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The Cat and the Canary, starring Bob Hope, Paulette Goddard

The Cat and the Canary [1939]

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The Cat and the Canary, starring Bob Hope, Paulette Goddard

Synopsis of  The Cat and the Canary

The classic “old dark house” motif is given sterling treatment in The Cat and the Canary.  Bob Hope’s status as a star was assured with his role as Wallie Campbell. He becomes the cowardly protector of Joyce Norman (Paulette Goddard). She, in turn, who must spend one night in the eerie mansion of her late, eccentric, millionaire uncle. If she can make it through the night without losing her mind, Joyce stands to inherit her uncle’s entire fortune. Of course, all the other potential heirs now have a motive to drive her insane.

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Rhythm Romance, starring Bob Hope, Shirley Ross, Gene Krupa, Una Merkel

Rhythm Romance

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Rhythm Romance, starring Bob Hope, Shirley Ross, Gene Krupa, Una Merkel

Editorial review of  Rhythm Romance courtesy of Amazon.com

Bob Hope puts his best talents forward as Nicky Nelson, a fast-talking promoter with more angles than a funhouse. Originally titled Some Like It Hot (and since renamed for obvious reasons), the film follows the desperate schemes of a would-be entrepreneur seemingly on the verge of success. He’s got Gene Krupa’s band under his management and he’s in love with aspiring singer Shirley Ross, but after gambling away all his chances he’s left in the cold while his discoveries rise to glory without him, and he has one last shot to prove his worth.

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Thanks for the Memory, starring Bob Hope, Shirley Ross, Charless Butterworth, Roscoe Karns, Patricia Wilder

Thanks for the Memory

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Thanks for the Memory, starring Bob Hope, Shirley Ross, Charless Butterworth, Roscoe Karns, Patricia Wilder

Synopsis of Thanks for the Memory

buy Thanks for the Memories from Amazon.com  Newlywed novelist Steve Merrick (Bob Hope) has his hands full trying to finish his first masterpiece in the romantic classic, Thanks for the Memory. While Steve’s beautiful bride Ann (Shirley Ross) dreams of a better life for them, their eclectic group of friends drop in and ou, keeping Steve away from his typewriter. Meanwhile, Louella (Patricia “Honey Chile” Wilder), a beautiful Southern Belle from next door, keeps meddling into their blissful lives. When Ann resumes her modeling career to allow Steve some freedom, housekeeping gets the best of him causing a muddled mess.

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Son of Batman (2014) starring Jason O'Mara, Stuart Allan, Thomas Gibson,Morena Baccarin, Giancarlo Esposito, Sean Maher

Son of Batman

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Son of Batman (2014) starring the voice talents of Jason O’Mara,  Stuart Allan,  Thomas Gibson,Morena Baccarin,  Giancarlo Esposito,  Sean Maher

buy Son of Batman from Amazon.com  Sadly, this is less of a review, and more of a warning, about  Son of Batman. While watching  Son of Batman, my children and I laughed out loud multiple times — but not during the comedy moments. In short, it’s a bad movie, which is too bad, since the source material is quite good, and the various actors and actresses have proven themselves to be better than this in other performances.

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A Tale of Two Cities, starring Ronald Coleman, Elizabeth Allan, Donald Woods, Edna May Oliver, Reginald Owen, Blanche Yurka, Basil Rathbone

A Tale of Two Cities

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A Tale of Two Cities (1935). Starring Ronald Colman,  Elizabeth Allan,  Donald Woods,  Edna May Oliver,  Reginald Owen,  Blanche Yurka,  Basil Rathbone

Synopsis of  A Tale of Two Cities

buy A Tale of Two Cities from Amazon.com  A Tale of Two Cities (1935)  “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times….” Charles Dickens‘ tale of love and tumult during the French Revolution comes to the screen in a sumptuous film version by the producer famed for nurturing sprawling literary works: David O. Selznick (David Copperfield, Anna Karenina, Gone with the Wind). Ronald Colman (The Prisoner of Zenda) stars as Sydney Carton. He’s sardonic, dissolute, a wastrel… And destined to redeem himself in an act of courageous sacrifice. “It’s a far, far better thing I do than I’ve ever done,” Carton muses at that defining moment.

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The Mask of Zorro, starring Tyrone Power, Linda Darnell, Basil Rathbone, J. Edward Bromberg, Gale Sondergaard, Eugene Pallette

The Mark of Zorro

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The Mark  of Zorro (1940), starring  Tyrone Power,  Linda Darnell,  Basil Rathbone,  J. Edward Bromberg,  Gale Sondergaard,  Eugene Pallette

Synopsis of  The Mark  of Zorro

Posing as a foppish coward, Diego, a Spanish nobleman, fights injustice in colonial California in The Mark of Zorro. Upon his return from Spain, Diego realizes that Captain Pasquale is terrorizing the district and levying unreasonable taxes. Disguised as Zorro – a masked Robin Hood-like swashbuckler – the young Spaniard menaces the local authorities to the delight of all the peasants. In the meantime, posing as the inept fop, he is able to move through society without being suspected.

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David Copperfield (1935) starring Freddie Bartholomew, Frank Lawton, W.C. Fields

David Copperfield

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David Copperfield (1935) starring  Freddie Bartholomew,  Frank Lawton,  W.C. Fields, Basil Rathbone  There’s a lot of good things to be said about  David Copperfield —… Read More »David Copperfield

The Whispering Shadow, starring Bela Lugosi, Henry B. Walthall, Karl Dane, Roy D'Arcy, Viva Tattersall, Robert Warwick

The Whispering Shadow

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The Whispering Shadow, starring Bela Lugosi, Henry B. Walthall, Karl Dane, Roy D’Arcy, Viva Tattersall, Robert Warwick

A mysterious criminal known as The Whispering Shadow commits crimes by means of a gang he controls by television and radio rays. Jack Norton, whose brother was murdered by The Whispering Shadow, suspects that the eerie Professor Strang – whose ghostly wax museum contains figures far too lifelike – may be involved in the crimes.

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The Black Sleep [Basil Rathbone]

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The Black Sleep (1956), starring Basil Rathbone, Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney, Jr., John Carradine, Akim Tamiroff, Tor Johnson

The Black Sleep – Many  of Hollywood’s top horror stars appears in this story  of a mad doctor. He’s performing brain surgery on unwilling victims attempting to save the life of his wife. The story begins in a dark cell of Newgate Prison in London of 1872. Sir Joel Cadman (Basil Rathbone) is an eminent surgeon who is visiting Dr. Gordon Ramsey (Herbert Rudley). He’s a former student who has been condemned to death by hanging for murder. A murder that he believes himself to be innocent of having committed.

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