Watch Angels in the Outfield Online

Angels in the Outfield (1951)iMDB Rating: 7.1
Date Released : 19 October 1951
Genre : Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Sport
Stars : Paul Douglas, Janet Leigh, Keenan Wynn, Donna Corcoran. A young woman reporter blames the Pittsburgh Pirates' losing streak on the obscenely abusive manager. While she attempts to learn more about him for her column, he begins hearing the voice of an angel promising him help for the team if he will mend his ways. As he does so, an orphan girl who is a Pirates fan and has been praying for the team begins noticing angels on the ballfield. Sure enough, ..." />
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A young woman reporter blames the Pittsburgh Pirates' losing streak on the obscenely abusive manager. While she attempts to learn more about him for her column, he begins hearing the voice of an angel promising him help for the team if he will mend his ways. As he does so, an orphan girl who is a Pirates fan and has been praying for the team begins noticing angels on the ballfield. Sure enough, the Pirates start winning, and McGovern tries to turn his life around. But can he keep his temper long enough for the Pirates to win the NL pennant?

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Review :

Now who'd have thought angels would be helping a bunch of pirates.

Before the New York Mets came along, the Pittsburgh Pirates were the first name in baseball for flat footed futility. At the time that Angels in the Outfield was made the Pirates had a long term lease on the National League cellar. In fact the only reason the Pirates drew any crowds at all was the presence of the premier slugger in the National League, Ralph Kiner. One shudders to think where they might have finished without him.

But that's reality. In this film some heavenly help is granted the Pirates, presumably by a long suffering Deity who's maybe a Pirate fan. That is on condition that manager Paul Douglas clean up his act. He's told that by unseen angel James Whitmore.

As it turns out Douglas is not the only one getting celestial visitations. He only hears angels, but little Donna Corcoran sees them behind every Pirate player on the field. When reporter Janet Leigh writes the story all kinds of complications ensue.

Even without the special effects of the 1994 remake, Angels in the Outfield still maintains an innocent charm that is irresistible to baseball fans of a perennial losing team. After all we found out in Damn Yankees the kind of outside help they've been getting to stay on top.

Nine years later the Pirates were in fact World Series winners, humbling the mighty Yankees in seven games. And for thirty years after that the Pirates were a contending ball club. They're back in the doldrums that Angels in the Outfield portrays. Maybe time for another heavenly assist.

Streaming The Texan Meets Calamity Jane Online

The Texan Meets Calamity Jane (1950)iMDB Rating: 4.4
Date Released : 15 November 1950
Genre : Western
Stars : Evelyn Ankers, James Ellison, Lee 'Lasses' White, Grace Lee Whitney. The best job on this film is the one performed by director/writer/producer Ande Lamb when he persuaded somebody at Columbia to put their logo on this indie production that looks a little like what PRC might have made on a bad day, and once past the first five-billed players it is a game of "who dat?" This one finds Calamity Jane learning that her ownership of the "Prairie Queen" saloon, ..." />
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The best job on this film is the one performed by director/writer/producer Ande Lamb when he persuaded somebody at Columbia to put their logo on this indie production that looks a little like what PRC might have made on a bad day, and once past the first five-billed players it is a game of "who dat?" This one finds Calamity Jane learning that her ownership of the "Prairie Queen" saloon, bequeathed to her by the late unseen Frank Mullen, is going to be disputed by Frank's niece, Cecelia Mullen and her lawyer, Gordon Hastings, brought to town by her rival saloon owner Matt Baker. Calamity and her aide, Colorado Charley try to run Gordon out of town but this fails, and he and the niece are soon on Calamity's side against Baker.

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Review :

Calamity Jane and the Texan.....

That was the title on the pretty Trucolor print shown on the Encore Western's channel....and I thought the film was a pretty likable low budgeter. The cast was professional...and the writing and direction told the pleasant enough story well. The depiction of Calamitiy Jane's love for the late lamented Hickock...and her reluctance to be caught up in a flirtation with lawyer Eliison give the film a slight air of gravity and romance missing from most b westerns of the era....

