"Wake Island" is an action war film telling the story of the Japanese attack on the U. S. military outpost there following the Dec. 7, 1941, strike on Pearl Harbor. Director John Farrow ("A Bill of Divorcement" 1940) put together a well-paced film which maintains a [..]

"Reap the Wild Wind" is an exciting action-adventure film set in Key West, Florida, in the 1840's. The story centers around cut-throat salvagers who profit from the wrecks of transatlantic cargo ships, and also wreak havoc by attacking active shipping. Raymond Massey plays once such salvage captain who [..]

The Best Picture of 1942 is....."Mrs. Miniver." This outstanding drama depicts a middle class English family enduring the stresses and strains of Nazi Germany's bombardment of their nation during the early years of World War II. The film took home six Oscars (out of [..]

"Touch of Evil" is a crime drama film noir about kidnapping, murder, drugs, and police corruption in a town along the U. S.-Mexican border. The complex plot is too involved to summarize in this space. Orson Welles ("Citizen Kane" 1941) tightly [..]

Elvis Presley turns in a respectable performance as a young man searching for a job, and a girl friend, in "King Creole." This entertaining black and white melodrama was tightly directed by Michael Curtiz ("Casablanca" 1943), from a screenplay by Herbert Baker and Michael V. Gazzo. [..]

"The Defiant Ones" tells the story of two escaped prisoners from a chain gang, one white and one black, who are shackled together and must cooperate to survive. It stars Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier, delivering outstanding performances under what was undoubtedly very difficult circumstances. The pair took [..]

"Damn Yankees" is a musical comedy about a middle-aged Washington Senators baseball fan who sells his soul to the devil in exchange for helping his team win the pennant against the New York Yankees. The devil also transforms him into a young ball player. [..]

The English charm of Cary Grant and the Italian charisma of Sophia Loren combine to make a very entertaining romantic comedy movie called "Houseboat." It was capably directed by Melville Shavelson ("Beau James" 1957), who was able to handle the strong personalities of the two major stars. He [..]

Andy Griffith found his niche in show business with the role of Will Stockdale, a man from rural Georgia who joins the Air Force. Stockdale's sergeant's numerous attempts to make him look foolish backfire, with Will always coming out on top. Griffith's "country bumpkin" [..]

"Run Silent, Run Deep" is an exciting World War II action movie starring Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster. The story has Gable as the commander of a U. S. submarine who is obsessed with a Japanese destroyer which has sunk three American subs. The film has [..]