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Pine-Thomas
Pine-Thomas Productions was a prolific B-picture unit of Paramount Pictures from 1940–1957, producing 81 films. Co-producers William H. Pine (February 15, 1896 – April 29, 1955) and William C. Thomas (August 11, 1903 – April 2, 1984) were known as the "Dollar Bills" because none of their economically made films ever lost money. "We don't want to make million dollar pictures," they said. "We just want to make a million dollars."William Paine, Filmmaker New York Times 30 Apr 1955: 17. History William Pine and William Thomas William Pine was a graduate of Columbia University who went to work as a publicist at Paramount in 1933 becoming head of publicity. He became an associate director for Cecil B. De Mille at the studio and worked on several films. William Thomas was also a publicist who was working at Paramount producing "B" movies. Pine and Thomas struck up a partnership and swapped theories about how films could be produced for lower budgets. First Three Films: Picture Cor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Torpedo Boat (film)
''Torpedo Boat '' is a 1942 American drama film from Pine-Thomas Productions directed by John Rawlins, written by Maxwell Shane, and starring Richard Arlen, Jean Parker, Mary Carlisle, Phillip Terry, Dick Purcell and Ralph Sanford. It was released on January 24, 1942, by Paramount Pictures. Plot Cast *Richard Arlen as Skinner Barnes *Jean Parker as Grace Holman *Mary Carlisle as Jane Townsend *Phillip Terry as Tommy Whelan *Dick Purcell as Ralph Andrews *Ralph Sanford as Hector Bobry *Oscar O'Shea as Captain Mike *Robert Middlemass as Mr. Townsend *Warren Hymer as Marine *William Haade as Big Sweeney, Riveter *Virginia Sale as Mrs. Sweeney Production The film was based on an original story by Alex Gottlieb. Pine-Thomas Productions bought it in May 1941 and assigned Richard Arlen to star. Filming started October 1941. Arlen had made three films for Pine-Thomas, who then signed a new three-film contract with the actor; this was the first movie under that contract and the firs ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
No Hands On The Clock
''No Hands on the Clock'' is a 1941 American comedy mystery film directed by Frank McDonald starring Chester Morris as detective Humphrey Campbell. The cast also included Jean Parker and Rose Hobart. It was produced by Pine-Thomas Productions and released by Paramount Pictures. Plot Private detective Humphrey Campbell (Chester Morris) tracks down a runaway woman, Louise (Jean Parker) and ends up marrying her. On the way to Reno, Nevada, for their honeymoon, the couple stops at a bank, which is robbed by three men. Humphrey's employer, Oscar Flack (George Watts) of the Flack Missing Persons Bureau, tracks the newlyweds to a Reno hotel. (Across from the hotel, Louise spots an odd advertising clock, which has no hands. This has no bearing on anything, however.) Oscar wants him to find a missing man, Hal Benedict. Louise convinces him to take the case after Oscar promises her a fur coat for locating Hal. They go to see Warren Benedict, Hal's father. When Humphrey learns the FBI m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Flying Blind (film)
''Flying Blind'' is a 1941 American action and comedy film directed by Frank McDonald"Credits: 'Flying Blind!" '''' ( (), September 14, 2016. and distributed by . The film was the second mov ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aerial Gunner
''Aerial Gunner'' is a 1943 American black-and-white World War II propaganda film produced by William C. Thomas and William H. Pine, who also directed. The film stars Chester Morris, Richard Arlen, and Jimmy Lydon. This was the first feature film directed by Pine, who produced other films through his company, Pine-Thomas Productions. ''Aerial Gunner'' was distributed by Paramount Pictures. Plot Policeman Jon Davis (Richard Arlen) informs "Foxy" Pattis (Chester Morris) at his shooting range, shooting gallery, that his criminal father has died. Foxy blames all policemen, feeling they harassed him all his life and were responsible for his death. John Davis enlists and "Foxy" Pattis is drafted into the United States Army Air Forces where Foxy becomes the instructor at an aerial gunnery school. He makes life miserable for Jon, now a "Flying Sergeant" student, trying to force the former policeman to resign. Despite Foxy's hostility, Jon is able to pass the course. He later befriends a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Submarine Alert
