Posts about “B” films from the 1930s and 1940s.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) released Shadow of the Thin Man (1941) in November 1941. One of the later Thin Man films (affiliate link), the film contains interesting vignettes for wrestling fans. Nick Charles, played by William Powell, is pulled into a state investigation of a local gambling ring. Two local wrestling promoters run the gambling ring, which is art imitating life if […]
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Broadcast companies were looking for content during the early days of television. Besides older movies and some broadcast company productions, sports were a source of programming for many television stations. The Dumont Television Network was one of the powerhouse networks in the beginning of the Golden Age of Television. One of their most popular programs was wrestling and the star […]
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In his first time playing the role of Captain Hugh “Bulldog” Drummond, John Howard plays the captain desperately trying to rescue his kidnapped fiance. Paramount Pictures released Bulldog Drummond Comes Back (affiliate link) on September 24, 1937. Prior to John Howard taking over the role, Ronald Coleman and Ralph Richardson both played the fictional British hero. The film begins with […]
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This film was the first Sherlock Holmes film starring Basil Rathbone as Holmes. Sidney Lanfield directed The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939) for Twentieth-Century Fox. Nigel Bruce co-stars as Dr. John Watson. Rathbone and Bruce would play Holmes and Watson in thirteen subsequent films, one more for Twentieth-Century Fox and twelve for Universal Pictures. This film (affiliate link) is an accurate retelling of the […]
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Sherlock Holmes in The Pearl of Death (1944) is the ninth of fourteen movies in the series starring Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes. In this film (affiliate link), Holmes is battling archcriminal Giles Conover, played by Miles Mander. Conover is attempting to steal a valuable pearl from the British Museum. Holmes is aided in his crimes by accomplices Naomi Drake and […]
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On August 2, 1947, Max M. King Productions released Killer Dill (1947), a crime film that professional wrestler Mike Mazurki plays “Little Joe”, a henchman playing both sides of a gang feud. Stuart Erwin stars as Johnny “Killer” Dill, a lingerie designer and salesperson, who people mistake for a gangster. After accidentally involving himself in a gang war, his […]
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RKO Pictures brought the Dick Tracy comic strip character to the big screen on December 1, 1945. While the film is definitely a “B” film meant to be first on the double bill, it still would have been of interest to the many fans of the popular comic strip. Chester Gould created the strip in October 1931 for the Detroit […]
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Bulldog Drummond’s Secret Police (1939) is the second-to-last Bulldog Drummond film (affiliate link) starring John Howard as Drummond. Drummond is once again preparing for his marriage to Phyllis Clavering. As usual, the marriage plans are disrupted by the revelations of Professor Downey regarding Rockingham Towers, the Drummond Estates. The treasure of an English king is hidden in the catacombs underneath […]
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On January 29, 1940, First National Pictures, the Warner Brothers “B” film company, released the spy thriller British Intelligence (1940). The film (affiliate link) is set in Britain during World War I. Released almost two years before the attack on Pearl Harbor, the film showed that Hollywood and probably most of the countries sympathies were with Britain and the Allies. […]
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On August 5, 1938, Paramount Pictures released another film (affiliate link) in the Bulldog Drummond series starring John Howard as Drummond. Bulldog Drummond in Africa (1938) is one of the best films in the series primarily due to a strong cast. Besides John Howard, Heather Angel returns as Drummond’s fiance Phyllis Clavering. They are joined by series regular H. B. […]
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