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Roland Varno
Roland Varno (March 15, 1908 – May 24, 1996) was an American character actor from Utrecht, Netherlands. Varno's father was a tea planter, Martin Fredrick Vuerhard, and his mother was a concert pianist. Although they hoped for him to have a military career, he began acting when he was 16 years old, the youngest member of the royal Dutch theater at that time. After he graduated from college in Leyden, he traveled and continued to study dramatics. He went to Hollywood after a talent scout for MGM saw him in a German film in 1931. Varno worked in vaudeville, performing and designing scenery. He appeared in dozens of films in the 1930s and 1940s. During World War II, Varno served in the Office of Strategic Services, the predecessor to the Central Intelligence Agency.Dutch actor Rolan ...
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Flight To Nowhere
''Flight to Nowhere'' is a 1946 American film noir crime film directed by William Rowland and stars Alan Curtis (American actor), Alan Curtis and Evelyn Ankers. ''Flight to Nowhere'' was one of the first postwar productions to deal with the atom bomb secrets. Plot In Honolulu, an operative carrying a map revealing secret uranium deposits in the South Pacific is gunned down. Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, "Hobie" Carrington (Alan Curtis (American actor), Alan Curtis) tries to turn down Countess Maria de Fresca's (Micheline Cheirel) request to hire him as a pilot for a flight to Death Valley. She changes his mind by promising him a dinner date. Before they can depart, Carrington is approached by his former superior in the armed forces, Bob Donovan (Jack Holt (actor), Jack Holt), now an FBI agent. Donovan tells Carrington to keep an eye out for the missing map. The Countess and her party, including wealthy Catherine Forrest (Evelyn Ankers), Catherine's friend, James Van Bush (Roland V ...
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The Man In Search Of His Murderer
''The Man in Search of His Murderer'' (german: Der Mann, der seinen Mörder sucht) is a 1931 German comedy film directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Heinz Rühmann, Lien Deyers and Hans Leibelt.Hardt p. 239 The film is partially lost; of the original 9 acts only five (50 minutes) are left. It was one of the early leading roles for upcoming German star Heinz Rühmann. Co-writer Billy Wilder was at the beginning of his long career. It was shot at the Babelsberg Studios in Berlin and premiered at the city's Gloria-Palast. The film's sets were designed by the art director Robert Herlth and Walter Röhrig. It was remade in 1952 as '' You Only Live Once''. Cast See also * ''Tribulations of a Chinaman in China'' (novel by Jules Verne, 1879) * '' Flirting with Fate'' (1916) * ''The Whistler'' (1944) * '' You Only Live Once'' (1952) * '' Five Days'' (1954) * ''Up to His Ears'' (1965) * ''Tulips'' (1981) * ''I Hired a Contract Killer'' (1990) * ''Bulworth'' (1998) * ''Shut Up and Shoot ...
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Balalaika (film)
''Balalaika'' is a 1939 American musical romance film based on the 1936 London stage musical of the same name. Produced by Lawrence Weingarten and directed by Reinhold Schunzel, it starred Nelson Eddy and Ilona Massey. The film follows the romance of Prince Peter Karagin and Lydia Pavlovna Marakova, a singer and secret revolutionary, in Imperial Russia on the eve of World War I. Douglas Shearer was nominated for the 1939 Academy Award for Best Sound Recording. Plot In 1914 Tsarist Russia, Prince Peter Karagin (Nelson Eddy) is a captain of the Cossack Guards, riding home from manoeuvres to an evening of wine, women and song at St. Petersburg's Cafe Balalaika. The Balalaika's new star, Lydia Pavlovna Marakova (Ilona Massey), is blackmailed into attending the officers' party and is expected to choose a "favoured one." She intrigues Karagin when she makes good her escape instead. Masquerading as a poor music student, Karagin insinuating himself into Lydia's family and circle of m ...