I like the strange ethereal unreality of well used two color systems...and the use of pink and orange and green in this one is a treat....and well worth a peak for he curious...

Streaming Mussorgsky (1950) Online

Mussorgsky (1950)iMDB Rating: 7.4
Date Released : 18 August 1951
Genre : Biography, Drama
Stars : Aleksandr Borisov, Nikolai Cherkasov, Vladimir Balashov, Yuri Leonidov. Saint Petersburg, 1858. A group of composers known as The Five meet at Balakirev's. Young Modest Mussorgsky, both a civil servant and a musician, has become a fixture there. He tells about the first opera he plans to compose. Then he goes to the country where he discovers the lowly conditions of the peasants and the bloody conflicts with the rich land owners. He works on Gogol's 'The Marriage', ..." />
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Saint Petersburg, 1858. A group of composers known as The Five meet at Balakirev's. Young Modest Mussorgsky, both a civil servant and a musician, has become a fixture there. He tells about the first opera he plans to compose. Then he goes to the country where he discovers the lowly conditions of the peasants and the bloody conflicts with the rich land owners. He works on Gogol's 'The Marriage', trying to render into music the natural accents of the play's naturalistic dialogue. But his efforts do not pan out. On the other hand, he starts writing his opera on the story of Boris Godunov. The Marinsky Theatre refuses to stage the work. The Five, and Mussorgsky among them, are libeled and the group starts disintegrating. When 'Boris Godunov' is finally performed in 1874, it is a popular success

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Watch Captain China (1950) Online

Captain China (1950)iMDB Rating: 5.8
Date Released : 2 February 1950
Genre : Action, Adventure, Romance, Thriller
Stars : John Payne, Gail Russell, Jeffrey Lynn, Lon Chaney Jr.. Charles Chinnough, aka Captain China, washed ashore off his ship during a storm, is later rescued, but is relieved of duty when his former first mate, Brendensen (who thought he was dead), and two aides, testify falsely against him in a hearing concerning the loss of his ship. Seeking to clear his name, he books passage on a ship commanded by Brendsen.He and Brendensen both fall for a passenger, ..." />
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Charles Chinnough, aka Captain China, washed ashore off his ship during a storm, is later rescued, but is relieved of duty when his former first mate, Brendensen (who thought he was dead), and two aides, testify falsely against him in a hearing concerning the loss of his ship. Seeking to clear his name, he books passage on a ship commanded by Brendsen.He and Brendensen both fall for a passenger, Kim Mitchell. Later, a raging storm at sea has the cowardly Brendensen turning the command of the ship over to Chinnough. This serves to help Chinnough clear his name.

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Review :

Payne Revenge Tale

John Payne stars as the title character, Captain China. A nickname he has grown into because of his experience in sailing the seas of the Orient. The film opens with Payne in disgrace, accused of being too drunk to navigate a safe course and during his stupor he fell overboard. Captain China's version of the story differs quite a bit. He claims he was framed by men who all had a grudge against him.

Captain China's accusers are his first mate and a couple of roguish deck hands. The first mate, played by Jeffrey Lynn, inherits Captain China's old ship when he is relieved of his command. Lynn's first voyage seems to be going smoothly until he learns one of his passengers is Captain China. This makes Lynn and the two deck hands extremely nervous.

I should point out that the viewer at this point isn't exactly sure which story is the truth. Payne is portrayed as a gruff man of action, not exactly an endearing character. But during the film's climax, when a typhoon threatens the ship's safe voyage, Captain China comes through. Lynn panics during the storm and his error almost capsizes the ship. China is asked to take over and he reveals a cool head and an expertise at navigating through a difficult situation.

