In this period musical, Ricardo (Frank Sinatra) is the son of a Mexican innkeeper who has come to California to take over a hotel owned by his family after the death of his father. Ricardo makes the startling discovery that his father was best known as a "kissing bandit," a dashing thief who aptitude for crime was matched by his gift for romancing the ladies. When tax collectors from Spain begin to overrun his homeland, Ricardo decides to follow in his father's footsteps, liberating the taxmen's ill-gotten gains and winning the heart of Teresa (Kathryn Grayson), the governor's daughter. Also starring J. Carrol Naish, Billy Gilbert and Mildred Natwick, The Kissing Bandit also features the fancy footwork of Ann Miller, Ricardo Montalban, and Cyd Charisse, who appear as specialty dancers in the production numbers.

Frank Sinatra - Ricardo
Kathryn Grayson - Teresa
J. Carrol Naish - Chico
Mildred Natwick - Isabella
Mikhail Rasumny - Don Jose
Billy Gilbert - General Torro
Sono Osato - Bianca
Clinton Sundberg - Col. Gomez
Carleton Young - Count Belmonte
Edna Skinner - Juanita
Vincente Gomez - Mexican Guitarist
Cyd Charisse - Specialty dancer
Joe Dominguez - Francisco
Byron Foulger - Grandee
Mitchell Lewis - Fernando
Ann Miller - Specialty dancer
Henry Mirelez - Pepito
Ricardo Montalban - Specialty dancer
Alberto Morin - Lotso
Pedro Regas - Esteban
Julian Rivero - Postman
Nick Thompson - Pablo

CQveb1QCIUI

One of George Arliss' "smaller" vehicles, The King's Vacation casts the eminent British stage star (always billed as "Mr. George Arliss") as an abdicating monarch. Seeking the simple life, he comes to America in search of the wife (Marjorie Gateson) he'd been forced to divorce years earlier in order keep his crown. Upon locating her, Arliss discovers that his ex-wife has remarried into wealth, and is now better off than he's ever been. His disillusionment complete, Arliss returns to his queen (Florence Arliss), who has likewise renounced her throne for an austere existence. Only George Arliss could get away with telling us that "poor is better" in a picture made in the middle of the Depression!

George Arliss - Phillip
Florence Arliss - Margaret
Marjorie Gateson - Helen
Dudley Digges - Lord Chamberlain
Dick Powell - John Kent
Patricia Ellis - Millicent
O.P. Heggie - Joe Thorpe
Douglas Gerrard - Count Gouvain
James Bell - Anderson
Maude Leslie - Amelia
Alan Birmingham - Baron Munsle
Harold Minjir - Fred Neerhoff
Vernon Steele - Barstowe
Des Roberts - Sgt. Footman
Charles E. Evans - Page
Helena Phillips Evans - Comtesse

zywObY-fEjE

Director Robert Z. Leonard brought his 31-year association with MGM to a rousing close with The King's Thief. Set in England during the reign of Charles II (drolly portrayed by George Sanders), the film stars Edmund Purdom as Michael Dermott, who sets about to steal the crown jewels on behalf of his king. The current possessor of the gems is the wicked duke of Brampton, played with relish by a cast-against-type David Niven. Ann Blyth is a decorative heroine, while one of Michael Dermott's cohorts is played by a young, muscular Roger Moore. The plot of The King's Thief, purportedly based on fact, is merely an excuse for the nonstop swashbuckling of star Edmund Purdom.

Ann Blyth - Lady Mary
Edmund Purdom - Michael Dermott
David Niven - Duke of Brampton
George Sanders - Charles II
Roger Moore - Jack
John Dehner - Capt. Herrick
Sean McClory - Sheldon
Tudor Owen - Simon
Melville Cooper - Henry Wynch
Alan Mowbray - Sir Gilbert Talbot
Rhys Williams - Turnkey
Joan Elan - Charity Fell
Charles Davis - Apothecary
Ashley Cowan - Skene
Ian Wolfe - Fell
Paul Cavanagh - Sir Edward Scott
Isobel Elsom - Mrs. Bennett
Owen McGiveney - Hoskins
Michael Dugan - Huskie
Bob Dix - Husky
James Logan - Guard
Lillian Kemble-Cooper - Mrs. Fell
Queenie Leonard - Apothecary's Wife
Matt Moore - Gentleman
Milton Parsons - Adam Urich