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Gunga Din (film)
''Gunga Din'' is a 1939 American adventure film from RKO Radio Pictures directed by George Stevens and starring Cary Grant, Victor McLaglen, and Douglas Fairbanks Jr., loosely based on the 1890 Gunga Din, poem of the same name by Rudyard Kipling combined with elements of his 1888 short story collection ''Soldiers Three''. The film is about three British sergeants and Gunga Din, their native Bhishti, ''bhisti'' (water bearer), who fight the Thuggee, an Indian murder cult, in colonial British Raj, British India. The supporting cast features Joan Fontaine, Eduardo Ciannelli, and in the title role, Sam Jaffe. The epic film was written by Joel Sayre and Fred Guiol from a storyline by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, with uncredited contributions by Lester Cohen, John Colton (screenwriter), John Colton, William Faulkner, Vincent Lawrence, Dudley Nichols, and Anthony Veiller. In 1999, ''Gunga Din'' was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States ...
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The Great Waltz (1938 Film)
''The Great Waltz'' is a 1938 American biographical film based very loosely on the life of Johann Strauss II. It starred Luise Rainer, Fernand Gravet (Gravey), and Miliza Korjus. Rainer received top billing at the producer's insistence, but her role is comparatively minor as Strauss' wife, Poldi Vogelhuber. It was the only starring role for Korjus, who was a famous opera soprano and played one in the film. Joseph Ruttenberg won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography. Korjus was nominated for Supporting Actress, and Tom Held for Film Editing. The film was popular in Australia, and was distributed largely throughout Sydney and Melbourne for two years after its initial release. The film has no connection with the 1934 Broadway play '' The Great Waltz''.Green, Stanley (1999) Hollywood Musicals Year by Year (2nd ed.), pub. Hal Leonard Corporation page 85 Plot summary The highly fictionalised story sees "Schani" dismissed from his job in a bank. He puts together a group of unemp ...
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Conquest (1937 Film)
''Conquest'' (also called ''Marie Walewska'') is a 1937 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film which tells the story of the Polish Countess Marie Walewska, who becomes the mistress of Napoleon in order to influence his actions towards her homeland. It stars Greta Garbo, Charles Boyer, Reginald Owen, Alan Marshal, Henry Stephenson, Leif Erickson, Dame May Whitty, George Zucco, and Maria Ouspenskaya. The movie was adapted by S.N. Behrman, Samuel Hoffenstein, Helen Jerome and Salka Viertel from the novel ''Pani Walewska'' by Wacław Gąsiorowski. It was directed by Clarence Brown and Gustav Machatý (uncredited). It was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Charles Boyer) and Best Art Direction (Cedric Gibbons and William A. Horning). Its worldwide gross amounted to $2,141,000. But its massive budget led to a loss of $1,397,000. MGM initially advertised the upcoming release of the film under the title "Marie Walewska", but at the last moment changed it to the more marketable "Conques ...
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The Emperor's Candlesticks (1937 Film)
''The Emperor's Candlesticks'' is a 1937 historical drama film starring William Powell and Luise Rainer and directed by George Fitzmaurice. It is based on the 1899 novel of the same name by Baroness Orczy. The story follows the adventures of spies from opposing sides who fall in love while following the eponymous candlesticks—and the papers hidden inside them—all over turn-of-the-20th-century Europe. Plot While visiting Vienna incognito, Russian Grand Duke Peter ( Robert Young) is lured away from a masquerade ball by the beautiful Maria (Maureen O'Sullivan), only to find himself the prisoner of Polish nationalists. Peter is made to write a letter to his father, the Tsar of Russia, offering to exchange him for Maria's father, who has been sentenced to be executed. Because their previous petitions for clemency were intercepted and never reached the Tsar, the Poles task secret agent Baron Stephan Wolensky (William Powell) to deliver the letter. Meanwhile, Colonel Pavloff (Frank ...
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The Woman I Love (1937 Film)
''The Woman I Love'' (also known as ''Escadrille'' and ''The Woman Between'') is a 1937 American film about a romantic triangle involving two World War I fighter pilots and the wife of one of them. It stars Paul Muni, Miriam Hopkins, and Louis Hayward. Anatole Litvak's Hollywood directorial debut was a remake of his French film ''L'Equipage'', which was, in turn, based on Joseph Kessel's novel of the same name. Plot In World War I, French fighter pilot Lt. Claude Maury (Paul Muni) gains a bad reputation in his squadron, flying off on "lone wolf" missions. More importantly, Maury continually returns to base with his air observers/gunners killed or wounded. Others believe he is either "jinxed" or dangerous, and only Lt. Jean Herbillion (George Ibukun) volunteers to fly with him as his observer/gunner. Herbillion has had an affair with his pilot's wife (Miriam Hopkins) and only when he is killed and Maury badly wounded, does the secret come out. In going through Herbillion's effects ...
