Dead End (1937)
[8] Humphrey Bogart's star was on the rise when he appeared in this ensemble drama based on a popular Broadway play by Sidney Kingsley. Bogart plays a murderous gangster who returns to his riverside slum in New York City after…
Stella Dallas (1937)
[4] As much as I love Barbara Stanwyck, I'm surprised to be disappointed by her first of four Oscar-nominated performances. Stanwyck plays the title character in Stella Dallas, a woman from a poor family who ingratiates herself to a wealthier…
The Women (1939)
[8] Norma Shearer (The Divorcee) fronts an all-star, all-female cast in George Cukor's adaptation of Clare Boothe Luce's The Women. Shearer plays a happily married woman of privilege who learns through the gossipy grapevine that her husband is having an…
Turnabout (1940)
[6] Carole Landis and John Hubbard star as a bickering husband and wife who each believes the other has the easier life. They wish upon a statue of Buddha to trade places, and lo and behold, their wish comes true.…
Friendly Persuasion (1956)
[9]
William Wyler directs this story about an Indiana Quaker family trying hard to keep their pacifist faith while the Civil War creeps up on their doorstep. The screenplay makes the period setting completely accessible, skillfully blending comedy and drama with character and substance. I quickly invested in the family, especially Gary Cooper as the father, a man who enjoys horse racing his neighbor to church on Sunday mornings. Dorothy McGuire is beautiful and endearing as his stalwart wife, and Anthony Perkins makes a memorable turn as their oldest son.