Sunday, May 30 - The Mysterious Mr. Davis

The Mysterious Mr. Davis (1939)

Julian Roscoe (Henry Kendal) is an unemployed family man whose finances are so desperate that the gas to the small drab rented flat has just been cut off and the landlord is pressing for the unpaid rent.

His neighbor, Milton (Guy Middleton), suddenly offers him a job which turns out to be as a stooge for a shady transaction.

He has second thoughts ,invents a partner, Mr. Davis, manages to get his hands on some junk bonds and creates the illusion of wealth. Meanwhile Alastair Sim is coming in and out of the film as a financier whose had a mental breakdown. Milton picks a W. Davis out of the phone book and she becomes involved in this strange film.

Saturday, May 29 - The Pure Hell of St. Trinian's

The Pure Hell of St. Trinian's (1960)

When the school burns to the ground there's clearly been some arson around. The pupils are found guilty and the judge hands them into the care of a pretty dubious child psychiatrist. The sixth form are soon kidnapped and on their way to Arabia with the Ministry of Education, Barchester police, and an Army Bath Unit after them. But real rescue is at hand in the shape of Britain's finest fighting force - St. Trinian's fourth form.

Friday, May 28 - How Awful About Allan

How Awful About Allan (1970)

After a fire which killed his father and scarred his sister, Allan, a guilt-ridden victim of psychosomatic blindness, is released from a mental hospital and goes back home to stay with his estranged sister.

The sister has a mysterious new boarder, Harold Dennis, a university student who only speaks in a whisper due to a throat injury. Allen comes to believe that this boarder is out to kill him.

Thursday, May 27 - Colonel March Investigates

Colonel March Investigates (1953)

Colonel March Investigates is a 1953 British film consisting of the three pilot episodes of the TV series Colonel March of Scotland Yard that were filmed in 1952, starring Boris Karloff. These episodes were "Hot Money", "Death in the Dressing Room" and "The New Invisible Man".

Karloff, in black eye patch and cloak, is Colonel March: head of the Department of Queer Complaints at Scotland Yard. He is an investigator of unusual criminal cases and activities. The film sees him solve a bank robbery (for which an innocent man was framed) and two murders involving complex tricks and disguises.

Wednesday, May 26 - The Angry Silence

The Angry Silence (1960)

Tom Curtis (Richard Attenborough) works at a factory in England. His life is changed when he refuses to take part in an unofficial strike, organized by new employee Travers (Alfred Burke), a troublemaker who soon leaves the factory. Curtis sees no reason to strike, but his refusal alienates him from the rest of the unionized employees, who brand him a scab. Curtis even faces reprisals at home when a foreman (Bernard Lee) comes and warns him to fall in line.

Tuesday, May 25 - The Battleaxe

The Battleaxe (1962)

Francis Matthews is suing wealthy Jill Ireland for breach of promise. As the proceedings wend their way in court, an unpleasant picture is produced of the plaintiff. He is a penniless playboy who has established a company to manufacture locks, employing only burglars who have served their time. He has taken trips to France for the purpose, he claims, of securing contracts with entities he will not name. On the very evening he proposed marriage to Miss Ireland in his apartment, a girl in a bathrobe exited from his bedroom...

Monday, May 24 - French Dressing

French Dressing (1964)

Jim is a cheeky young chap who works as a deckchair attendant for the council of Gormleigh, an imaginary holiday resort on the Kent Coast of England. Jim has a chubby friend called Henry and an American girlfriend, Judy. Judy is a cute kid who works as a journalist on the local paper, but wants to be a serious writer. Jim's brilliant idea is to galvanise tourist interest in Gormleigh by importing French sex-kitten actress, Francoise Fayol.

A small British seaside resort contrives to augment its inexistent tourist industry by organizing a Film Festival and inviting a Brigitte Bardot-type siren to be the guest of honor.

