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Charles Coburn
Charles Douville Coburn (June 19, 1877 – August 30, 1961) was an American film and theatre actor. Best known for his work in comedies, Coburn received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for 1943's The More the Merrier.
Coburn was born in Macon, Georgia, the son of Scotch-Irish Americans Emma Louise Sprigman (May 11, 1838 Springfield, Ohio – November 12, 1896 Savannah, Georgia) and Moses Douville Coburn (April 27, 1834 Savannah, Georgia – December 27, 1902 Savannah, Georgia). Growing up in Savannah, he started out at age 14 doing odd jobs at the local Savannah Theater, handing out programs, ushering, or being the doorman. By age 17 or 18, he was the theater manager. He later became an actor, making his debut on Broadway in 1901. Coburn formed an acting company with actress Ivah Wills in 1905. They married in 1906. In addition to managing the company, the couple performed frequently on Broadway.
After his wife's death in 1937, Coburn relocated to Los Angeles, California and began film work. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as a retired millionaire playing Cupid in The More the Merrier in 1943. He was also nominated for The Devil and Miss Jones in 1941 and The Green Years in 1946. Other notable film credits include Of Human Hearts (1938), The Lady Eve (1941), Kings Row (1942), The Constant Nymph (1943), Heaven Can Wait (1943), Wilson (1944), Impact (1949), The Paradine Case (1947), Everybody Does It (1950), Has Anybody Seen My Gal? (1952), Monkey Business (1952), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), and John Paul Jones (1959). He usually played comedic parts, but Kings Row and Wilson were dramatic parts, showing his versatility.
For his contributions to motion pictures, in 1960, Coburn was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6268 Hollywood Boulevard.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Charles Coburn, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For | Acting |
---|---|
Most Rating | 2.181 |
Birthday | 1877-06-18 |
Place of Birth | Macon, Georgia, USA |
Also Known As | Charles Douville Coburn, |
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1953
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Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
7.3/975
Lorelei Lee is a beautiful showgirl engaged to be married to the wealthy Gus Esmond, much to the disapproval of Gus' rich father, Esmond Sr., who thin...
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Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

1941
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The Lady Eve
7.2/349
It's no accident when wealthy Charles falls for Jean. Jean is a con artist with her sights set on Charles' fortune. Matters complicate when Jean start...
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The Lady Eve

1947
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Lured
6.3/84
Sandra Carpenter is a London-based dancer who is distraught to learn that her friend has disappeared. Soon after the disappearance, she's approached b...
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Lured

1952
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Monkey Business
6.7/260
Research chemist Barnaby Fulton works on a fountain of youth pill for a chemical company. One of the labs chimps gets loose in the laboratory and mixe...
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Monkey Business
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1947
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The Paradine Case
6.23/239
Attorney Anthony Keane agrees to represent Londonite Mrs. Paradine, who has been fingered in her husband's murder. From the start, the married lawyer...
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The Paradine Case
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1944
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Together Again
5.4/9
Anne Crandall is the mayor of a small town in Vermont. Her deceased husband had been the mayor for years and when he died, she was left to carry on an...
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Together Again

1949
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Impact
6.1/55
After surviving a murder attempt, an auto magnate goes into hiding so his wife can pay for the crime.
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Impact

1939
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In Name Only
7/57
A wealthy man falls for a widow but is locked into a loveless marriage with a woman who has contrived to convince his parents she is the ideal wife.
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In Name Only

1943
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Princess O'Rourke
6.4/19
A down-to-earth pilot charms a European princess on vacation in the United States.
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Princess O'Rourke

1938
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Vivacious Lady
6.8/53
College town life gets turned upside down after a button-down botany professor secretly weds a sizzling night-club singer.
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Vivacious Lady