Streaming Das kalte Herz Online

Das kalte Herz (1950)iMDB Rating: 7.5
Date Released : 8 December 1950
Genre : Family, Fantasy, Romance
Stars : Lutz Moik, Hanna Rucker, Paul Bildt, Paul Esser. Peter Munk, a poor charcoal burner, lives with his mother in The Black Forest. Poverty prevents him from marrying Lisbeth, the girl he loves. When he comes across the Little Glass Man, the good spirit of the forest, the young man asks him for assistance. His wish is granted and he becomes rich. But the fool soon loses all his money after gambling at the inn. In desperation, he asks Dutch Michael,..." />
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Peter Munk, a poor charcoal burner, lives with his mother in The Black Forest. Poverty prevents him from marrying Lisbeth, the girl he loves. When he comes across the Little Glass Man, the good spirit of the forest, the young man asks him for assistance. His wish is granted and he becomes rich. But the fool soon loses all his money after gambling at the inn. In desperation, he asks Dutch Michael, the evil spirit of the forest, to help him to become rich again. The mean giant agrees and gives Peter all the riches in the world, but on one condition: the young man will exchange his heart for a cold stone. He can now marry Lisbeth but can a heart of ice make you and the others happy...?

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Review :

THE COLD HEART was one of the first German color films after war

THE COLD HEART (DAS KALTE HERZ) was the first color feature after war in East Germany. At the same time (1950) SCHWARZWALDMÄDEL (GIRL OF BLACK FOREST) was also produced in color in Western Berlin and West Germany. Both films were photographed on Agfacolor negative film stock, which was manufactured by the Soviet occupied AGFA film factory in Wolfen, East Germany (later known under the trade mark ORWO). They had been excellent examples for Technicolor's competitor Agfacolor. The cinematographer of THE COLD HEART, Bruno Mondi, was well known for his rich experience with color. So he photographed all color features of the director Veit Harlan, starting with DIE GOLDENE STADT (THE GOLDEN CITY) in 1942, including also the propaganda movie KOLBERG (1944).

Watch Devotion (1950) Online

Devotion (1950)iMDB Rating: 6.9
Date Released : 29 November 1950
Genre : Drama
Stars : Emma Baron, Juan de Landa, Columba Domínguez, Roldano Lupi. In Sardinia, at the beginning of the twentieth century, the once powerful aristocratic Decherchi family is going through difficult times and is threatened with eviction. To be able to pay his debts, Don Paulu, the son, needs help. He seeks aid from Uncle Zua, an old miser, who rejects him bluntly. Upset by Paulu's misfortunes, Annesa, the servant girl adopted by the family and Paulu's lover, ..." />
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In Sardinia, at the beginning of the twentieth century, the once powerful aristocratic Decherchi family is going through difficult times and is threatened with eviction. To be able to pay his debts, Don Paulu, the son, needs help. He seeks aid from Uncle Zua, an old miser, who rejects him bluntly. Upset by Paulu's misfortunes, Annesa, the servant girl adopted by the family and Paulu's lover, decides to kill Zua so that the Decherchis inherit from him...

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Review :

a film to (re)discover

Powerful melodrama, about Guilt, thanks to the quality of the direction, the beautiful settings (on location in Sardinia), the wonderful actors (Columba Dominguez is unforgettable), the photography and the successful atmosphere, L'EDERA (the ivy) - also known as DELITTO PER AMORE, is really worth watching (thank you FUORI ORARIO on RAI 3 who just aired it a couple of days ago). The visual tension starts from the striking beginning of the film and keeps you very concerned with the cruel dilemma Annesa is experiencing. Augusto GENINA is still generally despised - I think - mainly because of his very questionable link with the Fascist regime during the Second World War. It reminds me of the very low consideration such an interesting director like Edward Dmytryk (see The Carpetbaggers) suffers from the mainstream film-lovers (in France). By naming names during the Witch Hunt in the USA, he became a doomed director which films are often neglected if not rejected... I strongly advise you to re-discover the work of some directors who made mistakes in their personal lives, you may have powerful surprises !

