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James Wong Howe

James Wong Howe

James Wong Howe, A.S.C. was a Chinese American cinematographer who worked on over 130 films. A master at the use of shadow, he was one of the first to use deep-focus cinematography, photography in which both foreground and distant planes remain in focus. During the 1930s and 1940s he was one of the most sought after cinematographers in Hollywood. He was nominated for ten Academy Awards for cinematography, winning twice. Howe was judged to be one of history's ten most influential cinematographers in a survey of the members of the International Cinematographers Guild.

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Movies Made By James Wong Howe (108)

Funny Lady (1975)

Famous singer Fanny Brice has divorced her first husband Nicky Arnstein. During the Great Depression she has trouble finding work as an artist, but meets Billy Rose, a newcomer who writes lyrics and owns a nightclub. ...

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The Horsemen (1971)

In Afghanistan, the ruthless sport of buzkashi is a game of great pride. When Uraz breaks his leg and loses a spirited match, he brings shame to his village, especially his father. After losing his leg below the knee, Uraz, to regain his honor, must learn ...

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The Molly Maguires (1970)

Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, 1876. A secret society of Irish coal miners, bond by a sacred oath, put pressure on the greedy and ruthless company they work for by sabotaging mining facilities in the hope of improving their working conditions and the liv ...

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Last of the Mobile Hot Shots (1970)

A new bride gets caught between her decadent husband and his black half-brother. ...

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The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1968)

Singer is a deaf-mute whose small world brings him in contact with a young girl, Mick, who cherishes a seemingly hopeless dream of becoming a concert pianist. At first hostile, Mick soon becomes friends with Singer, hoping to enlarge his small world. Three ...

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Hombre (1967)

John Russell, disdained by his "respectable" fellow stagecoach passengers because he was raised by Indians, becomes their only hope for survival when they are set upon by outlaws. ...

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Seconds (1966)

An unhappy middle-aged banker agrees to a procedure that will fake his death and give him a completely new look and identity; one that comes with its own price. ...

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This Property Is Condemned (1966)

Owen Legate, a railroad official, comes to Dodson, Mississippi to shut down the local railway - the town's main income. But Owen unexpectedly finds love with Dodson's flirt and main attraction, Alva Starr. ...

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The Glory Guys (1965)

Though a fictionalized Western based on George Armstrong Custer's 7th Cavalry Regiment at the Battle of the Little Big Horn, the film is almost a generic war story covering the enlistment, training, and operational deployment of a group of recruits that co ...

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The Outrage (1964)

At a disused railway station, three men -- a con artist, a preacher, and a prospector -- discuss the recent trial and sentencing of the outlaw Juan Carrasco for the murder of a man and the rape of his wife. In their recounting, the three explore the confl ...

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Hud (1963)

Hud Bannon is a ruthless young man who tarnishes everything and everyone he touches. Hud represents the perfect embodiment of alienated youth, out for kicks with no regard for the consequences. There is bitter conflict between the callous Hud and his stern ...

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The Small World: The Gypsy Children of Granada (1963)

In this unsold television pilot for a proposed travelogue series, Richard Erdman visits with the children and townsfolk of the Sacromonte district of Granada, Spain. Directed and photographed by noted master cinematographer and multi-Academy Award winner, ...

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Tess of the Storm Country (1960)

Fourth reworking of the classic Grace Miller White novel, this time updated to the 60s, with young Scottish lassie Tess (Diane Baker) becoming embroiled in a conflict about a toxic chemical plant near her new home in Pennsylvania. ...

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Song Without End (1960)

The romantic story of Hungarian pianist Franz Liszt, whose scandalous love affair forced him to abandon his adoring audiences. ...

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The Story on Page One (1959)

An adulterous couple is accused of murder after the woman's husband is shot and killed during a scuffle. A high-profile court case tells the story. ...

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The Last Angry Man (1959)

Dr. Sam Abelman is a Jewish doctor contentedly spending his autumn years serving his own Brooklyn neighborhood. But when his nephew, would-be journalist Myron, writes an article about him, it draws the attention of a producer, Woodrow Thrasher, who believe ...

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Bell, Book and Candle (1958)

Gillian Holroyd, a modern-day witch, becomes smitten with her handsome upstairs neighbor, Shep Henderson. Using her magical powers, she casts a love spell on him, only to face unexpected complications when genuine feelings emerge, threatening her supernatu ...

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The Invisible Avenger (1958)

Lamont Cranston, aka The Shadow, investigates the murder of a New Orleans bandleader. ...