Sunday, May 23 - Charlie Bubbles

Charlie Bubbles (1968)

Charlie Bubbles (Albert Finney), a wealthy British writer who is losing his ability to feel -- and therefore write -- returns to his hometown of Manchester. Despite his success, Charlie is restless and unhappy even when he visits the women in his life, including his mistress, Eliza (Liza Minnelli), and his estranged wife, Lottie (Billie Whitelaw). As Charlie floats around Manchester, it becomes clear that he is almost completely disconnected from his working-class roots.

Saturday, May 22 - Dogfight (Commentary)

Dogfight (1991)

Friday, May 21 - Dogfight

Dogfight (1991)

A young Marine named Eddie Birdlace (River Phoenix) is set to spend his last night in San Francisco with his military friends before they are deployed to Vietnam in 1963. Eddie and his friends plan to attend a cruel bar event called a "dogfight," which requires Marines to bring unattractive dates who will be judged for their ugliness. Eddie encounters a shy, frumpy girl named Rose (Lili Taylor) whom he brings to the dogfight but finds himself falling for as the night goes on.

Thursday, May 20 - Scared Stiff

Scared Stiff (1945)

A meek reporter (Jack Haley) happens upon murder, an escaped gangster (Barton MacLane) and a stolen jade chess set.

Wednesday, May 19 - The Dark Horse

The Dark Horse (1946)

This 1946 film stars Phillip Terry as a war veteran (he's a veteran, alright, but he wasn't in the war - he never left the country), who is persuaded by machine politico Donald MacBride to run for alderman. 

Ann Savage plays the “honest government functionary” (she what?! She works for MacBride.) with whom the hero falls in love.

Terry finds that disreputable politicians are using his war record (for crissakes! He was punched out on the street) to push through some shady legislation (nope. no legislation is mentioned), so he renounces these hacks.

GODDMMIT! I wish people would actually watch a movie before they write about it! Wikipedia has this down as a drama, even!

Tuesday, May 18 - Wild Boys of the Road

Wild Boys of the Road (1933)

At the bottom of the depression, Tom's mother has been out of work for months when Ed's father loses his job. Not to burden their parents, the two high school sophomores decide to hop the freights and look for work. Wherever they go, there are many other kids just like them, so Tom, Ed and now Sally stick together. They camp in places like 'Sewer City' as long as they can until the local authorities run them off. They travel all over the mid west and when they get to New York, Ed thinks that they may finally find work.

Monday, May 17 - The Golden Gong

The Golden Gong (1985)

People who have seen enough British films likely recall a shirtless hunk beating a huge gong during the opening credits, but many may not know that this was the symbol of Rank Studios, the history of which is told in this TV documentary through numerous clips, interviews and commentary by Michael Caine.

Sunday, May 16 - Before I Hang

Before I Hang (1940)

As the elderly Dr. Garth, Boris Karloff is developing a serum which he hopes may preserve life. He's been convicted of the mercy killing of a terminally sick friend but yet is allowed to continue his experiments while on death row with the aid of prison physician Dr. Miller.

Garth decides to use himself as a guinea pig and injects himself with a serum made with the blood of a known murderer. The kindly doctor is subsequently pardoned from his crime, and the end result of his experiment produces the amazing effect of turning him into a much younger man.

He has now inadvertently reversed the aging process, but the tainted formula has one slight side effect: it periodically turns him into a homicidal killer who is seized with the urge to strangle his victims.

Saturday, May 15 - The Return of Sophie Lang

The Return of Sophie Lang (1936)

In order to give up her life of crime and go straight, renowned jewel thief Sophie Lang fakes her own death and retires to London. She soon finds a job as a companion to a wealthy old lady who is also a jewel collector. One day her employer decides to take an ocean trip to the US, taking Sophie with her. (All this happens off-camera and before the movie starts.)

She also takes along a $200,000 diamond, which she locks up in the ship's safe. Of course, the diamond is soon stolen from the safe. (Nope. She took it from the safe, herself - then it was stolen from her.)

A reporter also happens to be aboard the ship, and he has had his suspicions about who Sophie really is. Sophie has to find the real thief and recover the jewel before the ship docks in New York, because an investigation could reveal her true identity. (Well, something like that. Who writes this nonsense?)