Streaming Destination Murder (1950) Online

Destination Murder (1950)iMDB Rating: 5.8
Date Released : 9 June 1950
Genre : Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
Stars : Joyce Mackenzie, Stanley Clements, Hurd Hatfield, Albert Dekker. Laura Mansfield's father is killed, apparently by a telegraphic messenger. She spots Jackie Wales in a police lineup, but can't identify him positively. Later, she arranges to meet him, and is convinced he was the killer, but he was acting for someone else. She gets to know Jackie to find out who the boss is, taking a job in the Vogue Club, owned by a man named Armitage. Meanwhile, Alice, ..." />
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Laura Mansfield's father is killed, apparently by a telegraphic messenger. She spots Jackie Wales in a police lineup, but can't identify him positively. Later, she arranges to meet him, and is convinced he was the killer, but he was acting for someone else. She gets to know Jackie to find out who the boss is, taking a job in the Vogue Club, owned by a man named Armitage. Meanwhile, Alice, Armitage's greedy mistress, goes after Jackie and lures him into blackmailing the nightclub owner. Armitage discovers the betrayal, and kills the two, but Laura schemes to get closer so she can prove him guilty.

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Review :

Dorian Gray as a guy named Stretch

Is it possible that Hurd Hatfield's career took this much of a nosedive in 5 years? Evidently. "Destination Murder" is a B movie for sure that stars Hatfield, Joyce MacKenzie, Albert Dekker, and John Dehner. A young woman (MacKenzie) investigates the murder of her father by a uniformed messenger hired by someone else. She has no trouble picking out the messenger in a lineup, and he leads her to a club run by Armitage (Dekker) whose manager is Hatfield. That's the way it seems anyway. People start turning up dead. The villain hatches an ingenious plot to beat the rap.

MacKenzie is very attractive with a beautiful figure, but she is not much of an actress. Albert Dekker plays a monster well. Hatfield, with those imposing looks, sports a New York accent beautifully. A New York accent is one of the hardest, most of the time sounding put on and phony. Hatfield's sounds natural. Perhaps it was - I only heard him speak in Dorian Gray (British) and I can't remember what he sounded like on Murder, She Wrote. At any rate, he's smooth in this role. But every time I looked at him, I thought of Dorian Gray. Perhaps his link to that character is why his film career crashed.

"Destination Murder" is a nothing special B with some noir features, interesting for the cast.

Watch The Path of Hope (1950) Online

The Path of Hope (1950)iMDB Rating: 7.6
Date Released : 22 November 1950
Genre : Drama
Stars : Raf Vallone, Elena Varzi, Saro Urzì, Franco Navarra. Women wait anxiously at a minehead in Capodarso, Sicily. Their men are underground. The mine is closing and the miners refuse to come up unless the owner relents. After three days, they give up in despair... In a bar in town, Ciccio is recruiting workers for jobs in France. He can get people over the border - for L20,000 a head. Enough people to fill a bus sell their belongings to pay the fee, ..." />
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Women wait anxiously at a minehead in Capodarso, Sicily. Their men are underground. The mine is closing and the miners refuse to come up unless the owner relents. After three days, they give up in despair... In a bar in town, Ciccio is recruiting workers for jobs in France. He can get people over the border - for L20,000 a head. Enough people to fill a bus sell their belongings to pay the fee, including Saro and his 3 young children, and Barbara and her man Vanni, in trouble with the law and desperate to flee Italy. After reaching Naples by train, Ciccio tries to slip away but is grabbed by Vanni. Vanni tells Barbara where to meet at the border if anything should go wrong. In Rome, Ciccio points out Vanni to the police. In the shoot-out, both Vanni and Ciccio escape. The others are arrested. They are ordered by the police to return to Sicily or be charged with "illegal expatriation". With Saro as leader, and nearly out of money, they head north instead. Hardship draws Saro and Barbara...

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Review :

Sicilian miners and their families make their way to France in search of work and a better life

I have the honor of being the first to review this superb film.

The story opens with workers in a Sicilian sulfur mine on strike 400 meters below the earth's surface. The mine is no longer profitable and they have no other source of income. We come to know them and their women folk, as they decide to be guided to France where there is the promise of work. Raf Vallone plays Saro, their unofficial leader. He is the widowed father of 3 children. Joining their group is Barbara, a young unmarried woman living with the disreputable Vanni who is a lawbreaker. There is the older accountant, and a young couple who marry just before departing. And there are several young men, including a singer and guitarist.

