Orson Welles has taken up permanent residence in the hearts and minds of movie lovers due to the hugely influential works he leaves behind and the sort of larger-than-life persona of which Hollywood legends are made. Of course, Citizen Kane…
Read more →1940s Movies
Classic 1940s movie reviews, movie articles and information. Movie reviews from classic movies from 1940 to 1949, the Golden Age of Hollywood.
Poll: What’s Your Favorite “Diamond Anniversary” Film from 1941?
From Citizen Kane and How Green Was My Valley to Dumbo and The Maltese Falcon, the movie roster of 75 years ago was truly “the stuff that dreams are made of.” Vote in our poll for your favorite “diamond anniversary” film from 1941.
Read more →The Golden Age of Screwball Comedies
Wild plots, crazy characters and rapid-fire dialogue marked the screwball comedies of the 1930s and ’40s. For his MovieFanFare debut, writer Nathaniel Cerf examines the genre where such stars as Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, Barbara Stanwyck and others showed off their funny bones.
Read more →Flaxy Martin (1949): Heartlessness Hidden in a Mink Coat
Virginia Mayo is the “girl with the heart of ice” who lets her mob lawyer boyfriend (Zachary Scott) take the fall for a killing she committed in Flaxy Martin. Guest blogger Kristen Lopez shines a light in the 1949 noir drama, which co-starred Dorothy Malone.
Read more →Dr. Ehrlich’s Magic Bullet (1940): For Love of Science
Edward G. Robinson starred as the 19th-century German researcher who fought stigma and skeptics as he sought a cure for syphilis in Dr. Ehrlich’s Magic Bullet. For the Movie Scientist Blogathon, we review the 1940 Warner Bros. biodrama.
Read more →Taking a Look at Out of the Past Now
A private eye hired to track down a shady businessman’s fugitive mistress makes the potentially fatal mistake of falling for her. Guest writer Barry P. takes a look at Jacques Tourneur’s 1947 film noir gem Out of the Past, with Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer and Kirk Douglas.
Read more →Edward G. Robinson: Gangland Cinema’s Little Giant
One of the screen’s all-time tough guys passed away 43 years ago this week. In this classic post, we look back at the life and career of Little Caesar himself, Edward G. Robinson.
Read more →William Powell: Less Than Saintly as The Hoodlum Saint (1946)
WWI veteran William Powell works his way up the ladder of the ’20s business world, but finds success comes at a cost, in The Hoodlum Saint. Guest writer Laura Grieve reviews the 1946 MGM drama, which co-stars Esther Williams and Angela Lansbury.
Read more →They Met in the Dark: WWII Noir with James Mason
Disgraced British Navy officer James Mason seeks to clear his name in the 1943 espionage thriller They Met in the Dark, co-starring Joyce Howard. Meet guest writer Mike Perry, who shines a light on the noir-flavored drama.
Read more →Horses, Trains and Carriages: Duel in the Sun (1946)
King Vidor’s Duel in the Sun, with Jennifer Jones and Gregory Peck, was a frontier tale of forbidden love. But it also reflected how the coming of the railroad changed the landscape of the Old West and its inhabitants, according to guest writer Emily Rauber.
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