Till the Clouds Roll By (1946) starring Robert Walker, Van Heflin, Paul Langton, Dorothy Patrick
A fictionalized biography of composer Jerome Kern, that begins with a short version of his famous Show Boat musical, with much of his life told in flashback, including his partnership with Oscar Hammerstein. It’s historical accuracy is poor, but Till the Clouds Roll By makes up for it with numerous musical numbers by the great singers of the day.
After a friend of the portly aristocrat Lord Mortimer (Billy House) dies in an attempted escape from Bedlam. In order to appease the angered aristocrat, Master George Sims (Boris Karloff) throws a party for Lord Mortimer and his friends at the asylum with the inmates as entertainment.
Master George Sims (Boris Karloff): ( referring to the inmates. ) Ours is a human world. Theirs is a bestial world, with reason, or soul. Some are pigs, those I let wallow in their own filth. They’re animals. Some are dogs, these I beat. Some are are tigers, these I cage. Some like this one are doves- Nell Bowen: I’ve seen enough!
When the inmate known only as the Gilded Boy collapses while performing, Lord Mortimer’s spirited protege Nell Bowen (Anna Lee) decides to fight for the inmates’ rights. While Nell seeks the help from the law, Lord Mortimer and Master George Sims have arranged to have Nell locked up in bedlam herself. Now she must find a way to help the inmates from the inside, without becoming a madwoman herself.
The Stranger (1946) starring Orson Welles, Edward G. Robinson, Loretta Young
Synopsis of The Stranger
In The Stranger, Wilson of the War Crimes Commission is seeking Franz Kindler, mastermind of the Holocaust, who has effectively erased his identity. Wilson releases Kindler’s former comrade Meinike and follows him to Harper, Connecticut, where he is killed before he can identify Kindler. Now Wilson’s only clue is Kindler’s fascination with antique clocks; but though Kindler seems secure in his new identity, he feels his past closing in.
House of Horrors (1946), starring Martin Kosleck, Rondo Hatton, Alan Napier
Reviewed by: The Masked Reviewer
In House of Horrors, Marcel De Lange (Martin Kosleck) is an artist that can barely make a living. He decides that life isn’t worth living so he tries to kill himself, only to save a man called The Creeper (Rondo Hatton) from drowning. Seeing the man’s disfigurements, Marcel is inspired to make a bust of him. After he finds out about his new friend’s murderous habit, Marcel decides to use him kill the critics that ruined his career.
TheShow-Off (1946) starring Red Skelton, Marilyn Maxwell
Synopsis of The Show-Off
Amy Fisher falls in love with Aubrey Piper, a loudmouth and braggart who pretends to be more than the lowly clerk he is. She marries him, over her family’s objections. Aubrey can’t seem to stop insulting others or interfering with their lives. He accidentally sets her inventor brother Joe’s laboratory on fire, wrecks a car, drives it without a license, gets kicked off a radio show for offending the sponsor and blows Joe’s deal with a paint company.
movie review of “The Jolson Story”, a fictionalized account of the life story of Al Jolson, played by Larry Parks (with the actual singing done by Al Jolson himself) with loads of music, and a massive success when it was released.
