Louise Beavers
Encyclopedia
Louise Beavers was an African-American film and television actress. Beavers appeared in dozens of films from the 1920s to the 1930s, most often in the role of a maid
, servant, or slave
. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio
, Beavers was a member of Sigma Gamma Rho
sorority, one of the four African-American sororities.
to school teacher Ernestine Monroe Beavers and William M. Beavers, who was originally from Georgia
. Due to her mother's illness, Louise and her parents moved to Pasadena, California
.
In Pasadena, she attended school and engaged in several after school activities such as basketball and church choir. Her mother also worked as a voice teacher and taught Louise how to sing for concerts. In June 1920, she graduated from Pasadena High School
and “worked as a dressing room attendant for a photographer and served as a personal maid to white film star Leatrice Joy
”.
There is some controversy as to how Louise Beavers began her acting career. She was in a group called the Lady Minstrels who were "a group of young women who staged amateur production and appeared on stage at the Loews State Theatre". It was either her performance in this group or in a contest at the Philharmonic Auditorium, which occurred later. Charles Butler from the Central Casting Bureau, who was known for being an agent for African American actors, saw the performance and recommended that Louise try out for a role for a movie.” At first she was hesitant to try out for movies because of how African Americans were portrayed in movies and how Hollywood encouraged these roles. She once said, “In all the pictures I had seen…they never used colored people for anything except savages.” Despite this, she tried out for a role in the film Uncle Tom’s Cabin in 1927 and landed the part.
. In this film she played the black maid and mother figure to a young white woman. She once received a review which stated, "Personally Miss Beavers is just splendid, just as fine as she appears on screen, but she also has a charm all her own, which needs no screen role for recognition. She has a very pleasing personality, one that draws people to her instantly and makes them feel that they are meeting a friend instead of a Hollywood Star.” Beavers had a personality that brought people towards her and caused a common reaction, people wanted to watch her charm in more movies. In most of her films, she is the one who helps one of the white protagonists mature throughout the movie. In most of the movies, her roles were written so that as an African American she would be a fund, “of servitude and/or comic relief”.
It was in 1934, when Beavers played Delilah in Imitation of Life
that gave her a leading role that was not overshadowed by a white actor or actress. Her character, Delilah, plays a black maid again but instead of the usual subservience, Delilah has a story equivalent to the white lead. The main line of the movie parallels that of African Americans in real life. After the movie was made, the public was reportedly quite impressed by her performance. It was not only a huge breakthrough for Beavers, but it was also, “the first time in American cinema history that a black woman's problems were give major emotional weight in a major Hollywood motion picture”. California Graphic Magazine wrote, “the Academy could not recognize Miss Beavers. She is black!”
As her career grew over time, she received criticism for allegedly choosing roles that made African Americans subservient to whites, but as she said, given the limited opportunities available, she was “only playing the parts. I don't live them”. Beavers had to learn the southern “Negro” dialect. But as she became more popular, it was harder for her earn roles in Hollywood. As she became more famous, she started to speak out against how the Hollywood industry was portraying African Americans and how they were treated during production and also after promoting the films.
Beavers was one of four actresses (including Hattie McDaniel
, Ethel Waters
, and Amanda Randolph
) to portray housekeeper Beulah on the Beulah television show. That show was the first television sitcom to star an African American. She also played a maid, Louise, on the first two seasons of The Danny Thomas Show
(1953–1955).
Beavers started to become involved in aspects of life other than acting, where she helped support African Americans. She endorsed Robert S. Abbott, the editor of the Chicago Defender
, who helped fight for African Americans' civil rights. She supported Richard Nixon
, whom she believed would help African Americans in the United States in the civil rights battle.
, the first African-American actress to win an Academy Award.
of being placed into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame
in the year, 1976.
Short subjects:
Maid
A maidservant or in current usage housemaid or maid is a female employed in domestic service.-Description:Once part of an elaborate hierarchy in great houses, today a single maid may be the only domestic worker that upper and even middle-income households can afford, as was historically the case...
, servant, or slave
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, Beavers was a member of Sigma Gamma Rho
Sigma Gamma Rho
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. was founded on the campus of Butler University on November 12, 1922, by seven school teachers in Indianapolis, Indiana...
sorority, one of the four African-American sororities.
Biography
Louise Beavers was a breakthrough actress for African Americans. Beavers became known as a symbol of a “mammy” on the screen. A mammy archetype “is the portrayal within a narrative framework or other imagery of a domestic servant of African descent, generally good-natured, often overweight, and loud”.Early life
Louise Ellen Beavers was born in Cincinnati, OhioCincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
to school teacher Ernestine Monroe Beavers and William M. Beavers, who was originally from Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. Due to her mother's illness, Louise and her parents moved to Pasadena, California
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
.
