Comedy

A Bride For Henry (1937)

Zesty comic romp about a flirtatious young woman who gets hers when her fiance leaves her at the altar. On the rebound, she weds an attorney as "a social gesture" to save face, but the new husband is determined to make the marriage work, even when the old beau resurfaces.

Director: William Nigh

Cast: Betty Ross Clark, Claudia Dell, Harrison Greene, Harry Harvey, Warren Hull, Sam Koki, Cyril McCormic, Henry Mollison, Lyle Moraine, Anne Nagel

Comedy, Black & White, Runtime: 59 minutes.

A Shriek In The Night (1933)

Ginger Rogers and Lyle Talbot repeat their roles from "The Thirteenth Guest" in this mystery comedy of reporters on the trail of a murderer.

Director: Albert Ray

Cast: Louise Beaver, Maurice Black, Harvey Clark, Lillian Harmer, Arthur Hoyt, Purnell Pratt, Ginger Rogers, Lyle Talbot, Clarence Wilson

Comedy, Mystery, Black & White, Runtime: 69 minutes.

The Affairs Of Cappy Ricks (1937)

Walter Brennan stars as a salty sea dog who returns from an extended trip away to find his professional and personal affairs in disarray. In an attempt to make things right, he takes his daughters and business associates on a cruise and deliberately shipwrecks them on a deserted island. Seemingly stuck in the middle of nowhere, Brennan sets out to teach his loved ones about life, romance and proper decision-making.

Director: Ralph Staub

Cast: Walter Brennan, Mary Brian, Lyle Talbot, Frank Melton

Comedy, Black & White, Runtime: 56 minutes.

Africa Screams (1949)

Mistaken for great hunters and shanghaied to Africa, Abbott and Costello lead crooks on a silly safari for hidden diamonds.

Director: Charles Barton

Cast: Bud Abbott, Max Baer, Buddy Baer, Clyde Beatty, Joe Besser, Hillary Brooke, Frank Buck, Lou Costello, Shemp Howard, Burton Wenland

Comedy, Black & White, Runtime: 79 minutes.

Angel on My Shoulder (1946)

Paul Muni plays a recently murdered gangster who finds himself roasting in Hell. Muni can't believe that he's in for All Eternity and keeps trying to "bust out," which brings him to the attention of the Head Man (Claude Rains), who calls himself Nick. Nick strikes a bargain with Muni: There's a troublesome honest judge on Earth who's been shipping too many souls to Hell; if Muni will take over the judge's body and begin performing bad deeds, Nick will set him free.

Director: Archie Mayo

Cast: Anne Baxter, Claude Rains, Onslow Stevens, George Cleveland

Comedy, Crime, Romance, Black & White, Runtime: 102 minutes.

At War with the Army (1950)

Jerry is a hapless private and Dean is the bossy First Sergeant of a slipshod platoon at a stateside training base. Jerry and Dean were friends who grew up in the same neighborhood before Uncle Sam made GIs out of them. All of the stereotypical military comedy characters are present, including the loudmouth drill instructor, the conniving supply sergeant, the doting corporal and the bumbling, hen-pecked company commander.

Director: Hal Walker

Cast: Polly Bergen, Dan Dayton, Jimmie Dundee, Douglas Evans, Tommy Farrell, Kenneth Forbes, Angela Greene, Frank Hyers, Mike Kellin, Jerry Lewis, Paul Livermore, Dean Martin, William Mendrek, Steve Roberts, Dewey Robinson, Jean Ruth, Dick Stabile

Comedy, Musical, Black & White, Runtime: 91 minutes.

Baby Face Morgan (1942)

A mobster's son is made head of a phony insurance company by a group of crooks wanting to get back into the biz. The joke is that he doesn't know it's a set-up.

Director: Arthur Dreifuss

Cast: Robert Armstrong, Vince Barnett, Sam Bernard, James Blaine, Mary Carlisle, Chick Chandler, Kenny Chryst, Richard Cromwell, Hal K. Dawson, Ralf Harolde, Warren Hymer, Charles Judels, Jack Kenny, Pierce Lyden, Emmett Lynn, Patsy Moran, Toddy Peterson, Bobby Stone

Comedy, Black & White, Runtime: 60 Minutes.