''Submarine Alert'' is a 1943 American film directed by Frank McDonald, produced by Pine-Thomas Productions and released by Paramount Pictures. The film stars Richard Arlen, Wendy Barrie, Nils Asther, Roger Pryor, Marc Lawrence and Ralph Sanford. Plot During World War II, with shipping being sunk by submarines and with an American scientist working on radio technology killed by Nazi spies, FBI agent G. B. Fleming (Roger Pryor) comes up with a plan to catch the Nazis. He believes that radio signals are alerting the Germans about ship movements. His plan is to fire all the local radio specialists, who likely will seek any employment, including working with the enemy. Tailing the jobless radio men will help the FBI find the Nazis. Engineer Lewis J. "Lew" Deerhold (Richard Arlen) thinks he lost his job because he is a Canadian citizen. Lew looks after his niece Tina (Patsy Nash), a war orphan requiring a brain operation. Needing money, he applies for work at a radio repair shop, whe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tornado (film)
''Tornado'' is a 1943 film directed by William A. Berke and starring Chester Morris and Nancy Kelly. Plot Pete Ramsey (Morris) is a hard-working coal miner who falls in love with and marries scheming showgirl Victory Kane (Kelly). Victory presses Pete to fight for the position of the mine superintendent, which he earns. Still unwilling to bear her poor surroundings and unsatisfied with being a miner's wife, Victory decides to climb the social ladder by having an affair with the wealthy owner of the mine, Gary Linden (Conway), unbeknownst to her faithful husband. Suddenly, a ferocious tornado hits the town and the mine, putting everyone in danger. Cast *Chester Morris as Pete Ramsey *Nancy Kelly as Vactie Kane * William Henry as Bob Ramsey *Gwen Kenyon as Sally Vlochek *Joe Sawyer as Charlie Boswell * Marie McDonald as Diana Linden *Morgan Conway as Gary Linden *Nestor Paiva as Big Joe Vlochek Production The film was based on the unpublished novel ''Black Tornado'' by John Gued ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wrecking Crew (1942 Film)
''Wrecking Crew'' is a 1942 American drama film directed by Frank McDonald and starring Richard Arlen, Jean Parker, and Chester Morris.DRAMA: Unique Stories Again Prevail in Filmdom Schallert, Edwin. Los Angeles Times 10 Jan 1942: 7. The film was something of an "all star" production for Pine-Thomas Productions at the time because it united their two male stars, Arlen and Morris, and biggest female star, Parker.DRAMA Los Angeles Times 21 Jan 1942: 11. Plot When the O'Glendy Wrecking Company is contracted to demolish an old hotel, "cannonballer" Duke Mason shows up at the worksite, having been hired by boss Mike O'Glendy. Wrecker Tom Kemp accuses Duke of jinxing every project on which he works, and after foreman Matt Carney breaks up the ensuing fistfight, he assigns Duke, an arrogant risk-taker, to work with him on the building's high watertower. While aloft, Matt slips and desperately clings to the edge of the tower, and Duke casually jokes with him before pulling him to sa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Forced Landing (1941 Film)
''Forced Landing'' is a 1941 American action film directed by Gordon Wiles and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The film recounts the exploits of a pilot in Mosaque, an imaginary country in the midst of turmoil. ''Forced Landing'' stars Richard Arlen, Eva Gabor, J. Carrol Naish, Nils Asther and Evelyn Brent. Plot In faraway tropical Mosaque, as soon as American pilot Dan Kendall (Richard Arlen) joins the country's Air Corps, he is in trouble. Along with his mechanic Christmas (Mikhail Rasumny), he is thrown into the military prison. His troubles start at a cantina after buying exotic beauty Johanna Van Deuren (Eva Gabor) a drink, not realizing he has antagonized her fiancé, Colonel Jan Golas (Nils Asther). A fight breaks out, leading to the pilot's arrest. Colonel Golas releases Dan from prison when he learns that his fiancée had nearly been run down by a car and Dan had come to her rescue. The bargain he makes with Dan is that the stranger has to resign from the military and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Timber Queen (1944 Film)