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The Old Man and the Sea (1958)

Santiago is an aging, down-on-his-luck, Cuban fisherman who, after catching nothing for nearly 3 months, hooks a huge Marlin and struggles to land it far out in the Gulf Stream. ...

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Sweet Smell of Success (1957)

New York City newspaper writer J.J. Hunsecker holds considerable sway over public opinion with his Broadway column, but one thing that he can't control is his younger sister, Susan, who is in a relationship with aspiring jazz guitarist Steve Dallas. Hunsec ...

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Drango (1957)

A few months after the end of the civil war, Major Drango is sent as military governor in a southern small town, whose citizens he must face the obstility. ...

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Armored Attack! (1957)

A Ukrainian village must suddenly contend with the Nazi invasion of June 1941. Re-edited version of The North Star (1943), to remove positive references to Soviet Union and include narration about the Hungarian Uprising of 1956. ...

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Death of a Scoundrel (1956)

A Czech refugee uses women to advance his business interest. ...

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Lincoln's Doctor's Dog (1955)

During the dark days of the Civil War, a doctor gives President Lincoln a puppy to buoy his spirits. ...

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The Rose Tattoo (1955)

A grieving widow embarks on a new romance when she discovers her late husband had been cheating on her. ...

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Picnic (1955)

Labor Day in a small Kansas farm town. Hal, a burly and resolute drifter, jumps off a dusty freight train car with the purpose of visiting Alan, a former college classmate and son of the richest man in town. ...

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Autumn in Rome (1954)

A lonely young woman sings two melancholy ballads in her Manhattan high rise apartment. ...

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Go Man Go (1954)

The story of Abe Saperstein and the creation of the Harlem Globetrotters. ...

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Jennifer (1953)

A young woman is hired to take care of an eerie old mansion, where she finds herself entangled with an enigmatic murderer. ...

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Main Street to Broadway (1953)

In New York, a surly, down-on-his-heels playwright meets a country girl who's giving up trying to act and returning home. He goes with her for inspiration when his agent convinces a stage star to take his next effort. When he returns to Broadway, his girl ...

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Indiscretion of an American Wife (1953)

While on vacation in Rome, married American Mary Forbes becomes entangled in an affair with an Italian man, Giovanni Doria. As she prepares to leave Italy, Giovanni confesses his love for her; he doesn't want her to go. Together they wander the railroad st ...

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Come Back, Little Sheba (1953)

A mismatched couple's marital problems come to the surface when the husband develops an interest in their pretty boarder. ...

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The World of Dong Kingman (1953)

James Wong Howe follows artist Dong Kingman over the course of a day, in which the maestro starts and finishes a watercolor of a street in New York City. ...

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The Lady Says No (1952)

The feminist author of a national best-seller titled The Lady Says No meets a sexist magazine photographer and decides she'd rather say yes. ...

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Behave Yourself! (1951)

A young man takes in a dog that turns out to be wanted by mobsters. ...

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He Ran All the Way (1951)

A crook on the run hides out in an innocent girl's apartment. ...

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The Brave Bulls (1951)

A matador must recover his courage after being gored in the ring. ...

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The Eagle and the Hawk (1950)

Texas Ranger Todd Crayden is assigned a suicide mission South of the Border, to smuggle a government agent into Mexico... ...

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The Baron of Arizona (1950)

The U.S. government recognizes land grants made when the West was under Spanish rule. This inspires James Reavis to forge a chain of historical evidence that makes a foundling girl the Baroness of Arizona. Reavis marries the girl and presses his claim to t ...

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The Time of Your Life (1948)

Joe spends a lot of his time at Nick's Pacific Street Saloon. Tom, who credits Joe with once saving his life, stops by regularly to run errands for Joe. Today, Tom notices a woman named Kitty when she comes into Nick's, and he quickly falls in love with he ...

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Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948)

An advertising executive dreams of getting out of the city and building a perfect home in the country, only to find the transition fraught with problems. ...

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Body and Soul (1947)

Charley Davis, against the wishes of his mother, becomes a boxer. As he becomes more successful the fighter becomes surrounded by shady characters, including an unethical promoter named Roberts, who tempt the man with a number of vices. Charley finds himse ...

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Pursued (1947)

A boy haunted by nightmares about the night his entire family was murdered is brought up by a neighboring family in the 1880s. He falls for his lovely adoptive sister but his nasty adoptive brother and mysterious uncle want him dead. ...

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Nora Prentiss (1947)

Quiet, organised Dr. Talbot meets nightclub singer Nora Prentiss when she is slightly hurt in a street accident. Despite her misgivings, they become heavily involved, and Talbot finds himself faced with the choice of leaving Nora or divorcing his wife. Whe ...

