Hell’s House (1932) [Drama]



“Hell’s House” is a 1932 American drama film directed by Howard Higgin. The screenplay by Paul Gangelin and B. Harrison Orkow, set during the waning days of the Prohibition era, is based on a story by Higgin.

When orphaned Jimmy Mason is taken in by his Aunt Emma and Uncle Henry, he meets their boarder Matt Kelly, who impresses the young man with his boastful swagger and alleged political connections, although in reality he’s a bootlegger. The boy’s life is disrupted when, as one of Kelly’s hired hands, he refuses to identify his boss during a police raid and is sentenced to three years of hard labor in reform school, where he befriends a sickly boy named Shorty, who eventually is sent to solitary confinement.

When Jimmy realizes his new pal is seriously ill and desperately needs medical attention, he escapes and goes to Kelly and Kelly’s girl friend, Peggy Gardner, for help. Peggy contacts newspaper columnist Frank Gebhardt, who is anxious to expose the conditions at the state industrial school. The authorities find Jimmy at Gebhardt’s office, but before they can apprehend him Kelly admits his involvement in the bootlegging operation and the boy is set free. He discovers Shorty has died, victimized by a corrupt system.

Directed by Howard Higgin, produced by B. F. Zeidman, written by Paul Gangelin and B. Harrison Orkow, starring Bette Davis as Peggy Gardner, Pat O’Brien as Matt Kelly, Junior Durkin as Jimmy Mason, Frank Coghlan Jr. as Shorty, Emma Dunn as Emma Clark, Charley Grapewin as Henry Clark, Morgan Wallace as Frank Gebhardt, Hooper Atchley as Captain Of The Guard, Wallis Clark as Judge Robinson and James A. Marcus as Superintendent Charles Thompson.

Source: “Hell’s House” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.. 1 March 2013. Web. 20 April 2013. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hell%27s_House.

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Man with Two Lives (1942) [Horror] [Science Fiction] [Thriller]



The story is of a man who is brought back from the dead and whose body is hijacked by the soul of an executed gangster, consequently making the deceased man a high proze criminal. At the beginning of the story the happy couple Phillip Bennett and Louise Hammond are engaged to be married. A major bump on their planned road to the future emerges when sadly Phillip is killed in a traffic accident as they are driving back from their very engagement party. The dubious Dr. Clarke, who apparently is known for being able to revive deceased animals, is called on for the purpose of bringing Phillip back to life. By midnight on that very same night as Phillips demise, the infamous criminal Panino, is to receive his capital punishment for his crimes: execution through electrocution. Just minutes before midnight Dr. Clarke performs his resuscitaion operation and it is a successful one, but when Panino dies moments later his ominous soul enters and claims Phillip’s body. The soul change goes unnoticed however, and Phillip’s body is brought home to his hopeful wife to be. At first it appears Phillip suffers from severe amnesia, and he is uncapable of recognizing any of the persons previously known to him, which is of course an unpleasant surprise.

Phillip instantly starts roaming Panino’s old hoods, and it doesn’t take long before he once again is supreme commander of his old gang, running the business as usual, but in the shape of Phillip. The people around Phillip, including his father Hobart Bennet is worried by the development and this new personality of Phillip’s. They become even more worried when they start noticing that he is more and more absent from his home. Soon a crime wave hits the city and there is an outbreak of gang wars, throwing the city into chaos as gang member are killed on every side. Accompanied by Dr. Clarke, Phillip’s father Hobart visit the gang’s headquarters and meets with the gangsters, to tell them who Panino/Phillip really is. They inquires the gang members about Phillip’s relation to the gang and its business, and the gang members find out that Phillip, a respectable citizen, is the son of Hobart Bennet. Phillip/Panino finds out about this and feels threatened by the fact that some of the gang members know about his “secret identity”. He murders all of the potentially dangerous gang members, but fails to do off with one person, a brother to one of the murdered gang members, who knows his secret.

This remaining man becomes the key to catching Panino/Phillip and stop him from going through with his planned robbery. He tips the police of Panino/Phillip’s plans and a trap is laid out to catch the felon, but he escapes and decides to take revenge on the detective in charge of hunting him down. He ends up killing the detective, but is in turn killed himself by Dr. Clarke.

Directed by Phil Rosen, produced by A.W. Hackel, written by Joseph Hoffman, starring Edward Norris as Philip Bennett, Marlo Dwyer as Helen Lengel, Eleanor Lawson as Louise Hammond, Frederick Burton as Hobart Bennett, Addison Richards as Lt. Detective George Bradley, Edward Keane as Dr. Richard Clark, Hugh Sothern as Prof. Toller, Tom Seidel as Reginald “Reg” Bennett, Elliott Sullivan as Eric, Anthony Warde as Hugo, Ernie Adams as Gimpy, Kenne Duncan as Jess Fowler, George Dobbs as Tim Martin, Lois Landon as Aunt Margaret, Frances Richards as Nurse, Jack Buckley as Mitch Larsen, Jack Ingram as Ed. Sporady and George Kirby as The Bennett Butler.