Friday, May 14 - Man Wanted

Man Wanted (1932)

Hardworking magazine editor Lois (Kay Francis) is married to playboy Fred Ames (Kenneth Thomson). Her secretary abruptly quits just as salesman Tom Sheridan (David Manners) happens to come to her office to hawk his goods. Desperate for assistance, Lois impulsively hires Tom. While Fred continues his philandering ways, a romance blossoms between Tom and Lois. But Tom's fiancée grows suspicious of his bond with Lois, and he decides to resign. Lois won't give Tom up without a fight, though.

Thursday, May 13 - The Boogie Man Will Get You

The Boogie Man Will Get You (1942)

Winnie Slade, a young divorcee, buys an old historic house from nutty Professor Billings, who lives there with his daffy housekeeper and bizarre neighbors, in order to convert it into a hotel. She allows them to continue to live on the property - unaware that the Professor continues to experiment unsuccessfully on traveling salesmen, the bodies of whom have filled the cellar. They are joined by a variety of eccentric characters including a quack doctor who doubles as the town's sheriff, Winnie's frenetic ex-husband, an oddball choreographer, a punchdrunk traveling salesman, and a lunatic escapee from the Italian army.

Wednesday, May 12 - Pressure Point

Pressure Point (1962)

Frustrated by his inability to help an African-American patient who hates whites, a psychiatrist (Peter Falk) asks his superior (Sidney Poitier) to release him from the case. The superior relates a case from his own past during World War II when he treated a young Nazi (Bobby Darin) who despised blacks. Explaining the tragic results of the case, the older psychiatrist encourages his younger colleague not to be swayed by the patient's attitude, to remain objective and to stick with his treatment.

Tuesday, May 11 - The Pied Piper

The Pied Piper (1972)

Midsummer, 1349: the Black Death reaches northern Germany. A family of strolling players travel to Hamelin for the Mayor's daughter's wedding to the Baron's son. He wants her dowry to pay his army, while his father taxes the people to build a cathedral he thinks will save his soul. A local Jewish apothecary tries to find a treatment for the plague. The Priests charge him with heresy and witchcraft. A mysterious minstrel (Donovan), who joined up with the players and who has soothed the Mayor's daughter with his music, promises to rid the town of rats for a fee. The Mayor agrees, then reneges after the rats have been dealt with. In the morning, the plague, the Jew's execution, and the Piper's revenge come at once.

Monday, May 10 - Vanessa, Her Love Story

Vanessa, Her Love Story (1935)

The only person that Vanessa wants to marry is Benjamin and they are finally engaged. When a fire sweeps through her fathers house, Benjie is able to save Vanessa, but he cannot save her already dead father. Since Vanessa blames him in her fathers death, they separate and Benjie marries Marion, the barmaid. After realizing that she was mistaken, Vanessa finds that he is married and she then reluctantly accepts the proposal of Ellis. However, Ellis is slowly going insane and Vanessa is not told. With her married life becoming intolerable, she tries to leave Ellis, but she cannot divorce him as long as he is insane.

Sunday, May 9 - The 39 Steps

The 39 Steps (1935)

Richard Hannay is a Canadian visitor to 1930s London. After a disturbance at a music hall, he meets Annabella Smith, who is on the run from foreign agents. He takes her back to his apartment, but they are followed and later that night Annabella is murdered. Hannay goes on the run to break the spy ring and thus prove his innocence.

Saturday, May 8 - Playhouse 90: Days of Wine and Roses

Playhouse 90 (1956–1961): Days of Wine and Roses (Season 3 | Episode 2 - aired 2 October 1958)

The slow deterioration of a marriage due to alcoholism as ambitious ad man Joe Clay (Robertson) gets his wife Kirsten (Laurie) to join him in drinking bouts that soon begin to destroy their lives.

Friday, May 7 - The Widow from Chicago

The Widow from Chicago (1930)

Alice White stars in this 1930 crime drama that also boasts an early starring role for Edward G. Robinson. He plays a nightclub owner and bootlegger; she plays the widow. She shows up in his club looking for work and claiming to be the widow of a gangster (Neil Hamilton) who was killed when he jumped off a train in an attempt to escape the cops. In reality she's the sister of the cop who was tracking Hamilton. Now she's out to track down her brother's killer.