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My Reputation (1946)

Tongues begin to wag when a lonely widow becomes romantically involved with a military man. Problems arise when the gossip is filtered down to her own children. ...

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Danger Signal (1945)

After robbing and murdering his married lover and then making her death look like suicide, conniving philanderer Ronnie Mason relocates to Los Angeles. Under a new identity and claiming to be a writer, Ronnie finds lodging at the home of Hilda Fenchurch an ...

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Confidential Agent (1945)

During the Spanish Civil War, an agent on a mission to purchase coal meets with murder and counterspies. ...

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Counter-Attack (1945)

Two Russians fight to escape the seven Nazi soldiers trapped with them in a bombed building. ...

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Objective, Burma! (1945)

A group of men parachute into Japanese-occupied Burma with a dangerous and important mission: to locate and blow up a radar station. They accomplish this well enough, but when they try to rendezvous at an old air-strip to be taken back to their base, they ...

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Passage to Marseille (1944)

A freedom-loving French journalist sacrifices his happiness and security to battle Nazi tyranny. ...

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The North Star (1943)

A Ukrainian village must suddenly contend with the Nazi invasion of June 1941. Later re-edited and released as "Armored Attack. ...

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Hangmen Also Die! (1943)

During the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia, surgeon Dr. Franticek Svoboda, a Czech patriot, assassinates the brutal "Hangman of Europe", Reichsprotektor Reinhard Heydrich, and is wounded in the process. In his attempt to escape, he is helped by history p ...

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Air Force (1943)

The crew of an Air Force bomber arrives in Pearl Harbor in the aftermath of the Japanese attack and is sent on to Manila to help with the defense of the Philippines. ...

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The Hard Way (1943)

Helen Chernen pushes her younger sister Katherine into show business in order to escape their small town poverty. ...

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Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)

A film of the life of the renowned musical composer, playwright, actor, dancer and singer George M. Cohan. ...

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Kings Row (1942)

Five young adults in a small American town face the revelations of secrets that threaten to ruin their hopes and dreams. ...

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Navy Blues (1941)

On a layover in Hawaii, two conniving Navy seamen borrow money to wager bets that their ship will win the upcoming gunnery practice trophy, having found out that the current champ has just transferred aboard their ship. What they haven't realized, however, ...

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Out of the Fog (1941)

A Brooklyn pier racketeer bullies boat-owners into paying protection money but two fed-up fishermen decide to eliminate the gangster themselves rather than complain to the police. ...

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Shining Victory (1941)

In a Scottish sanitarium, a brilliant research psychiatrist works on a treatment for dementia praecox. He falls for his altruistic female lab assistant and they begin a passionate, tragic relationship. ...

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The Strawberry Blonde (1941)

Biff Grimes is desperately in love with Virginia, but his best friend Hugo marries her and manipulates Biff into becoming involved in his somewhat nefarious businesses. Hugo appears to have stolen Biff's dreams, and Biff has to deal with the realisation th ...

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Fantasia (1940)

Walt Disney's timeless masterpiece is an extravaganza of sight and sound! See the music come to life, hear the pictures burst into song and experience the excitement that is Fantasia over and over again. ...

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A Dispatch from Reuters (1940)

German Julius Reuter sends 19th-century news by carrier pigeon and then by wire, founding a news agency. ...

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City for Conquest (1940)

The heartbreaking but hopeful tale of Danny Kenny and Peggy Nash, two sweethearts who meet and struggle through their impoverished lives in New York City. When Peggy, hoping for something better in life for both of them, breaks off her engagement to Danny, ...

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Torrid Zone (1940)

A Central American plantation manager and his boss battle over a traveling showgirl. ...

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Saturday's Children (1940)

An inventor and his bride get testy in the city as they try to make ends meet. ...

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Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet (1940)

True story of the doctor who considered it was not immoral to search for a drug that would cure syphilis. ...

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Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1940)

Abe Lincoln in Illinois is a 1940 biographical film which tells the story of the life of Abraham Lincoln from his departure from Kentucky until his election as President of the United States. ...

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Dust Be My Destiny (1939)

Embittered after serving time for a burglary he did not commit, Joe Bell is soon back in jail, on a prison farm. His love for the foreman's daughter leads to a fight between them, leading to the older man's death due to a weak heart. Joe and Mabel go on th ...

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Daughters Courageous (1939)

Nan Masters, a single mother living with her four marriageable daughters, plans to marry Sam Sloane, businessman. Out of the blue her first husband Jim returns after deserting the family 20 years earlier. The worldly wanderer Jim gets a cool family recepti ...