In Pasadena, she attended school and engaged in several after school activities such as basketball and church choir. Her mother also worked as a voice teacher and taught Louise how to sing for concerts. In June 1920, she graduated from Pasadena High School
Pasadena High School
Pasadena High School may refer to:* Pasadena High School in Pasadena, California* Pasadena High School in Pasadena, Texas* Pasadena High School, South Australia in Pasadena, South Australia...
and “worked as a dressing room attendant for a photographer and served as a personal maid to white film star Leatrice Joy
Leatrice Joy
Leatrice Joy was an American actress most prolific during the early silent film era.-Early life and career:...
”.
There is some controversy as to how Louise Beavers began her acting career. She was in a group called the Lady Minstrels who were "a group of young women who staged amateur production and appeared on stage at the Loews State Theatre". It was either her performance in this group or in a contest at the Philharmonic Auditorium, which occurred later. Charles Butler from the Central Casting Bureau, who was known for being an agent for African American actors, saw the performance and recommended that Louise try out for a role for a movie.” At first she was hesitant to try out for movies because of how African Americans were portrayed in movies and how Hollywood encouraged these roles. She once said, “In all the pictures I had seen…they never used colored people for anything except savages.” Despite this, she tried out for a role in the film Uncle Tom’s Cabin in 1927 and landed the part.
Acting career
Louise Beavers started her career in the 1920s during the time of racism towards African Americans because African Americans on film were stuck in the same roles over and over again. She played the mammy in many of the movies she acted in. She started to gain more attention in the acting world after she played the role of Julia in Coquette, which starred Mary PickfordMary Pickford
Mary Pickford was a Canadian-born motion picture actress, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
. In this film she played the black maid and mother figure to a young white woman. She once received a review which stated, "Personally Miss Beavers is just splendid, just as fine as she appears on screen, but she also has a charm all her own, which needs no screen role for recognition. She has a very pleasing personality, one that draws people to her instantly and makes them feel that they are meeting a friend instead of a Hollywood Star.” Beavers had a personality that brought people towards her and caused a common reaction, people wanted to watch her charm in more movies. In most of her films, she is the one who helps one of the white protagonists mature throughout the movie. In most of the movies, her roles were written so that as an African American she would be a fund, “of servitude and/or comic relief”.
It was in 1934, when Beavers played Delilah in Imitation of Life
Imitation of Life (1934 film)
Imitation of Life is a 1934 American drama film directed by John M. Stahl. The screenplay by William Hurlbut, based on Fannie Hurst's 1933 novel of the same name, was augmented by eight additional uncredited writers, including Preston Sturges and Finley Peter Dunne...
that gave her a leading role that was not overshadowed by a white actor or actress. Her character, Delilah, plays a black maid again but instead of the usual subservience, Delilah has a story equivalent to the white lead. The main line of the movie parallels that of African Americans in real life. After the movie was made, the public was reportedly quite impressed by her performance. It was not only a huge breakthrough for Beavers, but it was also, “the first time in American cinema history that a black woman's problems were give major emotional weight in a major Hollywood motion picture”. California Graphic Magazine wrote, “the Academy could not recognize Miss Beavers. She is black!”
As her career grew over time, she received criticism for allegedly choosing roles that made African Americans subservient to whites, but as she said, given the limited opportunities available, she was “only playing the parts. I don't live them”. Beavers had to learn the southern “Negro” dialect. But as she became more popular, it was harder for her earn roles in Hollywood. As she became more famous, she started to speak out against how the Hollywood industry was portraying African Americans and how they were treated during production and also after promoting the films.
Beavers was one of four actresses (including Hattie McDaniel
Hattie McDaniel
Hattie McDaniel was the first African-American actress to win an Academy Award. She won the award for Best Supporting Actress for her role of Mammy in Gone with the Wind ....
, Ethel Waters
Ethel Waters
Ethel Waters was an American blues, jazz and gospel vocalist and actress. She frequently performed jazz, big band, and pop music, on the Broadway stage and in concerts, although she began her career in the 1920s singing blues.Her best-known recordings includes, "Dinah", "Birmingham Bertha",...
, and Amanda Randolph
Amanda Randolph
Amanda Randolph was an American actress and singer. She was a native of Louisville, Kentucky, and was the older sister of actress Lillian Randolph. She was the first African-American performer to star in a regularly scheduled network television show, appearing in DuMont's The Laytons...
) to portray housekeeper Beulah on the Beulah television show. That show was the first television sitcom to star an African American. She also played a maid, Louise, on the first two seasons of The Danny Thomas Show
The Danny Thomas Show
The Danny Thomas Show is an American sitcom which ran from 1953-1957 on ABC and from 1957-1964 on CBS...
(1953–1955).
Beavers started to become involved in aspects of life other than acting, where she helped support African Americans. She endorsed Robert S. Abbott, the editor of the Chicago Defender
Chicago Defender
The Chicago Defender is a Chicago based newspaper founded in 1905 by an African American for primarily African American readers.In just three years from 1919–1922 the Defender also attracted the writing talents of Langston Hughes and Gwendolyn Brooks....
, who helped fight for African Americans' civil rights. She supported Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
, whom she believed would help African Americans in the United States in the civil rights battle.
