the club's main act.
Genres: Drama Crime
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1929-02-01
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The Big Clock
1948-03-18
The Big Clock
Overview: Stroud, a crime magazine's crusading editor has to post-pone a vacation with his wife, again, when a glamorous blonde is murdered and he is assigned by his publishing boss Janoth to find the killer. As the investigation proceeds to its conclusion, Stroud must try to disrupt his ordinarily brilliant investigative team as they increasingly build evidence (albeit wrong) that he is the killer.
Genres: Crime Thriller
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1948-03-18
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Devil and the Deep
1932-08-12
Devil and the Deep
Overview: Naval commander Charles Storm has made life miserable for his wife Diana due to his insane jealousy over every man she speaks to. His obsessive behavior soon drives her to the arms of a handsome lieutenant. When Charles learns of their affair, he plots revenge.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1932-08-12
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Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
1983-02-25
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
Overview: Out-takes (mostly from Warner Bros.), promotional shorts, movie premieres, public service pleas, wardrobe tests, documentary material, and archival footage make up this star-studded voyeuristic look at the Golden age of Hollywood during the 30s, 40, and 50.
Genres: Documentary Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1983-02-25
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They Knew What They Wanted
1940-10-19
They Knew What They Wanted
Overview: While courting a young woman by mail, a rich farmer sends a photograph of his foreman instead of his own, which leads to complications when she accepts his marriage proposal.
Genres: Drama Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1940-10-19
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Stand by for Action
1942-12-31
Stand by for Action
Overview: U. S. Navy Lieutenant Gregg Masterman, of The Harvard and Boston Back Bay Mastermans, learned about the sea while winning silver cups sailing his yacht. He climbs swiftly in rank, and is now Junior Aide to Rear Admiral Stephen Thomas.
Genres: Action Drama War Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1942-12-31
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If I Had a Million
1932-11-18
If I Had a Million
Overview: An elderly business tycoon, believed to be dying, decides to give a million dollars each to eight strangers chosen at random from the phone directory.
Genres: Drama Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1932-11-18
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Hollywood: The Dream Factory
1972-01-10
Hollywood: The Dream Factory
Overview: A documentary about the glorious history of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and its decline leading to the sale of its back lot and props. By extension this provides a general history of Hollywood's Golden Age and the legendary studio system.
Genres: Documentary History
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1972-01-10
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St. Martin's Lane
1938-10-18
St. Martin's Lane
Overview: On the sidewalks of the London theater district the buskers (street performers) earn enough coins for a cheap room. Charles, who recites dramatic monologues, sees that a young pickpocket, Libby, also has a talent for dancing and adds her to his act. Harley, the theater patron who never knew Libby took his gold cigarette case, is impressed by Libby's dancing and invites her to bring Charles and the other buskers in his group to an after-the-play party. Libby comes alone. A theatrical career is launched.
Genres: Comedy Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1938-10-18
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The Blue Veil
1951-10-26
The Blue Veil
Overview: A World War I widow loses her only child and spends the rest of her life as a children's nurse.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1951-10-26
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Under Ten Flags
1960-09-15
Under Ten Flags
Overview: "Under Ten Flags" is a WWII movie loosely based on the true story of the German navy commerce raider Atlantis, a converted Auxilliary Cruiser, and her Captain Bernhard Rogge. Atlantis, camouflaged as a merchant ship, cruised the South Seas ( Atlantic, Indian & Pacific) and sank or captured 22 merchant ships from May 1940 through November 22, 1941 when she was sunk by the British Cruiser HMS Devonshire. Rogge was one of the few German officers of flag rank who were not arrested by the Allies after the war ended. This was due to the very proper and ethical way he exercised his command of Atlantis. After the war he advanced to Rear Admiral in the West German Navy and became a high-ranking NATO commander.