When they get to Rome, they run into police problems due to Vanni's presence. Later they must face and surmount yet other obstacles as their guide has abandoned them.

The screenplay has 2 credits and the story has 3 credits, including Frederico Fellini and the director Pietro Germi. They miss no opportunity to draw out the human element, often in small bits and pieces of action, and these small details are what contribute to making this a great picture. But really the larger bits of action equally add to the impact. There are no moments of screen time in which we are not involved intensely with some revelations of character, or the social conditions, or the human conditions. There is enormous understanding and empathy going into what we see on the screen. Even more amazing is that the direction and cinematography bring this out in the acting, which is always completely natural. The film editor has known exactly when to show us a hand, an eye, a look, a stare, a smile, a tear, a panorama, a knife, and for how long to show them. And the music score fits them.

A great deal of the picture is filmed outside studios, in town, city, farm, pastoral and mountain locales. While it is all natural, the filmmakers have evidently exercised great care in composing the shots to heighten the communication and impact. The same is the case for the interior shots, and they use deep focus photography quite often, with figures in the foreground and background being shown with subdued lighting. Evidently, great skill was used in creating what we see on the screen. Neo-realism is not merely filming reality. It actually is the creation of a new heightened experience that uses a palette of the real.

The overall effect is highly emotional. Adding to it are the background reactions of the supporting actors to the main actions. These are always of interest and utterly natural, even when or especially when the children are involved. The directing is excellent.

The gripping nature of this film and perhaps all neo-realist films of the period may be arising from the unpredictable course of the story. In that respect, it mirrors life itself. There are several occasions in this story when surprise "switches" occur that turn the action 180 degrees in an opposite direction for at least some of the characters, and yet these switches are entirely natural and not concocted. We come to moments where a decision has been taken, it seems, and yet just as naturally, the opposite occurs within a few moments as people change their minds. Or else, we come to places where we can't predict what a person will do, and we wait to see what he or she is going to decide. And we are involved with them as this happens.

This is really a stupendous film and a tremendous credit to Italian neo-realism. There is a temptation to compare it with other such great works like "La Strada" and "Open City", but rather than succumb to that, I'd rather just say that this cinema, this body of work, is very simply all a treasure for viewers and for filmmakers of today and tomorrow.

Watch Peggy (1950) Online

Peggy (1950)iMDB Rating: 6.7
Date Released : 1 July 1950
Genre : Comedy
Stars : Diana Lynn, Charles Coburn, Charlotte Greenwood, Barbara Lawrence. When Professor Brookfield and his pretty daughters Peggy and Susan move into the small town Pasadena in California, their new neighbor Mrs. Fielding immediately takes over control, helps them moving in, and urges the girls to participate in the annual Rose Bowl beauty pageant. Although they're not thrilled, they enter the competition. Meanwhile Mrs. Fielding's son Tom makes eyes at Peggy, ..." />
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When Professor Brookfield and his pretty daughters Peggy and Susan move into the small town Pasadena in California, their new neighbor Mrs. Fielding immediately takes over control, helps them moving in, and urges the girls to participate in the annual Rose Bowl beauty pageant. Although they're not thrilled, they enter the competition. Meanwhile Mrs. Fielding's son Tom makes eyes at Peggy, unknowing that her heart already belongs to a famous football star. So she tries to redirect his interest to her sister Susan.

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Review :

The 25 Year Old Rock Hudson

He was definitely eye candy in this film with some merit in the story. In the 50's he was a younger version of Cary Grant with his tall, dark looks, and should have been used by Hitchcock in the 50's rather than the 60's. His single breasted suits and thin ties were interesting to look at, and I guess by today's standards that it would be trendy if it was worn today.