Marriage
Beavers married a man named Robert Clark in 1936. He later became her manager and helped her to manage her very busy schedule. She not only worked on roles for the films she was in, but also, “her twenty-week tours of theaters that she conducted annually”. They later divorced and remarried. Many years later, in 1952, Beavers married Leroy Moore, who was either an interior designer or a chef (varying sources); they stayed together until her death in 1962. She had no children.Death
In her later life, the actress was plagued by health issues, including obesity and diabetes. She lost her fight on October 26, 1962, aged 60, following a heart attack, at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Los Angeles. She died on the day of the 10th anniversary of the death of Hattie McDanielHattie McDaniel
Hattie McDaniel was the first African-American actress to win an Academy Award. She won the award for Best Supporting Actress for her role of Mammy in Gone with the Wind ....
, the first African-American actress to win an Academy Award.
Significance
Beavers was a central influence in the United States adapting to the African-American presence in film. Her performances in the films, her personality, and her character thus led her to the great honorof being placed into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame
Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame
The Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame, Inc. , was founded in 1973, Oakland, California. It supports and promotes black filmmaking, and preserves the contributions by African American artists both before and behind the camera...
in the year, 1976.
Filmography
Features:- The Gold DiggersThe Gold Diggers (1923 film)The Gold Diggers is a Warner Bros. silent film directed by Harry Beaumont with screenplay by Grant Carpenter based on the play of the same name by Avery Hopwood which ran for 282 performances on Broadway in 1919 and 1920. Both the play and the film were produced by David Belasco...
(19231923 in film-Events:*April 15 - Lee De Forest demonstrates the Phonofilm sound-on-film system at the Rivoli Theater in New York with a series of short musical films featuring vaudeville performers.-Top grossing films :-Films released in 1923:U.S.A...
) - Uncle Tom's Cabin (19271927 in film-Events:*January 10 - Fritz Lang's science-fiction fantasy Metropolis premieres in Germany.*April 7 - Abel Gance's Napoleon often considered his best known and greatest masterpiece, premiers at the Paris Opéra and would demonstrate techniques and equipment that would not be used for years to...
) - CoquetteCoquette (film)-Plot:Norma Besant, daughter of a Southern doctor, is an incorrigible flirt and has many suitors. Her father Dr. Besant favors Stanley , who is taken with Norma. However Norma has met a simple man named Michael Jeffrey who she has fallen madly in love with. Dr. Besant disapproves of Michael...
(19291929 in film-Events:The days of the silent film are numbered. A mad scramble to provide synchronized sound is on.*January 20 - The movie In Old Arizona is released. The film is the first full-length talking film to be filmed outdoors....
) - Glad Rag DollGlad Rag DollGlad Rag Doll is a 1928 song composed by Milton Ager with lyrics by Jack Yellen and Dan Dougherty. It was Ager and Yellen’s first movie theme song, written for the motion picture of the same name starring Dolores Costello....
(1929) - Gold Diggers of BroadwayGold Diggers of Broadway (film)Gold Diggers of Broadway is a 1929 Warner Bros. comedy/musical film which is historically important as the second two-strip Technicolor all-talking feature length movie . Gold Diggers of Broadway was also the third movie released by Warner Bros...
(1929) - Barnum Was Right (1929)
- Wall StreetWall Street (1929 film)Wall Street was a drama film released on December 1, 1929 and was produced by Harry Cohn, directed by Roy William Neill, and starred Ralph Ince, Aileen Pringle, Sam De Grasse, Philip Strange, and Freddie Burke Frederick.synopsis...
(1929) - Nix on Dames (1929)
- Second Choice (19301930 in film-Events:* November 1: The Big Trail featuring a young John Wayne in his first starring role is released in both 35mm, and a very early form of 70mm film and was the first large scale big-budget film of the sound era costing over $2 million. The film was praised for its aesthetic quality and realism...
) - Wide Open (1930)
- She Couldn't Say NoShe Couldn't Say No (1930 film)She Couldn't Say No is a musical drama that stars Winnie Lightner, fresh from her success in Gold Diggers of Broadway . It was adapted from a play by Benjamin M. Kaye...
(1930) - True to the Navy (1930)
- Safety in Numbers (1930)
- Back Pay (1930)
- Recaptured LoveRecaptured LoveRecaptured Love is an All-Talking musical drama film based on the play Misdeal by Basil Woon.-Plot:In this drama, a 50-year-old married man goes with his wife and son to a nightclub in a fancy hotel in Detroit...
(1930) - Our Blushing BridesOur Blushing BridesOur Blushing Brides is a 1930 drama film starring Joan Crawford, Robert Montgomery, Anita Page, and Dorothy Sebastian. The film was a follow-up to Our Dancing Daughters and Our Modern Maidens , and was a commercial success when it was released.The two previous installments in the series were both...
(1930) - ManslaughterManslaughter (1930 film)Manslaughter is a 1930 film directed by George Abbott, and starring Claudette Colbert and Fredric March. An original print of the film is saved in the UCLA Film and Television Archive.-Cast:*Claudette Colbert as Lydia Thorne...