1942
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George Washington Slept Here
6.286/14
New Yorkers Bill and Connie Fuller have to move from their apartment. Without Bill's knowledge, Connie purchases a delapidated old farmhouse in Pennsy...
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George Washington Slept Here
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1953
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Trouble Along the Way
5.885/26
Struggling to retain custody of his daughter following his divorce, football coach Steve Williams finds himself embroiled in a recruiting scandal at t...
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Trouble Along the Way

1940
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Three Faces West
5.375/16
Viennese surgeon Dr. Braun and his daughter Leni come to a small town in North Dakota as refugees from Hitler. When the winds of the Dust Bowl threate...
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Three Faces West

1939
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Bachelor Mother
7.123/65
Polly Parrish, a clerk at Merlin's Department Store, is mistakenly presumed to be the mother of a foundling. Outraged at Polly's unmotherly conduct, D...
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Bachelor Mother

1957

The Story of Mankind
4.6/22
The devil and the spirit of mankind argue as to whether or not humanity is ultimately good or evil.
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The Story of Mankind

1949
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The Gal Who Took the West
5.6/11
In order to gain passage to the West, a woman poses as an opera singer, and causes a feud between two cousins.
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The Gal Who Took the West

1954
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The Long Wait
5.8/19
Soon after thumbing a ride from a truck driver, Johnny McBride is badly burned and suffers from complete amnesia when the vehicle he’s riding in blows...
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The Long Wait

1945

Rhapsody in Blue
6.4/14
Fictionalized biography of George Gershwin and his fight to bring serious music to Broadway.
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Rhapsody in Blue

1942
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In This Our Life
6.8/48
An unhappy, self-centered woman runs off with her sister's husband, wreaking havoc and ruining the lives of those around her.
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In This Our Life

1941

The Devil and Miss Jones
7.7/57
The wealthiest man in the world, John P. Merrick, is a private person who likes to stay anonymous. One of his many assets is Neeley's Department Store...
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The Devil and Miss Jones

1940
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Edison, the Man
6.6/21
In flashback, fifty years after inventing the light bulb, an 82-year-old Edison tells his story starting at age twenty-two with his arrival in New Yor...
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Edison, the Man

1939
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Idiot's Delight
6.1/15
A group of disparate travelers are thrown together in a posh Alpine hotel when the borders are closed at the start of WWII.
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Idiot's Delight

1939
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Made for Each Other
6.2/45
A couple struggle to find happiness after a whirlwind courtship.
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Made for Each Other

1939

The Story of Alexander Graham Bell
6/16
Alexander Graham Bell falls in love with deaf girl Mabel Hubbard while teaching the deaf and trying to invent means for telegraphing the human voice....
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The Story of Alexander Graham Bell

1943
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Heaven Can Wait
6.922/224
Spoiled playboy Henry van Cleve dies and arrives at the entrance to Hell, a final destination he is sure he deserves after living a life of profligacy...
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Heaven Can Wait
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1948

Green Grass of Wyoming
6.6/13
The romance of a rancher's niece and a rival rancher's son parallels that of a stallion and a mare.
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Green Grass of Wyoming

1943
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The More the Merrier
6.8/81
It's World War II and there is a severe housing shortage everywhere - especially in Washington, D.C. where Connie Milligan rents an apartment. Believi...
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The More the Merrier
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1960
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Pepe
6.1/46
Mario "Cantinflas" Moreno is a hired hand, Pepe, employed on a ranch. A boozing Hollywood director buys a white stallion that belongs to Pepe's boss....
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Pepe

1942
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Kings Row
7.2/38
Five young adults in a small American town face the revelations of secrets that threaten to ruin their hopes and dreams.
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Kings Row

1952
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Has Anybody Seen My Gal?
6.7/14
When a 1920s millionaire tests the fiber of his Vermont family, a young lady and her boyfriend feel the repercussions.
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Has Anybody Seen My Gal?