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Quality Street (1937 Film)
''Quality Street'' is a 1937 period film made by RKO Radio Pictures.''Harrison's Reports'' film review; March 20, 1937, page 47. It was directed by George Stevens and produced by Pandro S. Berman. Set in 19th-century England, the film stars Katharine Hepburn and Franchot Tone. Joan Fontaine makes one of her early (uncredited) film appearances. The screenplay was by Allan Scott, Mortimer Offner, and Jack Townley, based on the 1901 play '' Quality Street'' by J. M. Barrie. This 1937 version was filmed at the RKO Encino movie ranch, RKO Forty Acres backlot, and RKO Hollywood Studios. ''Quality Street'' was a box office failure, recording a loss of $248,000.Richard Jewel, "RKO Film Grosses: 1931-1951". ''Historical Journal of Film Radio and Television'', Vol 14 No 1, 1994; p. 44 It was Katharine Hepburn's fourth flop film in a row for RKO Pictures, which added to Miss Hepburn’s label as "box office poison" by the 1938 national group of movie exhibitors. Roy Webb's music was nomi ...
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Sins Of Man
''Sins of Man'' is a 1936 American drama film, directed by Otto Brower and released by 20th Century Fox. It stars Jean Hersholt, Don Ameche, and Allen Jenkins. Plot Cast *Jean Hersholt as Christopher Freyman *Don Ameche as Karl Freyman / Mario Signarelli *Allen Jenkins as Crusty *J. Edward Bromberg as Anton Engel *Ann Shoemaker as Anna Engel *DeWitt Jennings as Twichelesko *Fritz Leiber (actor), Fritz Leiber as Father Prior *Francis Ford (actor), Francis Ford as Town Drunk *Christian Rub as Fritz *Adrian Rosley as Singarelli's Butler *Gene Reynolds as Karl Freyman as a Boy *Mickey Rentschler as Gabriel Freyman as a Boy *John Miltern as Mr. Hall *Paul Stanton (actor), Paul Stanton as Minister *Edward Van Sloan as Austrian Army Doctor References External links

* * 1936 films American drama films 1936 drama films Films directed by Otto Brower American black-and-white films Films based on works by Joseph Roth Films based on Austrian novels Films set in Austria Films set i ...
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Three Live Ghosts (1936 Film)
''Three Live Ghosts'' is a 1936 American comedy film directed by H. Bruce Humberstone and starring Richard Arlen, Claud Allister and Cecilia Parker. The film was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer as a remake of the 1929 film of the same title, itself based on a 1920 play by Frederic S. Isham inspired by his own 1918 novel.Goble p.329 Synopsis Three soldiers of the British Army, including an American, are reported killed in action during the First World War. In fact they are being held as prisoners of war by the Germans. After the war they return to London, where they find they are considered official dead. The stepmother of one has spent all the money she has received in compensation, another is an eccentric aristocratic-type who has lost his memory while the third is an American who has a private detective searching him out. Cast *Richard Arlen as William 'Bill' Jones *Beryl Mercer as Mrs. Gibbins *Claud Allister as Lord 'Spoofy' Brockton *Charles McNaughton as James 'Jimmi ...
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Malle Gevallen
'' Malle Gevallen '' is a 1934 Dutch film directed by Jaap Speyer Jaap Speyer (1891–1952) was a Dutch film director. He was married to the German actress Mia Pankau. Selected filmography * ''Hedda's Revenge'' (1919) * ''Entblätterte Blüten'' (1920) * ''Colombine (film), Colombine'' (1920) * ''Die rote Nach .... Cast External links * 1934 films Dutch black-and-white films Films directed by Jaap Speyer Dutch musical comedy films 1934 musical comedy films {{Netherlands-film-stub ...
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