(1930) - Outside the LawOutside the Law (1930 film)Outside the Law is a crime film directed by Tod Browning and starring Edward G. Robinson. It is a remake of the 1920 film of the same name, also directed by Browning.-Cast:* Edward G...
(1930) - Bright Lights (1930)
- PaidPaid (1930 film)Paid is a 1930 American drama film starring Joan Crawford, Robert Armstrong, and Kent Douglass in a story about a wrongly accused ex-convict who seeks revenge, within the law, on those who sent her to prison. The film was adapted by Lucien Hubbard and Charles MacArthur from the play, Within the...
(1930) - Scandal Sheet (19311931 in film-Top grossing films:-Academy Awards:*Best Picture: Cimarron - MGM*Best Actor: Lionel Barrymore - A Free Soul*Best Actor: Wallace Beery - The Champ*Best Actor: Fredric March - Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde...
) - MillieMillie (film)Millie is a Pre-Code drama film directed by John Francis Dillon and released by RKO Radio Pictures. Based on the novel by Donald Henderson Clarke, the movie stars Helen Twelvetrees, Lilyan Tashman, James Hall, and Joan Blondell.-Plot:...
(1931) - Don't Bet on Women (1931)
- Six Cylinder Love (1931)
- Up for Murder (1931)
- Party Husband (1931)
- Annabelle's Affairs (1931)
- Sundown Trail (1931)
- Reckless Living (1931)
- Girls About TownGirls About Town (film)Girls About Town is a 1931 comedy film directed by George Cukor and starring Kay Francis.-Cast:*Kay Francis as Wanda Howard*Joel McCrea as Jim Baker*Lilyan Tashman as Marie Bailey*Eugene Pallette as Benjamin Thomas*Alan Dinehart as Jerry Chase...
(1931) - Heaven on Earth (1931)
- Good Sport (1931)
- Ladies of the Big House (1931)
- The Greeks Had a Word for ThemThe Greeks Had a Word for ThemThe Greeks Had a Word for Them , also known as Three Broadway Girls, is a Pre-Code comedy film directed by Lowell Sherman, produced by Samuel Goldwyn, and released by United Artists. It stars Joan Blondell, Madge Evans, and Ina Claire and is based on the play The Greeks Had a Word for It by Zoe Akins...
(19321932 in film-Events:*Cary Grant's film career begins*Katharine Hepburn's film career begins*Shirley Temple's film career begins*Disney released Flowers and Trees, the first cartoon in three-strip Technicolor film.*Santa, first sound film made in Mexico released....
) - The Expert (1932)
- It's Tough to Be Famous (1932)
- Young AmericaYoung America (1932 film)Young America was a film first adapted for the screen by Maurine Watkins from the play by Fred Ballard . William M. Conselman rewrote the screenplay and Maurine's name no longer appeared on the credits . The film was directed by Frank Borzage.-Cast:* Spencer Tracy .....
(1932) - Night WorldNight World (1932 film)Night World is a pre-Code drama film featuring Lew Ayres, Mae Clarke, and Boris Karloff.-Production background:The movie was directed by Hobart Henley and features an early Busby Berkeley music number, "Who's Your Little Who-Zis".-Plot:...
(1932) - The Midnight Lady (1932)
- The Strange Love of Molly Louvain (1932)
- Street of Women (1932)
- The Dark HorseThe Dark Horse (film)The Dark Horse is a 1932 film starring Warren William and Bette Davis. The movie was directed by Alfred E. Green.-Synopsis:The Progressive Party convention is deadlocked for governor, and so both sides nominate the dark horse Zachary Hicks...
(1932) - What Price Hollywood?What Price Hollywood?What Price Hollywood? is a 1932 American drama film directed by George Cukor. The screenplay by Gene Fowler, Rowland Brown, Ben Markson, and Jane Murfin is based on a story by Adela Rogers St. Johns.-Plot:...
(1932) - Unashamed (1932)
- Divorce in the Family (1932)
- Hell's Highway (1932)
- Wild GirlWild Girl (film)Wild Girl is a 1932 film starring Charles Farrell, Joan Bennett, Ralph Bellamy, and Eugene Pallette. The movie was directed by Raoul Walsh, based on a play by Paul Armstrong, Jr. which in turn was based on the story "Salomy Jane's Kiss" by Bret Harte....
(1932) - Too Busy to Work (1932)
- She Done Him WrongShe Done Him WrongShe Done Him Wrong is a Pre-Code 1933 Paramount Pictures comedy romance film starring Mae West and Cary Grant. Others in the cast include Owen Moore, Gilbert Roland, Noah Beery, Sr., Louise Beavers and Rochelle Hudson....
(19331933 in film-Events:* March 2 - King Kong premieres in New York City.* June 6 - The first drive-in theater opens, in Camden, New Jersey.* British Film Institute founded....