Streaming Devotion (1950) Online

Devotion (1950)iMDB Rating: 6.9
Date Released : 29 November 1950
Genre : Drama
Stars : Emma Baron, Juan de Landa, Columba Domínguez, Roldano Lupi. In Sardinia, at the beginning of the twentieth century, the once powerful aristocratic Decherchi family is going through difficult times and is threatened with eviction. To be able to pay his debts, Don Paulu, the son, needs help. He seeks aid from Uncle Zua, an old miser, who rejects him bluntly. Upset by Paulu's misfortunes, Annesa, the servant girl adopted by the family and Paulu's lover, ..." />
Movie Quality : HDrip
Format : MKV
Size : 700 MB

Download Trailer Subtitle

In Sardinia, at the beginning of the twentieth century, the once powerful aristocratic Decherchi family is going through difficult times and is threatened with eviction. To be able to pay his debts, Don Paulu, the son, needs help. He seeks aid from Uncle Zua, an old miser, who rejects him bluntly. Upset by Paulu's misfortunes, Annesa, the servant girl adopted by the family and Paulu's lover, decides to kill Zua so that the Decherchis inherit from him...

Watch Devotion Trailer :

Review :

a film to (re)discover

Powerful melodrama, about Guilt, thanks to the quality of the direction, the beautiful settings (on location in Sardinia), the wonderful actors (Columba Dominguez is unforgettable), the photography and the successful atmosphere, L'EDERA (the ivy) - also known as DELITTO PER AMORE, is really worth watching (thank you FUORI ORARIO on RAI 3 who just aired it a couple of days ago). The visual tension starts from the striking beginning of the film and keeps you very concerned with the cruel dilemma Annesa is experiencing. Augusto GENINA is still generally despised - I think - mainly because of his very questionable link with the Fascist regime during the Second World War. It reminds me of the very low consideration such an interesting director like Edward Dmytryk (see The Carpetbaggers) suffers from the mainstream film-lovers (in France). By naming names during the Witch Hunt in the USA, he became a doomed director which films are often neglected if not rejected... I strongly advise you to re-discover the work of some directors who made mistakes in their personal lives, you may have powerful surprises !

Watch Rider from Tucson Online

Rider from Tucson (1950)iMDB Rating: 6.3
Date Released : 7 June 1950
Genre : Action, Western
Stars : Tim Holt, Elaine Riley, Douglas Fowley, Veda Ann Borg. In order to make Tug Cardwell (William Phipps) sign over his rich gold claim to them, John Avery (Robert Shayne), Gypsy Avery (Veda Ann Borg) and Jackson (Marshall Reed) hire Bob Rankin (Douglas Fowley') to kidnap Tug's sweetheart Jane Whipple (Elaine Riley). Rankin hides Jane and then demands half the mine from the other crooks. Dave Saunders (Tim Holt) and Chito Rafferty (Richard Martin), ..." />
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In order to make Tug Cardwell (William Phipps) sign over his rich gold claim to them, John Avery (Robert Shayne), Gypsy Avery (Veda Ann Borg) and Jackson (Marshall Reed) hire Bob Rankin (Douglas Fowley') to kidnap Tug's sweetheart Jane Whipple (Elaine Riley). Rankin hides Jane and then demands half the mine from the other crooks. Dave Saunders (Tim Holt) and Chito Rafferty (Richard Martin), friends of Tug's, find Jane and taker her to safety. The conspirators then shoot Rankin, capture Tug and force him to take them to his claim. Dave and Chito are close behind.

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Review :

Brisk Fun

Holt and co come to the aid of a pal when two nasties try to nab his goldmine by nabbing his girl. One of these is a spunky gal monikered 'gypsy', played by Veda Ann Borg; another in the endless succession of 20s and 30s-drafted 'starlets' who never made it past the starting blocks. She did though take a few notable roles, including 'Mildred Pierce'; Shirley Temple's 'adult' intended career-rejuvinator Bachelor Knight; and nostalgic Betty Grable vehicle Mother Wore Tights.

Of course this is nothing new, but it seems much brisker than usual, and if it doesn't exactly cut it in the 'artistic' departments it is simply an hour's fun entertainment. Sometimes that's all you want out of Western cinema!