1959
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John Paul Jones
6.1/11
The career of Revolutionary War naval hero John Paul Jones, from his youth in Scotland through his service to Catherine the Great of Russia.
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John Paul Jones

1948
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B.F.'s Daughter
6.3/8
Wealthy Polly Fulton marries a progressive scholar whose attitudes toward capitalism and acquired wealth puts their marriage in jeopardy.
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B.F.'s Daughter

1944
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Wilson
5.5/23
The political career of Woodrow Wilson is chronicled, beginning with his decision to leave his post at Princeton to run for Governor of New Jersey, an...
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Wilson

1935
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The People's Enemy
6/1
Money was what gangster Vince M. Falcone wanted most and he did lay hands on millions of dollars by fair means or (mostly) foul. But once he became ri...
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The People's Enemy

1943
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The Constant Nymph
5.762/21
The daughter of a musical mentor adores a promising composer, who is quite fond of the adolescent. When her father dies, an uncle arrives with his own...
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The Constant Nymph

1945
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A Royal Scandal
6.9/18
Catherine the Great falls in love with an army officer who is plotting against her.
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A Royal Scandal

1941
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Our Wife
5.7/3
A musician's ex-wife wants him back after he finds love and success.
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Our Wife

1941

H.M. Pulham, Esq.
6.9/9
A middle-aged businessman who has lived a conservative life according to the routine conventions of society, still remembers the beautiful young woman...
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H.M. Pulham, Esq.

1945
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Over 21
5.25/4
A woman screenwriter lives in a shabby bungalow in order to be near her husband, a 39-year-old newspaper editor who has just joined the army.
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Over 21

1949

The Doctor and the Girl
5.714/7
Dr. Michael Corday, a recent graduate of the Harvard Medical School, is the son of Dr. John Corday, an eminent New York City surgeon who has a tendenc...
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The Doctor and the Girl
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1939
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Stanley and Livingstone
6.4/21
When American newspaperman and adventurer Henry M. Stanley comes back from the western Indian wars, his editor James Gordon Bennett sends him to Afric...
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Stanley and Livingstone
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1946
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The Green Years
6.5/14
An orphaned young boy is guided by his great-grandfather and strives to go to university to become a doctor. However, the boy's harsh grandfather stan...
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The Green Years
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1957
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Town on Trial
6.548/21
When an attractive young girl is murdered, suspicion falls on several members of the local tennis club. It falls to Police Inspector Halloran to sort...
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Town on Trial
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1938
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Lord Jeff
7.1/7
Spoiled child Geoffrey Bramer teams up with a pair of small time crooks to pose as an aristocrat and steal jewelry from exclusive shops. During a a ca...
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Lord Jeff
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1950
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Mr. Music
4/1
A golf-crazy songwriter tries to avoid the long, solitary hours of concentration needed to produce a hit musical. His producer and his secretary consp...
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Mr. Music
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1938
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Of Human Hearts
5.8/22
This is a story about family relationships, set in the time before and during the American Civil War. Ethan Wilkins is a poor and honest man who minis...
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Of Human Hearts
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1957
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How to Murder a Rich Uncle
6.7/7
A broke British nobleman targets his Canadian uncle, but other relatives get in the way.
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How to Murder a Rich Uncle
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1945
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Shady Lady
5.8/4
A crook becomes the victim of a crafty card player who works for the District Attorney.
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Shady Lady

1955
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How To Be Very, Very Popular
4.7/6
Two strippers on the run hide out in a college fraternity. Director Nunnally Johnson's 1955 musical comedy stars Betty Grable, Sheree North, Robert Cu...
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How To Be Very, Very Popular

1954
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The Rocket Man
6.3/5
After procuring a special ray gun, a precocious orphan helps his community by exposing the shady doings of local government, and plays a part in a cut...
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The Rocket Man

1938
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Yellow Jack
5.6/8
A fairly accurate historical account of Walter Reed's search for the cause of "Yellow Jack" or Yellow Fever and those who risked their lives in the pu...
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Yellow Jack
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1944
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The Impatient Years
6.3/5
Standing before a divorce court judge are Sergeant Andy Anderson and Janie Anderson asking him to dissolve their marriage. Janie's father, William Smi...
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The Impatient Years
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1951
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The Highwayman
0/0
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The Highwayman
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1956
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The Power and the Prize
5.5/4
An ambitious executive jeopardizes his career to marry a European refugee.
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The Power and the Prize