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The Oklahoma Kid (1939)

McCord's gang robs the stage carrying money to pay Indians for their land, and the notorious outlaw "The Oklahoma Kid" Jim Kincaid takes the money from McCord. McCord stakes a "sooner" claim on land which is to be used for a new town; in exchange for givin ...

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They Made Me a Criminal (1939)

A boxer flees, believing he has committed a murder while he was drunk. ...

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Comet Over Broadway (1938)

A rising stage star's ambition causes trouble. ...

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The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938)

Tom Sawyer and his pal Huckleberry Finn have great adventures on the Mississippi River, pretending to be pirates, attending their own funeral and witnessing a murder. ...

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Algiers (1938)

Pepe Le Moko is a notorious thief, who escaped from France. Since his escape, Moko has become a resident and leader of the immense Casbah of Algiers. French officials arrive insisting on Pepe's capture are met with unfazed local detectives, led by Inspecto ...

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The Prisoner of Zenda (1937)

A kingdom's ascending heir, marked for assassination, switches identities with a lookalike, who takes his place at the coronation. When the real king is kidnapped, his followers try to find him, while the stand-in falls in love with the king's intended bri ...

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Under the Red Robe (1937)

In 1620s France, dreaded swordsman Gil de Berault returns from carrying out a mission for Cardinal Richelieu, and finds the Cardinal worried about growing opposition from the Huguenots in the south. The Cardinal also warns de Berault that dueling has been ...

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Fire Over England (1937)

The film is a historical drama set during the reign of Elizabeth I (Flora Robson), focusing on the English defeat of the Spanish Armada, whence the title. In 1588, relations between Spain and England are at the breaking point. With the support of Queen Eli ...

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Farewell Again (1937)

Farewell Again is a multiplotted British comedy/drama about soldiers on leave and the people they've left. Given a six-hour pass after a tour of duty in India, several British Tommies (among them Robert Newton, Sebastian Shaw and Anthony Bushell) try to un ...

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Three Live Ghosts (1936)

Three WWI veterans thought long dead turn out to be still alive and return home - much to the consternation of their friends and family. ...

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Whipsaw (1935)

Hot jewels from London make their way to New York, where they are stolen by racketeer Ed Dexter, who hides them with the help of his vivacious girlfriend, Vivian Palmer. Federal agent Ross McBride goes undercover to infiltrate the gang and, suspecting Vivi ...

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Rendezvous (1935)

A decoding expert tangles with enemy spies. ...

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O'Shaughnessy's Boy (1935)

A circus wild animal trainer searches for the son who was taken away from him by a meddling relative years earlier. ...

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The Flame Within (1935)

Psychiatrist finds herself falling for her patient. ...

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Mark of the Vampire (1935)

Sir Borotyn, a prominent Prague resident, is discovered murdered in his home, with all indications pointing to a vampire assault. The victim's friend, Baron Otto, and the physician who analyzes the body, are certain that the vampire is the mysterious Count ...

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The Night Is Young (1935)

Young Austrian Archduke Paul "Gustl" Gustave is in an arranged engagement but his uncle, the emperor, decides to let Gustl carry on a fling with ballet dancer Lisl Gluck. ...

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Biography of a Bachelor Girl (1935)

Everyweek Newsmagazine editor Richard Kurt pursues famous free-spirited portrait artist Marion Forsythe on her return to the states from Europe, seeking to convince her to write her biography as a feature for his magazine. One of Marion's old beaus, now ru ...

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Have a Heart (1934)

Sally (Jean Parker) is engaged to be married, loves dancing and kids. But her life is ruined when an accident cripples her and her betrothed magnanimously offers to not back out of the marriage. After rejecting his offer she starts a doll shop and tries t ...

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Stamboul Quest (1934)

In 1915, German Counter-Intelligence Chief Von Sturm learns that someone is providing the British with critical strategic planning for the Turkish theater. He suspects Ali Bey, Turkish commander for the Dardanelles, and dispatches Annemarie to Constantinop ...

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The Thin Man (1934)

A husband and wife detective team takes on the search for a missing inventor and almost get killed for their efforts. ...

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Hollywood Party (1934)

Jimmy Durante is jungle movie star Schnarzan the Conqueror, but the public is tiring of his fake lions. When Baron Munchausen comes to town with real man-eating lions, Durante throws him a big Hollywood star-studded party so that he might use the lions in ...

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Manhattan Melodrama (1934)

The friendship between two orphans endures even though they grow up on opposite sides of the law and fall in love with the same woman. ...

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Viva Villa! (1934)

In this fictionalized biography, young Pancho Villa takes to the hills after killing an overseer in revenge for his father's death. ...