) - Her Splendid Folly (1933)
- Girl Missing (1933)
- 42nd Street42nd Street (film)-Cast:*Warner Baxter as Julian Marsh, director*Bebe Daniels as Dorothy Brock, star*George Brent as Pat Denning, Dorothy's old vaudeville partner*Ruby Keeler as Peggy Sawyer, the newcomer*Guy Kibbee as Abner Dillon, the show's backer...
(1933) - The Phantom Broadcast (1933)
- Pick-UpPick-Up (1933 film)Pick-Up is a 1933 crime film starring Sylvia Sidney and George Raft. The movie was directed by Marion Gering.-Cast:*Sylvia Sidney as Mary Richards*George Raft as Harry Glynn*William Harrigan as Jim Richards*Lilian Bond as Muriel Stevens...
(1933) - Central AirportCentral Airport (film)Central Airport is a 1933 film starring Richard Barthelmess and Sally Eilers. John Wayne had an unbilled part, as a co-pilot, and this film features his first on-screen death.-Cast:* Richard Barthelmess as James 'Jim' Blaine...
(1933) - The Big CageThe Big CageThe Big Cage is a 1933 circus film released by Universal Pictures starring Clyde Beatty and Anita Page and featuring Raymond Hatton, Wallace Ford, Andy Devine and Mickey Rooney, with Walter Brennan and Louise Beavers in bit roles....
(1933) - What Price Innocence? (1933)
- Midnight MaryMidnight MaryMidnight Mary is a 1933 film that reveals in flashbacks the hard life of a woman on trial for murder. It stars Loretta Young, Ricardo Cortez, and Franchot Tone.-Cast:*Loretta Young as Mary Martin AKA "Midnight Mary"*Ricardo Cortez as Leo Darcy...
(1933) - Hold Your ManHold Your ManHold Your Man is a 1933 American romantic drama film directed by an uncredited Sam Wood and starring Jean Harlow and Clark Gable, the third of their six films together...
(1933) - Her Bodyguard (1933)
- A Shriek in the NightA Shriek in the NightA Shriek in the Night is a 1933 American comedy horror film starring Ginger Rogers, Lyle Talbot, and Harvey Clark.-Plot Outline:Rival newspaper reporters Pat Morgan and Ted Kord find themselves unravelling the mystery behind the death of a millionaire philanthropist who fell from his penthouse...
(1933) - Notorious But Nice (1933)
- BombshellBombshell (film)Bombshell is a Pre-Code film directed by Victor Fleming and starring Jean Harlow, Lee Tracy, Frank Morgan, C. Aubrey Smith, Mary Forbes and Franchot Tone.-Plot:...
(1933) - Only YesterdayOnly Yesterday (1933 film)Only Yesterday is a 1933 drama film about a young woman who becomes pregnant by her boyfriend before he rushes off to fight in World War I. It stars Margaret Sullavan and John Boles. The film was based on the novel Briefe einer unbekannten by Stefan Zweig, though he was not credited...
(1933) - In the Money (1933)
- Jimmy and Sally (1933)
- PalookaPalooka (film)Palooka is a 1934 comedy film directed by Benjamin Stoloff starring Jimmy Durante. It is based on the comic strip by Ham Fisher. The movie was adapted by Jack Jevne, Arthur Kober, Gertrude Purcell, Murray Roth and Ben Ryan from the comic strip...
(19341934 in film-Events:*January 26 - Samuel Goldwyn purchases the film rights to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz from the L. Frank Baum estate for $40,000.*February 19 - Bob Hope marries Dolores Reade...
) - Bedside (1934)
- I've Got Your NumberI've Got Your NumberI've Got Your Number is a 1934 Warner Bros. Pre-Code romantic comedy film directed by Ray Enright.-Plot:Switchboard operator Marie Lawson is conned by admirer Nicky , who tells her it is just a practical joke, into redirecting a phone call. However, Nicky uses what he learns to his own benefit,...
(1934) - Gambling LadyGambling LadyGambling Lady is a 1934 American dramatic film directed by Archie Mayo, and starring Barbara Stanwyck and Joel McCrea.-Plot:Mike Lee raises his daughter Lady Lee to be as honest a gambler as he is. When he gets too much in debt to the underworld syndicate headed by Jim Fallin, he commits suicide...
(1934) - A Modern Hero (1934)
- The Woman Condemned (1934)
- Registered Nurse (1934)
- Glamour (1934)
- I Believed in You (1934)
- Cheaters (1934)
- Merry Wives of Reno (1934)
- The Merry Frinks (1934)
- Dr. Monica (1934)
- I Give My Love (1934)
- Beggar's Holiday (1934)
- Imitation of LifeImitation of Life (1934 film)Imitation of Life is a 1934 American drama film directed by John M. Stahl. The screenplay by William Hurlbut, based on Fannie Hurst's 1933 novel of the same name, was augmented by eight additional uncredited writers, including Preston Sturges and Finley Peter Dunne...
