The Dancing Masters (released in 1943) - Starring Laurel and Hardy

‘You’re always sticking your foot into something…’
And this time Laurel and Hardy (proprietors) at the Arthur Hurry School of Dancing are kicking up and sticking their foot into many sticky pies! The opening scene is funny and endearing as a surprisingly agile Hardy instructing pretty ladies that ‘gracefulness is everything’- never mind the ditty is ‘London Bridge’, in an adjoining hall, Stan pirouettes like a ballerina, showing off ‘the dance of the pelican’, his “own original creation”- as his mum looks on, a lady comments “isn’t he light?”, and mum retorts scornfully “in the head!”
The duo is facing financial troubles, even though their friend and pupil Trudy Harlan (Trudy Marshall, Too Many Winners) pitches in. Unbeknownst to them, elsewhere in the city are a bunch of goons at the ACME Importing Co (a clever cover-up), who plan to sell insurance, instead of ‘protection’, to throw the FBI off of their scent. Thus, ‘The Last Mile Insurance Company’ is born.
Their first clients are the gullible and easily intimidated proprietors at Arthur Hurry (the Company guys think they have ‘tremendous business’) - who at refuse the insurance, but are not so subtly told that the ‘joint’ may burn down, suppose there were to be an explosion, or a partner (gesturing at Stan) broke an arm or a leg - this grabs their attention, and are filled with wonder that one could actually earn money for something like that! So the going rate for Stan’s missing limbs are decided thus:
- breaks an arm: $5000
- breaks an arm AND a leg:$10,000
- breaks an arm and leg, AND loses an eye: $25,000
- and in the event he breaks his neck: Oliver Hardy, beneficiary for the full amount : $100,000!!!!$$$!!!
The first premium of $100 paid, and a threat hanging over him to pay it again by the third of the next month -the Company leaves, duping the duo. Meanwhile, Trudy invites her love interest, Grant - a mechanic at her Father’s factory, along with Laurel and Hardy, as her parents are leaving for Washington. On the other hand, her Father is hoping that the future Vice President of his company George Worthing, would also be his future son–in-law. He fires Grant for accidentally injuring George.





At her house, the three men make themselves comfortable, but Grant spills some ginger ale on his trousers, so Trudy offers to dry them for him. As Laurel and Hardy bicker over an issue, Hardy goes out of the front door - only to come charging back in: the Harlans are back with George Worthing! They hide upstairs in the bedroom, under the beds, whilst Grant (trouser less) ducks behind a sofa. Harlan Sr. is giving George a tour of the living room, he accidentally fires a gun, and Grant’s cover is blown - he tells Harlan that he was invited by Trudy, the men don’t realize he is in his undershorts, when Mrs. Harlan enters the room - she screams in shock, Grant leaves, George threatens to punch him in the nose of he ever sees him hanging around Trudy. Mrs. Harlan, in hysterics after seeing her husband’s secret stash of liquor in an elaborate bar behind the book shelves - hurries up to her bedroom, where Laurel and Hardy are still under the beds!
Wentworth Harlan and George unwind over drinks - the latter discloses Grant’s secret invention - an invisible ray that would revolutionize warfare. George has the hideous plan of sabotaging the invention when Grant runs out of money, to claim it for his own, Harlan is interested and decides to be in cahoots with him. A hard day over, the Harlans settle down in bed - unaware of their strange bedfellows, one of whom dear ol’ Stan, falls asleep like a baby, but snores like a hibernating bear - waking up Mrs. Harlan. She in turn wakes up Mr. Harlan - and they bicker about each other’s snoring. Hardy tries to shush Stan, Mrs. Harlan thinks it’s her husband shushing her - ‘Don’t you shush me, if there’s anything I hate - it’s a shusher’- she declares. Meanwhile, the duo - Stan and Hardy try creeping out, getting cold feet when they see the sheer drop from the window.
As they hang on for support, grabbing a carpet, Hardy drags Wentworth’s bed out of the window into the fountain below, but they manage to escape as he screams for the police! Their troubles start to pile up, with the landlord threatening to dispossess them, evict them, throw them out - unless they pay the rent by midday. Hardy refuses to withdraw from the bank as the $300 they have is ‘our nesting’. Despite their resolve, they end up using it to buy a grandfather clock at an auction!
On the other hand, Trudy wants her friends to help Grant, so that the presentation of the invisible ray gun can take place; the Ollie , in the guise of Professor Findash Gorp and Stan, as his assistant, proceed to give a demonstration; as the catchphrase goes ‘well, here’s another nice mess you’ve gotten me into’- in  true-blue L & H style, they goof up - burning down Harlan’s property, and worse, destroying Grant’s invention! They decide that they must repay $10,000 to Grant - Ollie concocts a devious plan on the sly to ensure that Stan breaks his leg - so that he can claim insurance on his behalf, unaware that he’s been duped by the Company.
He overhears someone say how they broke their leg on a roller coaster - that gives Ollie an idea, and he takes the unsuspecting Stan to the boardwalk. Meanwhile, George Worthing, never one to give up, steals the blueprints of Grant’s invention - to the horror and dismay of Harlan, who realizes he’s misread the executive’s character - and so, fires him. He also promises Trudy to finance Grant’s research.
Elsewhere, our poor unsuspicious  Stan goes along with Ollie’s plan, only fate has different ideas in store- and in the end, after a harrowing ride in a bus on a roller coaster, it is Ollie whose leg breaks, and who has to recuperate in hospital whilst good ol’ Stan waits by him, munching his fruit! Brilliantly directed by Mal St.Clair, there is never a dull moment – great watch for a rainy afternoon with the kids!