Source: “Man with Two Lives” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.. 4 April 2013. Web. 20 April 2013. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_with_Two_Lives.

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Doomed To Die (1940) [Crime] [Drama] [Mystery]



“Doomed to Die” is a 1940 mystery film directed by William Nigh and starring Boris Karloff as Mr. Wong. Mr. Wong and a girl reporter investigate a shipping magnate’s murder. It is a sequel to the 1940 film, “The Fatal Hour”.

Directed by William Nigh, produced by Paul Malvern and Scott R. Dunlap, written by Hugh Wiley, Ralph Gilbert Bettison and Michael Jacoby, starring Boris Karloff as James Lee Wong, Marjorie Reynolds as Roberta ‘Bobbie’ Logan, Grant Withers as Capt. William ‘Bill’ Street (Homicide Squad), William Stelling as Dick Fleming, Catherine Craig as Cynthia Wentworth, Guy Usher as Paul Fleming (Dick’s father), Henry Brandon as Victor ‘Vic’ Martin (attorney), Melvin Lang as Cyrus P. Wentworth, Wilbur Mack as Matthews (Wentworth’s assistant), Kenneth Harlan as Ludlow (chauffeur) and Richard Loo as Tong leader.

Source: “Doomed to Die” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.. 9 April 2013. Web. 20 April 2013. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doomed_to_die.

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Monsoon (Isle of Forgotten Sins) (1943) [Adventure] [Drama]



“Isle of Forgotten Sins” is an American South Seas adventure film released on August 15, 1943, with Leon Fromkess in charge of production, directed by Edgar G. Ulmer (who is also credited with the film’s original story) and featuring top-billed John Carradine and Gale Sondergaard. “Isle of Forgotten Sins” was subsequently reissued in a version cut from 82 to 74 minutes and retitled “Monsoon”. Composer Leo Erdody, a long time friend of Edgar G. Ulmer included several songs and pieces from Richard Wagner’s music in the film

The female owner of a seedy dive and brothel on a South Seas island meets two treasure hunters looking for a sunken ship full with cargo of gold. She persuades them to let her in on the deal. Complications ensue because of intrigue, double-crosses and an approaching violent monsoon.

Directed by Edgar G. Ulmer, produced by Leon Fromkess and Peter R. Van Duinen, written by Edgar G. Ulmer (originally story) and Raymond L. Schrock (sceenplay), starring John Carradine as Clancy, Gale Sondergaard as Marge, Sidney Toler as Krogan, Frank Fenton as Burke, Veda Ann Borg as Luana, Rita Quigley as Diane, Rick Vallin as Johnny Pacific, Tala Birell as Christine, Patti McCarty as Bobbie, Betty Amann as Olga, Marian Colby … as Mimi and William Edmonds as Chief.

Source: “Isle of Forgotten Sins” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.. 21 February 2013. Web. 20 April 2013. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isle_of_Forgotten_Sins.

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Detour



Piano player Al donĀ“t like to work in a New York nightclub. Because of his girlfriend Sue leaves to seek fame in Hollywood, he decides to move to L.A. as well. on the way in Arizona, bookie Charles Haskell Jr. gives him a ride in his convertible. Haskell has Al pass him pills several times along the way. Unable to rouse Haskell, Al opens the passenger-side door. Haskell falls out and strikes his head on the ground…

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Gangster Story



The gangster and cop killer Jack Martin is on the run from the law and hides himself out in a small town. Low on funds, he engineers a clever bank robbery that yields him a big bundle. But because of this he now has the cops and the FBI after him. Also the local crime boss try to find him first because of the fact, that an outsider can pulled off a heist like that in his territory…

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Carnival of Souls



Mary and two of her friends are challenged by some men to a drag race. The car is forced off a bridge. All three women seemed to be drowned until Mary suprisingly emerges from the river with no memory of her survival. Mary accepts a new job as a church organist. But strange things start to happen and she becomes invisable.

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The Amazing Mr. X



On the beach at night, Christine Faber thinks she hears her husband Paul calling out of the surf… Shortly later, she meets Alexis, a tall dark man, who seems to know all about such mysterious things. After more ghostly manifestations, Christine and her younger sister Janet Faber become enmeshed in the eerie artifices of Alexis…

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