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Thirty Seconds over Tokyo DVD case, starring Van Johnson, Phyllis Thaxter, Spencer Tracy

Thirty Seconds over Tokyo

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Thirty Seconds over Tokyo (1944) starring Van Johnson, Phyllis Thaxter, Spencer Tracy, Robert Walker, Robert Mitchum

Buy Thirty Seconds over Tokyo from Amazon.com Van Johnson and his flight crew in Thirty Seconds over TokyoThe old adage says that you shouldn’t judge a book by its’ cover — and that goes for DVD cases as well. Judging from the DVD case, you would think that Thirty Seconds over Tokyo is starring Spencer Tracy — and you would be wrong. Spencer Tracy does appear, and he does a fine job portraying James Doolittle, the man behind the World War II raid on Tokyo. But the central character in this movie is pilot Ted Lawson. Van Johnson portrays him excellently. The movie breaks into three parts:

Thirty Seconds over Tokyo
The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse, starring Edward G. Robinson, Humphrey Bogart, Claire Trevor, Allen Jenkins

The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse

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The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse (1938), starring Edward G. Robinson, Humphrey Bogart, Claire Trevor, Allen Jenkins

Editorial review of  The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse, courtesy of Amazon.com

Buy The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse from Amazon.com  The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse is a  stylish, often amusing crime drama, this 1938 feature revolves around a central, improbable plot twist that consciously serves its casting against type: as the eponymous doctor, Edward G. Robinson, who had helped define the Warner Bros. style for gritty gangster sagas, jettisons his signature snarl in favor of a plummy, vaguely English accent that underlines his urbane sophistication. Dr. Clitterhouse is a creature of privilege who embarks on a criminal life not out of desperation, but rather through intellectual curiosity; instead of slouch hats and suits, he has marcelled hair and first appears in white tie and tails. He begins pulling off “perfect” jewel thefts as research into the criminal mind, but his gradual immersion in New York’s shadowy demimonde of thieves and fences eventually finds the good doctor between those two worlds.

The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse
Black Legion starring Humphrey Bogart, Dick Foran, Ann Sheridan

Black Legion

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Black Legion (1936) starring Humphrey Bogart, Dick Foran, Ann Sheridan, directed by Michael Curtiz

Editorial review of Black Legion, courtesy of Amazon.com

Buy Black Legion from Amazon.com Humphrey Bogart at a Klan-like meeting in Black LegionBlack Legion – One of Humphrey Bogart‘s earliest starring vehicles, this 1936 melodrama typifies the Warner Bros. touch in its modest but potent production values and Depression-era social acumen. Prompted by contemporary news reports of new neofascist groups targeting political and religious minorities, the script conjures up a shadowy, Klan-like organization preying on factory workers to set them against blue-collar immigrants. Bogart is Frank Taylor, a hard-working drill-press operator hoping for a promotion that can help him better provide for his adoring wife and cherubic young son. Frank’s coworkers reassure him he’ll snag the foreman’s post, but when a studious young Polish American gets the nod, Frank’s bitter disappointment sets the stage for the tragedy that follows. Black Legion

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, starring Walter Pidgeon, Peter Lorre, Joan Fontaine, Barbara Eden, Michael Ansarra

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea

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Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961) starring Walter Pidgeon, Joan Fontaine, Barbara Eden, Peter Lorre, Robert Sterling, Frankie Avalon, produced by Irwin Allen

Walter Pidgeon, Robert Taylor and Peter Lorre discuss the Admiral's plan in Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea

 First, I’d like to point of the positive points of Irwin Allen‘s Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. And that begins with the fine acting by all involved. Some of my favorite actors appear here, including Walter Pidgeon (Forbidden Planet), Peter Lorre (M), etc. Also the special effects, and the sets are fine. The scenes on board the submarine actually look like what we would expect a submarine to look like. Even the fantastic effects (giant squid, etc.) look “right.”

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
I'll Be Seeing You, starring Joseph Cotton and Ginger Rogers, with Shirley Temple

I’ll Be Seeing You

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I’ll Be Seeing You (1944) starring Joseph Cotten, Ginger Rogers, Shirley Temple

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In short, I‘ll Be Seeing You is a wonderful film.  It’s set towards the end of World War II. A veteran (played very well by Joseph Cotten) is suffering from what we would now call PTSD.  He’s jumping at any sound, and thinks that he’s likely to be attacked at any moment. His doctors at the VA are letting him out from the psych ward …. In order to see how well he’s able to function in normal society. On his train ride, he meets a beautiful young lady (played very well by Ginger Rogers). She’s a lady who’s also out on furlough — from prison.

I’ll Be Seeing You
Five Star Final, starring Edward G. Robinson and Boris Karloff

Five Star Final

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Five Star Final (1931) starring Edward G. Robinson, Boris Karloff, directed by Mervyn LeRoy

buy-from-amazon  Five Star Final is a film that stands out primarily due to a great performance by Edward G. Robinson, who plays the part of newspaper editor Joe Randall, who is being pressured by his boss to increase the news circulation by running some sensationalistic news stories. Against his better judgement, he does so — and digs out the decades-old story of a convicted murderess, Nancy Voorhees (played well by  Frances Starr) — the murder was actually a justifiable homicide, but that doesn’t sell newspapers. In the intervening time, Voorhees has lived quietly, married and changed her last name, and raised a daughter — who is about to be married.

Five Star Final
Destination Moon (1950), starring John Archer, Warner Anderson, Tom Powers, Dick Wesson, based on a script by Robert Heinlein

Destination Moon

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Destination Moon (1950), starring John Archer, Warner Anderson, Tom Powers, Dick Wesson, based on a script by Robert Heinlein

buy-from-amazon Although I’d heard of  Destination Moon years ago, I only saw it for the first time last night. It was enjoyable, but with a strange feeling of nostalgia.  Released in 1950, it was an attempt at a look into the future — man’s first landing on the moon.

Destination Moon
The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) starring Charlton Heston, Jimmy Stewart, Cornell Wilde, Betty Hutton

The Greatest Show on Earth

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The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) starring Charlton Heston, Jimmy Stewart, Cornell Wilde, Betty Hutton

DVD review of “The Greatest Show on Earth” stars Charlton Heston, Betty Hutton, James Stewart.   In order to ensure a full profitable season, circus manager Brad Braden (Charlton Heston) engages The Great Sebastian (Cornell Wilde). Even though this moves his girlfriend Holly from her hard-won center trapeze spot. Holly and Sebastian begin a dangerous one-upmanship duel in the ring, while he pursues her on the ground. Subplots involve the secret past of Buttons the Clown (Jimmy Stewart). Also, the efforts of racketeers to move in on the game concessions. Let the show begin!

The Greatest Show on Earth
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