Sister Kenny (1946)

Sister Kenny (1946)

[7] Rosalind Russell (His Girl Friday, Auntie Mame) stars as a rural Australian nurse who discovers an effective treatment for polio-related paralysis, saving countless children from becoming invalids. But rather than embracing her discovery, the medical establishment punishes her -- branding her…
Remember the Night (1940)

Remember the Night (1940)

[7] Before their classic pairing in 1944's noir classic Double Indemnity, Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray co-starred in this warm, Christmastime romance from director Mitchell Leisen (Death Takes a Holiday) and writer Preston Sturges (Sullivan's Travels). Stanwyck plays a shoplifter whose trial…
The Furies (1950)

The Furies (1950)

[7] Barbara Stanwyck and Walter Huston square off in this western about a father and daughter fighting over who will control the future of the family's sprawling cattle ranch. The relationship begins as a loving, mentoring one, but transforms into a battle…
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)

[8] Jimmy Stewart gives a career-defining performance in this Frank Capra classic about a celebrated boy scout leader (Stewart) who gets chosen to fill a deceased senator's seat in the U.S. congress. His party assumes Stewart will be a doting yes-man, seriously…
Penny Serenade (1941)

Penny Serenade (1941)

[7] Cary Grant and Irene Dunn star as a couple whose marriage is on the verge of collapse. The reason is explained through a series of flashbacks, as Dunn listens to records that contain songs of special significance in their lives. We…
Back from Eternity (1956)

Back from Eternity (1956)

[7] When a small plane goes down in a South American jungle, the passengers and pilots must work together to repair the vehicle and get it back in the air before native headhunters attack. Back from Eternity is a remake of 1939's…
Track of the Cat (1954)

Track of the Cat (1954)

[5] Robert Mitchum headlines this William Wellman flick about a family battling their personal demons while also trying to hunt and destroy a near-mythical black panther that is preying on their cattle during a deadly snowstorm. Mitchum plays one of three brothers, along…
Of Human Hearts (1938)

Of Human Hearts (1938)

[6] Walter Huston and Jimmy Stewart star as a father and son at odds with one another in the years preceding The Civil War. Huston's a preacher and Stewart's character wants to pursue the earthly profession of medicine. Beulah Bondi earned an…
The Sisters (1938)

The Sisters (1938)

[5] Bette Davis marries Errol Flynn and moves to San Francisco, but their happy marriage begins to disintegrate when he can't support the couple and turns to drinking. It may be the writing more than the performances, but there's not much chemistry…
Make Way for Tomorrow (1937)

Make Way for Tomorrow (1937)

[8]

Leo McCarey won the best director Oscar for The Awful Truth, released the same year, but told the Academy they’d awarded him for the wrong picture. He may be right. Make Way for Tomorrow is a disarming, bonafide love story between an elderly couple (Victor Moore and Beulah Bondi) who are forced to separate when the bank forecloses on their home. The film is remarkably restrained and unsentimental for its time. The characters constantly mask their true feelings, fending off melodrama by acting against our immediate expectations.