Barry Fitzgerald

  • René Clair – And Then There Were None (1945)

    1941-1950ClassicsRené ClairThrillerUSA

    Synopsis:
    Seven guests, a newly hired personal secretary and two staff are gathered for a weekend on an isolated island by the hosts the Owens who are delayed. At dinner a record is played and the host’s message alleges that all the people present are guilty of murder and suddenly the first of them is dead, then the next – It seems that one of them is the murderer but the leading person is always the person who is murdered next and at last only two people are left.Read More »

  • John Farrow – California (1947)

    1941-1950John FarrowUSAWestern

    Quote:
    “Wicked” Lily Bishop joins a wagon train to California, led by Michael Fabian and Johnny Trumbo, but news of the Gold Rush scatters the train. When Johnny and Michael finally arrive, Lily is rich from her saloon and storekeeper (former slaver) Pharaoh Coffin is bleeding the miners dry. But worse troubles are ahead: California is inching toward statehood, and certain people want to make it their private empire.Read More »

  • Leo McCarey – Going My Way (1944) (HD)

    1941-1950ComedyDramaLeo McCareyUSA

    Synopsis:
    A winner of seven Academy Awards®*, the irresistible Going My Way lights up the screen as beautifully as it warms up the heart. Bing Crosby shines as Father O’Malley, a young priest new to an established but financially troubled parish. When his philosophies conflict with those of the curmudgeonly Father Fitzgibbon (Barry Fitzgerald), the unflappable Father O’Malley perseveres — eventually winning over his gruff superior and the parish with his fresh, inspirational approach.Read More »

  • Rudolph Maté – Union Station (1950)

    USA1941-1950Film NoirRudolph MatéThriller

    Synopsis:
    Union Station is a tense crime thriller in the tradition of The Naked City that unfolds in Los Angeles. William Holden plays railroad worker Lt. William Calhoun. Calhoun goes into action when Lorna Murchison (Allene Roberts), the sightless daughter of millionaire Henry Murchison (Herbert Heyes), is kidnapped by ruthless Joe Beacon (Lyle Bettger). The abduction is witnessed by Joyce Willecombe (Nancy Olson), Murchison’s secretary. Using the handful of clues provided by Joyce, Calhoun and his associate, Inspector Donnelly (Barry Fitzgerald) do their best to second-guess the kidnapper.Read More »

  • Clifford Odets – None But the Lonely Heart (1944)

    1941-1950ClassicsClifford OdetsDramaUSA

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    Plot Synopsis by Hal Erickson
    Cary Grant delivered Oscar-calibre performances all his life, but only when he played against type in None But the Lonely Heart did the Academy Awards people break down and give him a nomination. Grant plays a restless, irresponsible cockney who seeks a better life but doesn’t seem to have the emotional wherewithal to work for such a life. The hero’s shiftlessness extends to his love life; musician Jane Wyatt genuinely cares for him, but he prefers the company of fickle gangster’s ex-wife June Duprez. June’s former husband George Coulouris convinces Grant that the quickest means to wealth is a life of crime, but Grant drops this aspect of his life to take care of his terminally ill mother Ethel Barrymore. While Cary Grant did not win the Oscar he so richly deserved for None But the Lonely Heart, Ethel Barrymore did cop the gold statuette. Written and directed by Clifford Odets, None But the Lonely Heart unfortunately lost money for RKO, which could have used a little extra cash after paying the expenses of temporarily closing Ms. Barrymore’s Broadway play The Corn is Green.Read More »

  • Jules Dassin – The Naked City (1948)

    USA1941-1950250 Quintessential Film NoirsCrimeFilm NoirJules Dassin

    Quote:
    There are eight million stories in the Naked City,” as the narrator immortally states at the close of this classic film by Master noir craftsman Jules Dassin—and this is one of them. A model is found dead in the bathtub of her apartment, apparently after committing suicide. However, the coroner realizes that she was actually murdered with a simulation of suicide, and the experienced Homicide Lieutenant Detective Dan Muldoon initiates his investigations with Detective Jimmy Halloran and his team.Read More »

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