And then Neil Hamilton shows up, alive...

Thursday, May 6 - Runaway Girl

Runaway Girl (1965)

Vineyard owner Randy Minola becomes captivated by the worldly Edella, much to the chagrin of his girlfriend Winnie.

Wednesday, May 5 - The Gay Intruders

The Gay Intruders (1948)

When the curtain comes down on the great stage romantic team of John Newberry and his wife Maria Ivar, their criticisms of each other's acting abilities sets off a domestic battle of clashing tempers and temperaments.

Their manager, Charles MacNulty, tired of the constant bickering, suggests psychiatry. John secretly confers with Dr. Harold Matson and Maria, also secretly, sees Dr. Susan Nash.

Matson poses as an old college pal of John's while Susan is introduced as Maria's sister (no - college pal) when they meet in the Newberry home where they have come to observe their patients. Each doctor, at first, assumes the other to be the patient.

Maria soon suspects Susan of having an unprofessional interest in John, while John does the same for Matson regarding Maria. Progress is made and John and Maria discover how wonderful it is to be able to say nice things to each other.

MacNulty arrives with a play about a temperamental wife and a lying cad of a husband, and John and Maria refuse to play such unsavory characters. The enraged MacNulty accuses the psychiatrists of ruining the best acting talent in the country and, with the doctor's true identities revealed, John and Maria denounce each other as the smiling MacNulty watches the verbal battle.

Tuesday, May 4 - White Zombie

White Zombie (1932)

Young couple Madeleine and Neil are coaxed by acquaintance Monsieur Beaumont to get married on his Haitian plantation. Beaumont's motives are purely selfish as he makes every attempt to convince the beautiful young girl to run away with him. For help Beaumont turns to the devious Legendre, a man who runs his mill by mind controlling people he has turned into zombies. After Beaumont uses Legendre's zombie potion on Madeleine, he is dissatisfied with her emotionless being and wants her to be changed back. Legendre has no intention of doing this and he drugs Beaumont as well to add to his zombie collection. Meanwhile, grieving 'widower' Neil is convinced by a local priest that Madeleine may still be alive and he seeks her out.

Monday, May 3 - The Lost Missile

The Lost Missile (1958)

An unidentified missile moves through space, nearing Earth. One nation fires a rocket at it, but this only diverts the missile into the atmosphere, where it begins tearing up everything in its path. As it heads towards Ottawa and then New York City, the Canadian and U.S. military are mobilized, but they can't halt its progress. A scientist (Robert Loggia) and his fiancée (Ellen Parker), though, have been working on a hydrogen warhead that may be able to hit the missile and save the Earth.

Sunday, May 2 - Girl Missing

Girl Missing (1933)

Golddiggers Kay and June are left stranded in Palm Beach after their latest catch skips without paying the girls' hotel bill. They're also steamed because their rival Daisy has just nailed a handsome heir to a fortune. When Daisy vanishes on her wedding night her husband offers a $25,000 reward. Anxious to land that bankroll, Kay and June turn detective to find Daisy and also to solve a murder that happened at the scene of her disappearance.

Saturday, May 1 - The Falcon and the Co-eds

The Falcon and the Co-eds (1943)

At the prestigious Blue Cliff Seminary for Girls, a professor has been found dead. Unconvinced that a heart attack caused the death, a student, Jane Harris (Amelita Ward), seeks the services of Tom Lawrence, a sleuth known as the Falcon (Tom Conway), to uncover what she believes to be murder. When Lawrence arrives at the school, the murderer appears to have struck again when the principal suspiciously dies. Lawrence faces uncertainty around every corner, since anyone could be a suspect.

Friday, April 30 - The Death Kiss

The Death Kiss (1932)

While filming the closing scene of "The Death Kiss", leading man Myles Brent is actually killed. Having played around with, or been married to, most of the women connected with the movie studio, there are lots of suspects. When leading lady Marcia Lane is arrested for the killing, her suiter, a studio writer, starts to investigate the killing in order to prove her innocence.