Back Room Boy (1942)

Arthur Pilbeam wants to find a job away from women after being jilted by his fiancé. He finds a job at a remote lighthouse that's being used as meteorological station., but even in these isolated conditions he still can't help but run into women.

Director: Herbert Mason

Cast: Moore Marriott, Graham Moffatt, John Salew, Googie Withers

Comedy, Black & White, Runtime: 79 minutes.

Beat The Devil (1953)

Offbeat is the only way to describe this John Huston/Truman Capote collaboration about a ragtag group of con men out to swindle each other while on a Mediterranean cruise.

Director: John Huston

Cast: Ivor Barnard, Humphrey Bogart, Giulio Donnini, Jennifer Jones, Bernard Lee, Gina Lollobrigida, Peter Lorre, Robert Morley, Mario Perrone, Mimmo Poli, Aldo Silvani, Marco Tulli, Edward Underdown, Saro Urzi

Action, Adventure, Comedy, Black & White, Runtime: 90 minutes.

Behave Yourself! (1951)

Comedy-thriller stars Shelley Winters and Farley Granger as a couple on the run when the stray dog they take in turns out to be a trained "crime dog" that the bad guys want back.

Director: George Beck

Cast: Glenn Anders, Don Beddoe, Lon Chaney Jr., Hans Conried, Henry Corden, William Demarest, King Donovan, Tom Dugan, Kathleen Freeman, Margalo Gillmore, Farley Granger, Jerry Hausner, Richard Irving, Jack Jahries, Allen Jenkins, Elisha Cook Jr., Marvin Kaplan, Sheldon Leonard, Vera Marshe, Ralph Montgomery, W. J. O'Brien, Shimen Ruskin, Ralph Sanford, Harry Shannon, Francis L. Sullivan

Comedy, Black & White, Runtime: 80 minutes.

The Big Show-Off (1945)

Joe Bagley (Lionel Stander), owner of the Blue Heaven Club, tries to foster a romance between shy pianist Sandy Elliott (Arthur Lake)and band vocalist June Mayfield(Dale Evans.).

Director: Howard Bretherton

Cast: Arthur Lake, Dale Evans, Lionel Stander, George Meeker, Paul Hurst, Marjorie Manners, Sammy Stein

Comedy, Drama, Musical, Romance, Black & White, Runtime: 60 minutes.

Bowery Blitzkrieg (1941)

Fun and danger with the East Side Kids, as Muggsy's chance to win a Golden Gloves boxing match is threatened by crooked fight promoters.

Director: Wallace Fox

Cast: Pat Costello, Eddie Foster, Leo Gorcey, David Gorcey, Donald Haines, Huntz Hall, Charlotte Henry, Warren Hull, Bobby Jordan, Keye Luke, Dennis Moore, Sunshine Sammy Morrison, Jack Mulhall, Dick Ryan, Bobby Stone, Minerva Urecal, Martha Wentworth

Comedy, Black & White, Runtime: 63 minutes.

Boys of the City (1940)

Things get scary for Leo Gorcey, Bobby Jordan and the East Side gang when a murder in a creepy old mansion makes them unofficial ghost chasers.

Director: Joseph H. Lewis

Cast: Vince Barnett, Frankie Burke, Alden Chase, Hally Chester, Eugene Francis, Ina Gest, David Gorcey, Leo Gorcey, Donald Haines, George Humbert, Bobby Jordan, Jerry Mandy, Dennis Moore, Dave "Tex" O'Brien, Sunshine Sammy, Forrest Taylor, Minerva Urecal

Comedy, Black & White, Runtime: 63 minutes.        

The Brideless Groom (1947)

To inherit a fortune, voice teacher Shemp must marry before six o'clock, but no girl will accept his proposal.