''Timber Queen'' is a 1944 American lumberjack drama film directed by Frank McDonald. It was Arlen's last film for Pine-Thomas for a number of years until ''Speed to Spare'' (1948). Plot Russ Evans gets out of the service and meets Elaine, the widow of Ken, a man he served with. He helps her protect the rights to some timber land that she has inherited. Cast *Richard Arlen as Russell (Russ) Evans *Mary Beth Hughes as Elaine Graham *June Havoc as Lil Boggs *Sheldon Leonard as Smacksie Golden *George E. Stone as Squirrel *Dick Purcell as Milt Holmes *Charles Anthony Hughes as Harold Talbot *Edmund MacDonald as Joe Birsdell *William Haade as Rawson *Clancy Cooper as Barney *Dewey Robinson as Wenzel *Horace McMahon as Rodney *Jimmy Ames as Strudel Production The film was originally called ''Timberman''. Pine-Thomas signed Mary Beth Hughes to make this film and a musical ''The Duchess Rides High''. Filming took place in July 1943. The film was slanted more towards comedy than ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
High Explosive (film)
''High Explosive'' is a 1943 American drama film directed by Frank McDonald and written by Maxwell Shane and Howard J. Green for Pine-Thomas Productions. The film stars Chester Morris, Jean Parker, Barry Sullivan, Ralph Sanford, Rand Brooks and Dick Purcell. The film was released on March 27, 1943, by Paramount Pictures. Plot Cast *Chester Morris as Buzz Mitchell *Jean Parker as Connie Baker *Barry Sullivan as Mike Douglas *Ralph Sanford as Squinchy Andrews *Rand Brooks as Jimmy Baker *Dick Purcell as Dave *Barbara Lynn as Doris Lynch * Allan Bryon as Joe Production The film was based on a story by Joseph Hoffman, ''You Can't Live Forever''. Pine-Thomas Productions purchased it in April 1942 as a vehicle for Chester Morris. The film was also known as ''Nitro Trucks'' Howard Green wrote the script and Jean Parker was signed to costar. Filming started in August 1942. The film gave an early role to Barry Sullivan. It was retitled ''High Explosive'' by December 1942.SCREEN NEW ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Power Dive (film)
''Power Dive'' is a 1941 American film directed by James P. Hogan. The film stars Richard Arlen, Jean Parker and Helen Mack. ''Power Dive'' was the first film from the producing team of Pine-Thomas Productions, former press agents who had a producing unit at Paramount. Plot Ace test pilot Bradley Farrell (Richard Arlen), flying for McMasters Aviation Corp., breaks his leg when an overweight prototype crashes. Brad's younger brother Douglas (Don Castle), a recent graduate in aeronautical engineering, thinks Doug's flying is too dangerous and is hired as a design engineer at McMasters. Carol Blake (Jean Parker) wants to interest Brad in her father's design for an aircraft made of plastic. Doug pretends to be Brad because he is attracted to her but Brad meets Carol and takes her out flying. She introduces him to her blind father, Professor Blake (Thomas W. Ross), resulting in Brad becoming immersed in the professor's new designs. Brad's friend, Johnny Coles (Louis Jean Heydt), los ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alaska Highway (film)
''Alaska Highway'' is a 1943 American drama film directed by Frank McDonald and starring Richard Arlen, Jean Parker, and Ralph Sanford. Plot In February 1942 a road construction gang working in Northern California are summoned to a meeting. The boss of the gang, Pop Ormsby, has been commissioned as a Major in the US Army Corps of Engineers and signs up the entire crew with his two sons, Woody and Steve, gaining direct entry as Technical Sergeants to build the Alcan Highway. Woody wants to enlist in the US Marine Corps to fight the Japanese rather than build another road. He changes his mind when he meets Ann, the daughter of one of the heads of the project, Blair, with the two brothers fighting over her as they build the highway. Their feud is forgotten when a fire breaks out. Cast *Richard Arlen as Woody Ormsby *Jean Parker as Ann Coswell *Ralph Sanford Ralph Dayton Sanford (May 21, 1899 – June 20, 1963) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 180 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