(1934) - West of the Pecos (1934)
- Million Dollar Baby (1934)
- Annapolis Farewell (19351935 in film-Events:*Judy Garland signs a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer .*Seven year old Shirley Temple wins a special Academy Award.*The Bantu Educational Kinema Experiment started in order to educate the Bantu peoples.-Top grossing films:-Academy Awards:...
) - Bullets or BallotsBullets or BallotsBullets or Ballots is a 1936 gangster film starring Edward G. Robinson, Joan Blondell, Barton MacLane and Humphrey Bogart. Robinson plays a police detective who infiltrates a crime gang.-Cast:*Edward G...
(19361936 in filmThe year 1936 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May 29 - Fritz Lang's first Hollywood film Fury, starring Spencer Tracy and Bruce Cabot, is released.*November 6 - first Porky Pig animated cartoon...
) - Wives Never Know (1936)
- General SpankyGeneral SpankyGeneral Spanky is a 1936 American comedy film produced by Hal Roach. A spin-off of Roach's popular Our Gang short subjects, the film stars George "Spanky" McFarland, Phillips Holmes, Rosina Lawrence, Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas, and Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer...
(1936) - Rainbow on the River (1936)
- Make Way for TomorrowMake Way for TomorrowMake Way for Tomorrow is a 1937 American drama film directed by Leo McCarey. The plot concerns an elderly couple who are forced to separate when they lose their house and none of their five children will take both parents in....
(19371937 in filmThe year 1937 in film involved some significant events, including the Walt Disney production of the first full-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.- Events :*April 16 - Way Out West premieres in the US....
) - Wings Over Honolulu (1937)
- Love in a Bungalow (1937)
- The Last GangsterThe Last GangsterThe Last Gangster is a 1937 crime drama film, directed by Edward Ludwig and starring Edward G. Robinson, James Stewart and Rose Stradner.-Plot:...
(1937) - Scandal Sheet (19381938 in filmThe year 1938 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*January — MGM announces that Judy Garland would be cast in the role of "Dorothy" in the upcoming Wizard of Oz motion picture. Ray Bolger is cast as the "Tinman" and Buddy Ebsen is cast as the "Scarecrow". At Bolger's insistence,...
) - Life Goes On (1938)
- Brother RatBrother RatBrother Rat is a 1938 film about cadets at Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia, directed by William Keighley and starring Priscilla Lane and Wayne Morris....
(1938) - The Headleys at Home (1938)
- Peck's Bad Boy with the Circus (1938)
- Made for Each OtherMade for Each Other (1939 film)Made for Each Other is a 1939 drama film directed by John Cromwell and produced by David O. Selznick. It stars Carole Lombard and James Stewart as a couple who get married after only knowing each other very briefly.-Plot:...
(19391939 in filmThe year 1939 in motion pictures can be justified as being called the most outstanding one ever, when it comes to the high quality and high attendance at the large set of the best films that premiered in the year .- Events :Motion picture historians and film often rate...
) - The Lady's from KentuckyThe Lady's from KentuckyThe Lady's from Kentucky is a 1939 film starring George Raft and Ellen Drew. The movie was written by Malcolm Stuart Boylan from a story by Rowland Brown, and was directed by Alexander Hall. The screenplay involves a failing bookie who becomes half owner of a racehorse, with a Kentucky lady ...
(1939) - Reform School (1939)
- Parole Fixer (19401940 in filmThe year 1940 in film involved some significant events, including the premieres of the Walt Disney classics Pinocchio and Fantasia.-Events:*February 7 - Walt Disney's animated film Pinocchio is released....
) - Women Without Names (1940)
- No Time for ComedyNo Time for ComedyNo Time for Comedy is a 1940 comedy-drama film based on the play of the same name by S. N. Behrman, starring James Stewart, Rosalind Russell, Genevieve Tobin and Charles Ruggles.-Plot summary:...
(1940) - I Want a DivorceI Want a DivorceI Want a Divorce is a 1940 Paramount film directed by Ralph Murphy. The screenplay was written by Frank Butler...
(1940) - Virginia (19411941 in filmThe year 1941 in film involved some significant events.-Events:Citizen Kane, consistently rated as one of the greatest films of all time, was released in 1941.-Top grossing films :-Academy Awards:...
) - Sign of the Wolf (1941)
- Kisses for BreakfastKisses for BreakfastKisses for Breakfast is a 1941 screwball comedy directed by Yves Mirande, starring Dennis Morgan, Jane Wyatt and Shirley Ross. The film is a remake of the 1930 pre-Code comedy The Matrimonial Bed, which was produced by Warner Brothers Pictures from an English stage play adaptation by Seymour Hicks...
(1941) - Belle StarrBelle StarrMyra Maybelle Shirley Reed Starr , better known as Belle Starr, was a notorious American outlaw.-Early life:...
(1941) - Shadow of the Thin ManShadow of the Thin ManShadow of the Thin Man is the fourth of the six The Thin Man films. It was released in 1941 and was directed by W. S. Van Dyke. It stars William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles. Also, in this film their son Nick Jr. is old enough to figure in the comic subplot...
