The Film Detective

A multifaceted mystery full of shocking twists and turns, this is one of the earliest onscreen appearances of the detective figure known as "The Shadow." The story follows Lamont Cranston (Rod La Rocque), an amateur criminologist and detective who gets tangled up in a web of deception and danger when he sets out to capture an infamous safe cracker. A wildly popular print and radio character birthed in pulp novels of the 1930s, The Shadow left such an enduring impression on the American public...

This fascinating compilation of footage comes from the personal collection of actor Ken Murray, who arrived in Hollywood in 1927, bought himself a 16mm camera, and started shooting the people around him. Here, he gathers the footage together for one heck of a tribute to his adopted hometown. Charlie Chaplin, Ward Bond, John Barrymore, Pat Boone, Lew Ayres, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Astor, and many others appear. Music is provided by Oscar winner George Stoll (Anchors Aweigh, Meet Me In St...

Robert Armstrong and Carol Lombard star in this early talkie about a reporter who is dealing with alcoholism and a crumbling marriage, not to mention being accused of a murder he didn't commit! Directed by two-time Oscar nominee Gregory La Cava (My Man Godfrey, Stage Door).

This cross-dressing farce sees Jack Mitchell disguise himself as the mysterious "Madame Brown," a missing witness important to a major court case. The scam works for a while, until he attracts the romantic attention of two old geezers and a Broadway showgirl. If you don't laugh your head off at this silent classic, call a doctor quick!

Only during the silent film era would you find this kind of plot: Prior to the outbreak of World War 1, a nobleman, disguised as a necktie salesman falls in love with the daughter of a circus puppeteer, even though he's already married to the daughter of his country's war minister. There's even a lovelorn hunchback! The legendary Erich Von Stroheim was hired to direct this strange romantic epic, but after shooting a few scenes was fired and replaced by Rupert Julian, who would later direct...

Mad scientists raising the dead!Showgirls battling like wild women! What else does one need? Perhaps a scene where a cat's head is squeezed until its eye pops out? It's all here in director Dwayne Esper's glorious 1934 debacle: Maniac! Whether you're a connoisseur of vintage exploitation flicks, or simply find them amusingly inept, this could be the movie for you. It's loosely based on Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Black Cat.' And when we say "loosely," we mean Edgar wouldn't recognize it!

Meet the two hilarious wizards! In Dreaming Out Loud, beloved radio characters Lum (Chester Lauck) and Abner (Norris Goff) make the leap to the silver screen. Helmed by The Scartlet Pimpernel director Harold Young, this slapstick comedy finds our wildly popular characters engaged in a typical series of misadventures while employed at the Jot 'Em Down, a general store in the heart of a small Arkansas town. A grieving drunk, a lovelorn postmistress, and a cash-strapped young doctor all drift in...

Claire Trevor, Albert Dekker, and Barry Sullivan star in this double-barreled gem from Harry Sherman Productions, a prolific company known for churning out entertaining westerns during the 1930s, '40s, and '50s. This one is about Dodge City's legendary lawman Bat Masterson, whose sweetheart is urging him to hang up his pistol. One problem: there are still plenty of people gunning for him! George Archainbaud (known for the Hopalong Cassidy TV series and The Gene Autry Show) directed, while...

GET READY FOR A GUSHER OF THRILLS! Two wildcatters -- Johnny Maverick and Chicopee Nevins -- head toward a small community in the oil region that has offered a whopping prize of $25,000 to anyone bringing in the first oil well. When they strike oil before they even get to town, the intrigue begins! This fascinating drama from Pine-Thomas Productions stars a surplus of familiar faces, including Buster Crabbe, William Frawley, and Elisha Cook Jr. Plus, Richard Arlen stars as Johnny, a guy who...

Arlette Lafron (Rogers) is a young pick pocket recruited by a corrupt foreign ambassador to steal a valuable watch from a wealthy and handsome young diplomat (Jean Pierre Aumont). Arlette not only bungles the job, but falls head over heels for her would-be victim. This entertaining remake of a popular French comedy stars such screen heavyweights as Basil Rathbone and Adolphe Menjou, was directed by Sam Wood ("A Day At The Races" and "A Night At The Opera"), and will have you thinking twice...

Clint Belmet (Cooper) is a frontier scout with his hands full in this 1931 Paramount Pictures version of Zane Grey's novel: he's helping guide awagon train across the country, fighting off various attacks on the way, and falling for the lovely Felice (Lily Damita).Belmet's grizzled companions think he should leave the woman alone, but it gets lonely out on the trail, and Felice's charms are hard to resist. Featuring such notable character actors of the period as Ernest Torrence,Tully...

There couldn't have been a better way to showcase Rudyard Kipling's famous jungle tale than in eye-popping Technicolor under the fantastical direction of Zoltan Korda ("Sahara"), and filling the role of Mowgli with the legendary Sabu ("Elephant Boy" "The Thief of Bagdad"). This 1942 feature was nominated for four Academy Awards (including one for Miklos Rozsa's musical score) and serves as a nice companion piece to the beloved 1967 Disney cartoon. But beware; there are no singing animals here,...