Genres: History War
Original Language: it
Release Date: 1960-09-15
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Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau
2014-08-24
Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau
Overview: The story of the insane scandals related to the remake of “Island of Dr. Moreau” —originally a novel by H. G. Wells—, which was brought to the big screen in 1996. How director Richard Stanley spent four years developing the project just to find an abrupt end to his work while leading actor Marlon Brando pulled the strings in the shadows. Now for the first time, the living key players recount what really happened and why it all went so spectacularly wrong.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2014-08-24
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The Tuttles of Tahiti
1942-05-01
The Tuttles of Tahiti
Overview: After a long absense from the island, Chester Tuttle returns to Tahiti to find that little has changed. His large family, particularly his scheming Uncle Jonas, would rather dance and romance than earn a living. When Jonas loses the family plantation in a cockfight, Chester saves the day by towing in a large ship abandoned at sea and claiming the salvage. But opening a joint bank account in the name of the Tuttle clan may not have been a wise decision.
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1942-05-01
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The Girl from Manhattan
1948-10-01
The Girl from Manhattan
Overview: A small-town girl who's made it big in New York as a fashion model returns home, only to find that her somewhat dotty uncle has mortgaged his boarding house to the hilt. In her efforts to help him keep his boarding house, she becomes involved with a handsome young minister and his superior, an older bishop.
Genres: Drama Romance Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1948-10-01
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Vessel of Wrath
1938-03-04
Vessel of Wrath
Overview: Ginger Ted, AKA Edward Claude Wilson, a drunkard and womanizer, and Miss Jones, a missionary, live in the Alas Islands. During a cholera epidemic, Ginger Ted and Miss Jones are sent to an outlying part of the islands to run a hospital; on their return, their motorboat breaks down, and they are marooned overnight on a small island.
Genres: Comedy Drama Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1938-03-04
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Oops, Those Hollywood Bloopers!
1982-01-01
Oops, Those Hollywood Bloopers!
Overview: A collection of bloopers and outtakes from an enormous selection of Hollywood classic productions spanning from the 1930s through the 1980s.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1982-01-01
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The Epic That Never Was
1969-09-19
The Epic That Never Was
Overview: The story of the aborted 1937 filming of "I, Claudius", starring Charles Laughton, with all of its surviving footage.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1969-09-19
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White Woman
1933-11-10
White Woman
Overview: A nightclub singer marries the rich owner of a rubber plantation. When she returns with him to his estate in Malaysia, she finds out that he is cruel, vicious and insanely jealous. She and the plantation's overseer develop a mutual attraction, but are terrified at what will happen if her husband finds out.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1933-11-10
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The Man from Down Under
1943-08-04
The Man from Down Under
Overview: An Australian blowhard raises two orphaned children as his own in the years leading up to WWII.
Genres: Drama War
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1943-08-04
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Monster Madness: The Golden Age of the Horror Film
2014-08-01
Monster Madness: The Golden Age of the Horror Film
Overview: Join foremost experts discussing true Horror Classics - Frankenstein, Dracula, The Black Cat, Wolfman, King Kong, Bride of Frankenstein, and more. Grab the popcorn and take a deep breath as we conjure up the thrills, chills and magic of Monster Madness!
Genres: Documentary Horror
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2014-08-01
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Blue Bottles
1928-05-05
Blue Bottles
Overview: As criminals assemble for a convention, a policeman investigates and is abducted. A young woman finds his whistle and blows it. The full forces of the law assemble. The confrontation between order and disorder ensues, with our heroine caught up in it.
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1928-05-05
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Charles Laughton Directs 'The Night of the Hunter'
2002-08-15
Charles Laughton Directs 'The Night of the Hunter'
Overview: An assembled compilation of footage from rushes, outtakes, and behind-the-scenes moments featuring Charles Laughton directing The Night of the Hunter, the seminal 1955 work considered one of the greatest movies of all time.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2002-08-15
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Daydreams
1928-05-01
Daydreams
Overview: A young cleaning woman in a boarding-house relieves the drudgery of her job by daydreaming that a foreign student at the house, who she believes is interested in her, is actually a wealthy nobleman who sweeps her off on a romantic journey.
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1928-05-01
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The Tonic
1928-05-01
The Tonic
Overview: The family of the very wealthy but infirm Great Aunt Louisa await her untimely demise in the hopes of inheriting her great fortune.