(1941) - The Vanishing Virginian (19421942 in filmThe year 1942 in film involved some significant events, in particular the release of a film consistently rated as one of the greatest of all time, Casablanca.-Events:...
) - Young America (1942)
- Reap the Wild WindReap the Wild WindReap the Wild Wind is a serialized story written by Thelma Strabel in 1940 for The Saturday Evening Post, which was the basis for the 1942 film starring Ray Milland, John Wayne, Paulette Goddard, Robert Preston, and Susan Hayward, and directed by Cecil B. DeMille, his second picture to be filmed in...
(1942) - Holiday InnHoliday Inn (film)Holiday Inn is a 1942 American musical film starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire, with music by Irving Berlin. The film has twelve songs written expressly for the film, the most notable being "White Christmas"...
(1942) - The Big Street (1942)
- Seven Sweethearts (1942)
- Good Morning, Judge (19431943 in filmThe year 1943 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 3 - 1st missing persons telecast * February 20 - American film studio executives agree to allow the Office of War Information to censor films....
) - DuBarry Was a LadyDuBarry Was a Lady (film)DuBarry Was a Lady is a 1943 Technicolor film, starring Red Skelton, Lucille Ball, and Gene Kelly, and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It is based on the 1939 stage musical of the same name....
(1943) - All by Myself (1943)
- Top Man (1943)
- Jack LondonJack London (1943 film)Jack London, also known as The Story of Jack London, is a 1943 American biographical film made by Samuel Bronston Productions and distributed by United Artists. It was directed by Alfred Santell and produced by Samuel Bronston with Joseph H...
(1943) - There's Something About a Soldier (1943)
- Follow the BoysFollow the BoysFollow the Boys , also known as Three Cheers for the Boys, is a musical film made by Universal Pictures as an all-star cast morale booster to entertain the troops abroad and the civilians at home. The film was directed by A. Edward "Eddie" Sutherland and produced by Charles K. Feldman...
(19441944 in filmThe year 1944 in film involved some significant events, including the wholesome, award-winning Going My Way plus popular murder mysteries such as Double Indemnity, Gaslight and Laura.-Events:*July 20 - Since You Went Away is released....
) - South of Dixie (1944)
- Dixie Jamboree (1944)
- Barbary Coast GentBarbary Coast GentBarbary Coast Gent is a 1944 film set in 1880s San Francisco's Barbary Coast and Nevada starring Wallace Beery. The movie was directed by Roy Del Ruth and features Beery's brother Noah Beery, Sr., John Carradine, and Chill Wills.-Cast:...
(1944) - Delightfully Dangerous (19451945 in filmThe year 1945 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Paramount Studios releases theatrical short cartoon titled The Friendly Ghost, featuring a ghost named Casper.* With Rossellini's Roma Città aperta, Italian neorealist cinema begins....
) - Young Widow (19461946 in filmThe year 1946 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*November 21 - William Wyler's The Best Years of Our Lives premieres in New York featuring an ensemble cast including Fredric March, Myrna Loy, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, and Harold Russell.*December 20 - Frank Capra's It's a...
) - Lover Come Back (1946)
- Banjo (19471947 in filmThe year 1947 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May 22 - Great Expectations is premiered in New York.*November 24 : The United States House of Representatives of the 80th Congress voted 346 to 17 to approve citations for contempt of Congress against the "Hollywood Ten".*November 25...
) - Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream HouseMr. Blandings Builds His Dream HouseMr. Blandings Builds His Dream House is a 1948 American comedy film directed by H.C. Potter and starring Cary Grant and Myrna Loy. The film was written and produced by the team of Melvin Frank and Norman Panama...
(19481948 in filmThe year 1948 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Laurence Olivier's Hamlet becomes the first British film to win the American Academy Award for Best Picture.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :...
) - A Southern YankeeA Southern YankeeA Southern Yankee is an American comedy film, directed by Edward Sedgwick, starring Red Skelton and Arlene Dahl, and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. A semi-remake of Buster Keaton's The General , Skelton plays a Union soldier who spies for the Confederacy during the American Civil War....
(1948) - Good SamGood SamGood Sam is a 1948 American romantic comedy-drama film starring Gary Cooper as a Good Samaritan who is helpful to others at the expense of his own family. The film was directed by Leo McCarey and produced by McCarey's production company, Rainbow Productions.-Cast:*Gary Cooper as Samuel R....
(1948) - For the Love of Mary (1948)
- Tell It to the Judge (19491949 in filmThe year 1949 in film involved some significant events.-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:*Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello...
) - Girls' School (19501950 in filmThe year 1950 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 15 - Walt Disney Studios' animated film Cinderella debuts.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:*Ambush...
) - The Jackie Robinson StoryThe Jackie Robinson StoryThe Jackie Robinson Story is a 1950 biographical film starring baseball legend Jackie Robinson as himself. The film focuses on Robinson's struggle with the abuse of racist bigots as he becomes the first African American Major League Baseball player of the modern era...