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The Show-Off (1934)

Aubrey cons Amy into thinking he's a railroad bigwig. When he loses his job he takes one wearing a sandwich board. After he helps Joe sell his patent for a good price and an old railroad deal comes through, he's back on top and ready to marry Amy again. ...

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The Power and the Glory (1933)

A man's life is retold just after his funeral. Beginning as a track walker, Tom Garner rose through all sorts of railroad jobs to head the company. In the meantime he lost touch with his family. When he saw what was happening it was already too late. ...

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Beauty for Sale (1933)

A beautiful woman lands a job at an exclusive salon that deals with the wives of wealthy businessmen. Her contact with these men leads to a series of affairs. ...

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Hello, Sister! (1933)

While Peggy deeply falls in love with Jimmy, her best friend Millie becomes increasingly frustrated with men and very jealous with Peggy, so she tries everything to destroy the new love. ...

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Chandu the Magician (1932)

When delusional madman Roxor kidnaps a scientist in hopes of using his death ray to achieve world dominance, he is opposed by Chandu, a powerful hypnotist and yogi. ...

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Man About Town (1932)

In a plan to trap potential enemy spies in Washington, an American secret agent sets up a gambling house. He soon finds himself in a rivalry with his old friend the British ambassador over a beautiful Hungarian woman, and it leads to espionage, blackmail a ...

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Young America (1932)

Mrs. Doray sits with a Juvenile Court Judge to learn more about problem children and what to do about them. One of the cases involves 13 year old Arthur, "the worst kid in town", who moves cars away from fiire-plugs without the knowledge of the owners. The ...

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Amateur Daddy (1932)

Jim Gladden, a construction site foreman, is partially responsible for the accidental death of one of his workers, Fred Smith, and makes good on Fred's deathbed request to go to Scotch Valley and take care of his surviving wife and children. When Jim arriv ...

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After Tomorrow (1932)

In the Depression, Pete and Sidney are good kids, working hard, giving money to their parents, and engaged for three years while they save to get married. Each has a selfish mother: Sydney's is cold, Pete's is clingy. Sidney's mother is looking for her own ...

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Shanghai Express (1932)

A beautiful temptress re-kindles an old romance while trying to escape her past during a tension-packed train journey. ...

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Dance Team (1932)

Jimmy Mulligan and Poppy Kirk, both out of work, strike up a conversation outside a radio shop and discover a shared dream of hitting it big dancing and decide to team up. As "Mulligan & Kirk" they have their highs and lows while falling in love but eventu ...

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Surrender (1931)

Story of French prisoner in Germany who falls in love with a German general's daughter. From the novel "Axelle" by Pierre Benoit. ...

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The Yellow Ticket (1931)

A young Russian girl is forced into a life of prostitution in Czarist Russia, and she and a British journalist find their lives endangered when she reveals to him information regarding the social crimes rampant in her country. ...

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The Spider (1931)

Lowe plays Chatrand the Great, a magician with great hypnotic and magical powers. During his evening performance at an upscale theater, a murder occurs. A hand wearing a sinister spider ring raises a revolver, the lights go out, and a shot rings out! When ...

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Transatlantic (1931)

As a luxurious ocean liner makes its way across the Atlantic Ocean, the audience is made privy to the travails of several of its passengers. Edmund Lowe heads the cast as Monty Greer, a suave gambler who falls in love with Judy, the daughter of immigrant l ...

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The Criminal Code (1931)

After young Robert Graham commits a murder while drunk and defending his girlfriend, he is prosecuted by ambitious Mark Brady and sentenced to 10 years. Six years later, Brady becomes the prison warden and offers the beleaguered Robert a job as his chauffe ...

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Movies Starring James Wong Howe (4)

Against All Odds: The Life of Cinematographer James Wong Howe (2024)

The story of an unsung hero in filmmaking and the racial barriers he faced growing up and into his career, through archival footage of himself and his films, and what made his camerawork so innovative and unique. ...

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The Man Who Shot Chinatown: The Life and Work of John A. Alonzo (2007)

Cinematographer John A. Alonzo was one of the driving creative forces in the resurgence of expressionistic American movies of the late 1960s and '70s. Director Axel Schill's documentary explores Alonzo's work on key films of that era and beyond. Clips from ...

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Visions of Light (1992)

Cameramen and women discuss the craft and art of cinematography and of the "DP" (the director of photography), illustrating their points with clips from 100 films, from Birth of a Nation to Do the Right Thing. Themes: the DP tells people where to look; cha ...

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James Wong Howe: Cinematographer (1973)

1973 documentary about the Oscar-winning director of photography, featuring lighting tutorials with Howe. ...

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