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1928-05-01
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Comets
1930-09-19
Comets
Overview: A Musical Revue featuring a number of prominent vaudeville and theatrical British artists of the day in songs, dances, dramatic and musical sketches.
Genres: Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1930-09-19
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Wolves
1930-05-19
Wolves
Overview: An outlaw leader fakes a draw for a sick girl so he can help her escape
Genres: Drama Crime
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1930-05-19
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Down River
1931-05-08
Down River
Overview: A murderous skipper involved in dope trafficking.
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1931-05-08
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Leben des Galilei
1947-10-19
Leben des Galilei
Overview: Galileo, an eminent professor and scientist in the 17th century Venetian Republic, is short of money. A prospective student tells him about a novel invention, the telescope, that is being sold in Amsterdam.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1947-10-19
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Cavalcade of the Academy Awards
1940-07-31
Cavalcade of the Academy Awards
Overview: This 1940 presentation features highlights of earlier (1928 onward) Oscar ceremonies including Shirley Temple and Walt Disney, plus acceptance speeches for films released in 1939 with recipients and presenters including Vivien Leigh, Judy Garland, Hattie McDaniel, Fay Bainter, Mickey Rooney, Thomas Mitchell, Sinclair Lewis, and more, with host Bob Hope.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1940-07-31
Popularity:
The Clerk
1933-02-22
The Clerk
Overview: When clerk Phineas V. Lambert receives his check in the mail, he shows little emotion. (Originally appeared as a segment of the film "If I Had a Million", but was later presented separately as a short film.)
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1933-02-22
Popularity:
The Art Director
1949-11-12
The Art Director
Overview: A film's art director is in charge of the set, from conception to construction to furnishing. This short film walks the viewer through art directors' responsibilities and the demands on their talents. They read a script carefully and design a set to capture the time and place, the social strata, and the mood. They must be scholars of the history of architecture, furnishings, and fashion. They choose the colors on a set in anticipation of the lighting and the mood. Their work also sets styles, from Art Deco in the 20's to 30s modernism. Then it's on to the next project. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2012.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1949-11-12
Popularity:
Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker
1991-10-28
Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker
Overview: This documentary, hosted by actor Burgess Meredith, explores the life and career of movie director Otto Preminger, whose body of work includes such memorable films as Anatomy of a Murder, Exodus, Laura, Forever Amber, Advise and Consent, In Harm's Way, The Moon Is Blue, The Man with the Golden Arm, and many other movies made from the '30s through the '70s. Interviews with actors Frank Sinatra, Vincent Price, James Stewart, Michael Caine, and others who worked with the flamboyant and sometimes control-obsessed director add information and insight to the story.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1991-10-28
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1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year
2009-07-02
1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year
Overview: This documentary focuses on 1939, considered to be Hollywood's greatest year, with film clips and insight into what made the year so special.
Genres: Documentary TV Movie
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2009-07-02
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On Our Merry Way
1948-02-03
On Our Merry Way
Overview: Oliver Pease gets a dose of courage from his wife Martha and tricks the editor of the paper (where he writes lost pet notices) into assigning him the day's roving question. Martha suggests, "Has a little child ever changed your life?" Oliver gets answers from two slow-talking musicians, an actress whose roles usually feature a sarong, and an itinerant cardsharp. In each case the "little child" is hardly innocent: in the first, a local auto mechanic's "baby" turns out to be fully developed as a woman and a musician; in the second, a spoiled child star learns kindness; in the third, the family of a lost brat doesn't want him returned. And Oliver, what becomes of him?
Genres: Comedy Music Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1948-02-03
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Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of 'The Wolf Man'
1999-01-01
Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of 'The Wolf Man'
Overview: Starting with "The Wolf Man" (in 1941), Universal Studios made five movies featuring The Wolf Man, a character portrayed by Lon Chaney, Jr. Monster by Moonlight! explores these movies. Rick Baker explains how the make-up was done on Chaney's character. Screenwriter Curtis Siodmak took very little from earlier werewolf legends, providing his own story for some of the films. This documentary displays clips from several other movies, including "Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein" (1948) and "House of Dracula" (1945).
Genres: Documentary Horror
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1999-01-01
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