(1950) - My Blue Heaven (1950)
- Never Wave at a WAC (19521952 in filmThe year 1952 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 10 - Cecil B. DeMille's circus epic, The Greatest Show on Earth, premieres at Radio City Music Hall in New York City....
) - Colorado SundownColorado Sundown-Cast:*Rex Allen as Rex Allen*Koko as Koko*Mary Ellen Kay as Jackie Reynolds*Slim Pickens as Joshua 'Slim' Pickens / Ma Pickens*June Vincent as Carrie Hurley*Fred Graham as Daniel Hurley*John Daheim as Dusty Hurley aka John Stocker...
(1952) - I Dream of Jeanie (1952)
- Good-bye, My LadyGood-bye, My Lady (film)Good-bye, My Lady is a 1956 American film adaptation of the novel Good-bye, My Lady by James H. Street. The book had been inspired by Street's original story appearing in The Saturday Evening Post. As written, the story takes place in Mississippi, but was Hollywood changed to the state of Georgia,...
(19561956 in filmThe year 1956 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 5 - The Ten Commandments opens in cinemas and becomes one of the most successful and popular movies of all time, currently ranking 5th on the list of all time moneymakers * February 5 - First showing of documentary films by...
) - You Can't Run Away from ItYou Can't Run Away from ItYou Can't Run Away from It is a 1956 Technicolor and CinemaScope musical comedy starring June Allyson and Jack Lemmon. Directed and produced by Dick Powell, the film is a remake of the 1934 Academy Award-winning film It Happened One Night.-Plot:...
(1956) - Teenage RebelTeenage RebelTeenage Rebel is a 1956 drama film directed by Edmund Goulding and starring Ginger Rogers. It was nominated for two Academy Awards; for Best Costume Design and Best Art Direction Teenage Rebel is a 1956 drama film directed by Edmund Goulding and starring Ginger Rogers. It was nominated for two...
(1956) - Tammy and the BachelorTammy and the BachelorTammy and the Bachelor is a 1957 romantic comedy film and is the first of the four Tammy films. It stars Debbie Reynolds as Tambrey "Tammy" Tyree, Walter Brennan as Grandpa Dinwitty and Leslie Nielsen as Peter Brent...
(19571957 in filmThe year 1957 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 21 - The movie Jailhouse Rock, starring Elvis Presley, opens.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue-Awards:...
) - The Goddess (19581958 in filmThe year 1958 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 16- "In the Money" by William Beaudine is released on this date. It would be the last installment of The Bowery Boys series which began back in 1946....
) - All the Fine Young CannibalsAll the Fine Young CannibalsAll The Fine Young Cannibals is a 1960 film directed by Michael Anderson, based on the novel by Rosamond Marshall starring Robert Wagner, Natalie Wood, Susan Kohner, George Hamilton, and Pearl Bailey....
(19601960 in filmThe year 1960 in film involved some significant events, with Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho the top-grossing release in the U.S.-Events:* April 20 - for the first time since coming home from military service in Germany, Elvis Presley returns to Hollywood, California to film G.I...
) - The Facts of LifeThe Facts of Life (film)The Facts of Life is a 1960 romantic comedy starring Bob Hope and Lucille Ball as middle-aged people who have an affair despite being married to other people. Written, directed, and produced by the longtime Hope associates Melvin Frank and Norman Panama, the film was more serious than many other...
(1960)
Short subjects:
- Election DayElection Day (film)Election Day is a 1929 Our Gang short silent comedy film directed by Robert A. McGowan. It was the 81st Our Gang short that was released.-Cast:* Allen Hoskins - Farina* Unknown - Pleurisy* Joe Cobb - Joe Cobb* Jay R...
(19291929 in film-Events:The days of the silent film are numbered. A mad scramble to provide synchronized sound is on.*January 20 - The movie In Old Arizona is released. The film is the first full-length talking film to be filmed outdoors....
) - You're Telling MeThe Boy FriendsThe Boy Friends was a short-lived series of fifteen American comedy short films released between 1930 and 1932. The series spun off from the much larger and well-known Our Gang series . Like the Our Gang shorts of the time, The Boy Friends films were two-reel short subjects produced by Hal Roach...
(19321932 in film-Events:*Cary Grant's film career begins*Katharine Hepburn's film career begins*Shirley Temple's film career begins*Disney released Flowers and Trees, the first cartoon in three-strip Technicolor film.*Santa, first sound film made in Mexico released....
) - Hesitating Love (1932)
- The Midnight PatrolThe Midnight PatrolFor the television cartoon, see Midnight Patrol: Adventures in the Dream Zone.The Midnight Patrol is a short comedy film starring Laurel and Hardy released August 3, 1933.-Plot:Laurel and Hardy play two policemen on night patrol, hence the title...
(19331933 in film-Events:* March 2 - King Kong premieres in New York City.* June 6 - The first drive-in theater opens, in Camden, New Jersey.* British Film Institute founded....
) (scenes deleted) - Grin and Bear It (1933)