Director: Edward Bernds

Cast: Shemp Howard, Larry Fine, Moe Howard, Dee Green, Christine McIntyre, Doris Houck, Alyn Lockwood

Comedy, Black & White, Runtime: 17 minutes.

Broadway Limited (1941)

A publicity stunt staged on a train known as the Broadway Limited creates problems because of an unknown baby that was part of the stunt.

Director: Gordon Douglas

Cast: Victor McLaglen, Marjorie Woodworth, Dennis O'Keefe, Patsy Kelly, Zasu Pitts, Leonid Kinskey, George E. Stone

Comedy, Black & White, Runtime: 75 minutes.

Check and Double Check (1930)

Typical Amos 'n Andy storyline has the boys trying to make a go of their "open-air" taxi business while they get caught up in a society hassle, involving driving musicians to a fancy party. All the regular characters are here (or mentioned), including the famous Mystic Knights of the Sea. The only film appearance of radio's long-running characters.

Director: Melville Brown

Cast: Rosco Ates, Sue Carol, Charles J. Correll, Duke Ellington, Freeman F. Gosden, Ralf Harold, Robert Homans, Edward Martindel, Charles S. Morton, Russ Powell, Irene Rich, Rita La Roy

Comedy, Black & White, Runtime: 77 minutes.

Clancy Street Boys (1943)

East Side Kids comedy has the gang pretending to be Leo Gorcey's siblings in order to impress a rich uncle from Texas.

Director: William Beaudine

Cast: Benny Bartlett, Noah Beery Sr., Billy Benedict, George DeNormand, Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Bobby Jordan, J. Farrell McDonald, Eddie Mills, Sammy Morrison, Jan Rubini, Rick Vallin, Lita Ward, Martha Wentworth

Comedy, Black & White, Runtime: 66 minutes.

Colonel Effingham's Raid (1945)

Delightful comedy of an old Southern colonel (Charles Coburn) who mounts one last battle to save his town's lone historical landmark.

Director: Irving Pichel

Cast: James Adamson, Ed Allen, Carol Andrews, Henry Armetta, Walter Baldwin, Guy Beach, Joan Bennett, Paul Burns, George Chandler, Ken Christy, Charles Coburn, Frank Craven, Boyd Davis, Abe Dinovitch, Robert Dudley, Ralph Dunn, Michael Dunne, William Eythe, Edward Fielding, Clyde Fillmore, Gus Glassmire, Thurston Hall, Harry Hayden, Herbert Heywood, Hallene Hill.

Comedy, Black & White, Runtime: 71 minutes.

Disorder in the Court (1936)

Moe, Larry, and Curly are witnesses in a murder trial involving a dancer (Suzanne Kaaren) from "The Black Bottom Cafe," the club where they work. Curly is called on the stand to explain "Who killed Kirk Robin?" and the rest is pandemonium.

Director: Jack White

Hank Bell, Harry Semels, Bill O'Brien, Edward J. Le Saint, Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard

Comedy, Black & White, Runtime: 17 minutes.

Down Among the Z Men (1952)

"Down Among the Z Men" features the cast of radio's "The Goon Show" in a riotous romp concerning a college professor (Michael Bentine) who misplaces a valuable scientific formula inside a grocery store. Co-starring Peter Sellers, Harry Secombe & Spike Milligan.

Director: Maclean Rogers

Cast: Michael Bentine, Graham Stark, Peter Sellers, Harry Secombe, Spike Milligan

Comedy, Black & White, Runtime: 68 minutes.

Dreaming Out Loud (1940)

Radio stars Lum and Abner's film career got off the ground with this homespun comedy that follows the Jot `Em Down General Store proprietors in a series of misadventures, as they hang out their shingles as fundraisers, matchmakers and detectives. With Chester Lauck and Norris Goff.

Director: Harold Young

Cast: Irving Bacon, Clara Blandick, Donald Briggs, Frank Craven, Norris Goff, Phil Harris, P. J. Kelly, Frances Langford, Chester Lauck, Robert McKenzie, Bobs Watson, Robert Wilcox

Comedy, Black & White, Runtime: 65 minutes.