ohGr6THYoGY

Originally advertised as "Colossal Quo Vadis," this opulent MGM production is far and away the most elaborate of the many versions of Henryk Sienkiewicz' novel. The plot, as always, concerns the romance between a beautiful early Christian woman (Deborah Kerr) and the initially agnostic Roman soldier Marcus Vinicius (Robert Taylor). This love story is laid against the larger intrigues of the debauched emperor Nero (Peter Ustinov), who hopes to gain immortality by destroying Rome with a fire and remaking it in his own image. Part of Nero's master plan is the elimination of the Christian "threat," leading to the climactic lion picnics in the arena. In spite of the many more celebrated highlights (the burning of Rome, the rescue of Lygia [Deborah Kerr] from a rampaging bear, the upside-down crucifixion of Simon Peter), the scene that remains most vivid in the memory is the posthumous "final insult" delivered to Nero by his contemptuous former aide Petronius (Leo Genn). Sophia Loren can be briefly spotted as an extra during one of the crowd scenes.

1K0mxiZH5zY

Action in the North Atlantic is solid wartime propaganda with a rather endearing inner lining of left-wing politics, courtesy (no doubt) of scenarist John Howard Lawson, who based his screenplay on a novel by maritime specialist Guy Gilpatric. While running war goods to America's Russian allies, a merchant marine ship captained by Raymond Massey is torpedoed. The courage of Massey and his first mate Humphrey Bogart serves as an inspiration to the survivors, who manage to navigate their tiny lifeboat to America, where they are lauded as heroes. After only the briefest of compassionate leaves (Massey is reunited with wife Ruth Gordon, while Bogart strikes up a relationship with Julie Bishop), the crew is assigned a new Liberty Ship. Despite fears of being torpedoed again, Massey, Bogart, and the other men successfully bring their cargo to Russia, shooting down several German planes in the process. As the Americans are cheered on by the smiling, well-fed Russian seamen and peasants, Action in the North Atlantic fades out, with the voice of Franklin D. Roosevelt (actually radio announcer Art Gilmore) heard on the soundtrack encouraging a "United Nations" allegiance against the axis. The supporting cast of Action in the North Atlantic includes a young newcomer by the name of Bernard Zanville, whose billing was changed to "Dane Clark" upon the film's release.

3Nt2FJMUqjI

Gene Kelly does his patented Pal Joey bit as Jerry Mulligan, an opportunistic American painter living in Paris' "starving artists" colony. He is discovered by wealthy Milo Roberts (Nina Foch), who becomes Jerry's patroness in more ways than one. Meanwhile, Jerry plays hookey on this setup by romancing waif-like Lise Bouvier (Leslie Caron) -- who, unbeknownst to him, is the object of the affections of his close friend Henri (Georges Guetary), a popular nightclub performer. (The film was supposed to make Guetary into "the New Chevalier." It didn't.) The thinnish plot is held together by the superlative production numbers and by the recycling of several vintage George Gershwin tunes, including "I Got Rhythm," "'S Wonderful," and "Our Love Is Here to Stay." Highlights include Guetary's rendition of "Stairway to Paradise"; Oscar Levant's fantasy of conducting and performing Gershwin's "Concerto in F" (Levant also appears as every member of the orchestra); and the closing 17-minute "American in Paris" ballet, in which Kelly and Caron dance before lavish backgrounds based on the works of famed French artists.

Gene Kelly - Jerry Mulligan
Leslie Caron - Lise Bouvier
Oscar Levant - Adam Cook
Georges Guetary - Henri Baurel
Nina Foch - Milo Roberts
Eugene Borden - George Mattieu
Martha Bamattre - Mathilde Mattieu
Mary Young - Old Woman Dancer
Madge Blake - Edna Mae Bestram (customer)
Nan Boardman - Maid
Andre Charisse - Dancing Partner
Ann Codee - Therese
George Davis - Francois
Art Dupuis - Driver
John Eldredge - Jack Jansen
Mary Jones - Old Lady Dancer
Jeanne Lafayette - Nun
Paul Maxey - John McDowd
Greg McClure - Artist
Noel Neill - American Girl
Anna Q. Nilsson - Kay Jansen
Alfred Paix - Postman
Don Quinn - Honeymooner
Alex Romero
Hayden Rorke - Tommy Baldwin
Dick Wessel - Ben Macrow

2Xuo5nn7fkM