San Antonio (1945)

San Antonio (1945)

[6] In this Technicolor western, Errol Flynn courts a dance hall performer (Gentleman Jim's Alexis Smith) while trying to prove her boss (Paul Kelly) has been stealing and selling other men's cattle. San Antonio is a beautiful but unusual studio western, favoring…
Objective, Burma! (1945)

Objective, Burma! (1945)

[7] Errol Flynn leads a special ops platoon who parachute into Japanese-occupied Burma during World War II. Their mission is to blow up an important radar station, then make their way to an abandoned runway for pickup. But when the Japanese swarm…
Mildred Pierce (1945)

Mildred Pierce (1945)

[7] Joan Crawford won her Oscar for playing the title character in this noir-melodrama from director Michael Curtiz (Casablanca). Based on the book by James M. Cain, Mildred Pierce is told largely in flashback, with Crawford spilling the beans to police after…
Christmas in Connecticut (1945)

Christmas in Connecticut (1945)

[7] A homemaking writer (Barbara Stanwyck) finds herself in a jam after her magazine editor (Sydney Greenstreet) invites himself and a wounded war hero (Dennis Morgan) to her house for Christmas dinner to experience the life she writes about. Trouble is, she…
The Lost Weekend (1945)

The Lost Weekend (1945)

[6] Maestro Billy Wilder directs Ray Milland as a drunk writer circling the drain in the multi-Oscar-winning The Lost Weekend. Milland's character is supposed to begin recovery on a long holiday weekend with his brother (Phillip Terry) and gal pal (Jane Wyman),…
The Story of G.I. Joe (1945)

The Story of G.I. Joe (1945)

[7] This isn't the romanticized WWII of modern cinema, it's probably closer to the real thing. The Story of G.I. Joe is based on print journalist Ernie Pyle's interviews with soldiers in the field. Pyle was in the foxholes with them, and…
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945)

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945)

[7] Elia Kazan (East of Eden) made the jump from Broadway plays to feature films with this adaptation of the book by Betty Smith. The story centers around a young girl named Francie growing up in Brooklyn in the early 1900's. Her…
The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945)

The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945)

[8] A young man's soul is transferred to a mysterious portrait that bears the decay and debauchery of his lifestyle. The most interesting thing about this Oscar Wilde tale is that you are never told what Dorian Gray's sins are, though the…
Hangover Square (1945)

Hangover Square (1945)

[6] A composer suffers from frequent black-outs and begins to wonder if he's not responsible for a series of murdered women in the area. Hangover Square is a very good dark drama featuring a great performance by Laird Cregar. Some say this…