1941
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Unexpected Uncle
6.5/5
An elderly gentleman comes to a young woman's aid by pretending to be her uncle. Comedy.
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Unexpected Uncle

1986
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Marilyn Monroe: Beyond the Legend
7.5/6
Her story is well-known — the lonely child who yearned for affection and approval which she finally seemed to find as Hollywood's greatest love goddes...
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Marilyn Monroe: Beyond the Legend
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1940
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Florian
1/1
Set against the backdrop of WWI Europe, a man and woman of different classes are brought together by their love of Lippizan horses.
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Florian

1959
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A Stranger in My Arms
2.3/3
An Air Force pilot finds romance with his war buddy's widow.
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A Stranger in My Arms

1944
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Knickerbocker Holiday
5/4
The wild and woolly early days of New York -- when it was still known as New Amsterdam -- provide the backdrop for this period musical-comedy. In 1650...
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Knickerbocker Holiday
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1949
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Everybody Does It
7.8/3
Leonard Borland loves his monied wife, but with his wrecking business looking shaky he treasures her all the more. So when she decides to try again to...
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Everybody Does It

1940
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Road to Singapore
6.464/42
Two playboys try to forget previous romances in Singapore – until they meet a beautiful dancer.
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Road to Singapore

1959
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The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker
6/4
In early 1900s' Pennsylvania, Mr. Pennypacker has two company offices and two families with a combined total of 17 children. With an office in Harrisb...
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The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker

1997
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Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down The Line
7/1
Born Ruby Stevens, she was orphaned when she was four. A chance audition led to a chorus job. By 17 she was a Ziegfeld Girl. At 20 she earned excellen...
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Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down The Line

1949
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Yes Sir, That's My Baby
4/1
At a college, a group of ex-GIs clash with their wives about over playing football.
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Yes Sir, That's My Baby

1943
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My Kingdom for a Cook
0/0
While visiting Massachusetts, a famous English author (Charles Coburn) faces the wrath of a socialite (Isobel Elsom) after stealing her chef.
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My Kingdom for a Cook

1956
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Around the World in Eighty Days
6.6/521
Based on the famous book by Jules Verne the movie follows Phileas Fogg on his journey around the world. Which has to be completed within 80 days, a ve...
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Around the World in Eighty Days
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1950
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Peggy
4.7/3
Professor Brookfield along with daughters Peggy and Susan move to small town Pasadena, California. Their new neighbor Mrs. Fielding helps them move in...
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Peggy

1950
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Louisa
6.1/9
Architect Hal Norton and wife Meg invite his widowed mother Louisa to move in with them, only to discover the sweet elderly lady is romantically invol...
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Louisa

1940
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The Captain Is a Lady
6/1
Because of a bad investment, Captain and Mrs. Peabody are evicted from their home. Mrs. Peabody finds lodging at a retirement home, but as only single...
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The Captain Is a Lady
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1946
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Colonel Effingham's Raid
5.7/6
The story takes place in 1940. On the eve of America's entry in World War II, a colonel retired to his small Southern town, and discovers that there i...
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Colonel Effingham's Raid

1963
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Marilyn
6/1
This 1963 documentary, released less than a year after Marilyn Monroe's death, showcases the star in memorable scenes from her 20th Century Fox films,...
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Marilyn
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1985
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George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey
5.6/12
Biography of the legendary filmmaker directed by his son.
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George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey

1976
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It's Showtime
7/1
A collection of film clips profiling animal actors.
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It's Showtime

1942
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Breakdowns of 1942
6/1
Flubs and bloopers that occurred on the set of some of the major Warner Bros. pictures of 1942.
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