The Ghost Comes Home (1940)
[4] Frank Morgan (The Wizard of Oz) stars in this goofy comedy about a pet shop owner who gets mistaken for dead. His family cashes in his insurance policy, so when he surprises them all by being alive, they work…
The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
[8] James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan star in this fluffy romantic comedy from director Ernst Lubitsch. Stewart and Sullavan play clerks at a Hungarian general store during Christmastime. Both are courting anonymous, romantic pen pals, with no idea that the…
The Thief of Bagdad (1940)
[7] In this potpourri of Middle-Eastern folklore, a banished king (John Justin) and a street boy (Sabu) team up to stop an evil magician (Conrad Veidt) from marrying a beautiful princess (June Duprez). The Thief of Bagdad tries to combine…
Too Many Husbands (1940)
[5] Jean Arthur finds herself with two husbands after her first, presumed dead at sea, turns out to be very much alive. The genders are reversed, but the story is very similar to My Favorite Wife, a better film released…
Little Men (1940)
[6] This particular adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's book ends on a morally ambiguous note (I don't think children should ever be lied to), but the film is otherwise passable family entertainment. Jimmy Lydon does a decent job as Dan,…
Fantasia (1940)
[7] Walt Disney was somewhat ahead of his time experimenting with music and animation in Fantasia, an astounding achievement of artistry, craftsmanship, and innovation in animation. I dig Fantasia, but it's an uneven mix. The host segments do not stand…
Strange Cargo (1940)
[3] Clark Gable escapes the Devil's Island penal colony and takes floozie Joan Crawford along for the ride. Along with a handful of other fleeing criminals, they rough it through the jungle and long days at sea to reach the…
The Sea Hawk (1940)
[7] In this romantic, seafaring adventure from director Michael Curtiz (Casablanca), Errol Flynn swashbuckles as a pirate hired by Queen Elizabeth I to thwart the Spanish armada. The Sea Hawk rises above Saturday matinee standards by integrating a healthy dose…
The Letter (1940)
[4] Bette Davis stars as a woman charged with murder. She claims it was self defense, but opposing counsel discovers a letter that threatens her verdict -- a letter she wrote to the deceased on the day she shot him...…
The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
[10] John Ford directs John Steinbeck's Pulitzer Prize-winning tale of a destitute Oklahoma family who pile everything they own into a jalopy and head for California in hope of finding work and a new home. The Grapes of Wrath puts…