Corvette K-225 (released in 1943) - Starring Randolph Scott, Ella Raines and Barry Fitzgerald

Corvette K 225, a war-drama film, is directed by Richard Rosson. Tt features a story bound ship HMCS Donnacona, of the Royal Canadian Navy. It stars Randolph Scott (other movies: 7th Cavalry, Comanche Station) as Lt. Cdr McLain and Ella Raines (it was her debut film in 1943). During the War, MacLain has to return to his native Canada, after having suffered a terrible setback - his ship, a Corvette, is blown apart by a German torpedo whilst escorting a convoy.
Seething, the Lt. Cdr is determined to take vengeance for deaths of those men who were mercilessly gunned down by a German U-boat. He refuses the Admiral’s offer for leave, and decides instead to wait until a new ship is commissioned. Whilst he’s on standby, he befriends Joyce Cartwright, played by Ella Raines, the sibling of Dick Cartwright, an officer who lost his life on the ship under McLain’s command.
Quite naturally disturbed by the loss of her brother, Joyce pins the blame for his tragic and untimely death on Mac; she is heartbroken and believes that if it weren’t for him - Dick would still be alive. However, time heals the ugliest wounds, and gradually, her animosity towards Mac fades, and is replaced with love.
In the meantime, the HMCS Donnacona, a Corvette K 225 is commissioned with a crew of sixty five men, which includes Joyce’s  young sibling - Lt. Paul Cartwright, a typical youngster who complains about what a hard act to follow and please MacLain is. The ship is bound for Europe, under the command of Commodore Ramsay, tasked with the duty of carrying cargo such as airplanes, gasoline and tanks. The Germans are stationed off the coast of Newfoundland, at Ethel, when another ship is torpedoed - the HMCS Donnacona sights the remnants – dead soldiers who have been thrown to the surface from the bowels of the ocean.

On the ninth day, the HMCS Donnacona is caught in the midst of a raging storm, as a result of which, it strays from the convoy and is lost. When the ship is about three hundred miles away from the Irish Coast, MacLain realizes there are more ships like the HMCS Donnacona which have strayed away from their convoys, he meets the Captain of the tanker Egyptian Star, who conveys dire warnings and fears to MacLain, believing that his ship is being followed and is under surveillance of German submarines.
Just as the Captain warned, they come under German fire from a squadron of bombers, but one of the convoy’s fighter planes comes to its rescue. In the fighting that ensues, the Egyptian Star is sunk by a torpedo, while the HMCS Donnacona takes on the submarines. Using a depth charge, one of the submarines is eliminated, however, the HMCS Donnacona comes under attack from a U-boat in a surface battle that disables it, Mac is also injured. Lt. Paul Cartwright with Seaman Stooky O’Meara move underwater to dispose the depth charges, which strike the submarine.
When it’s destroyed, MacLain recognizes the U-boat as the one which was responsible for the death of his men. The HMCS Donnacona arrives safely in Ireland with another six merchant ships. As a mark of respect, before it anchors the Corvette K 225 sails past the other docked ships, which salute the crew for its unsurpassed courage in the face of the enemy. A film which has a tragic beginning, but a triumphant end; an easy watch if you’re a WWII movie buff!

Minesweeper (released in 1943) - Starring Richard Arlen, Russell Hayden and Jean Parker

Directed by William Berke (other movies: Jungle Jim, The Marshal’s Daughter), the Minesweeper is a warm film about love, war and sacrifice. Even though that sounds a bit jaded, yet it brings to the audience a freshness and humor which is simple and contagious. Sometime in December 1941, after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, a former army man and deserter (for he’d raked up huge gambling debts) Richard   Houston (played by Richard Arlen) rolls the dice with fellow travelers in a boxcar, one of the men picks up the newspaper and reads out loud ‘every able bodied man…will either be in the armed service or working in a defense plan…’ The man reading- vociferously derides the announcement, only to earn the ire of Houston, who retorts that “…we’re at war and every able bodied man has a job to do.’ A scuffle ensues in which Houston is thrown off the moving locomotive.
Rescued by a passerby, Chief Petty Officer Ichabod Ferdinand “Fixit” Smith, Houston tells him that his name is Jim “Tennessee” Jones; when he gets off at the next town, he wants to send a telegram, he looks at a newspaper cutting he keeps - a picture of himself with the headline reading ‘Naval Officer Missing- Lieutenant Richard Houston Sought by Naval Authorities.’ He crumples the paper, and proceeds to write a telegram to the Records Office at Arkansas, requesting the birth certificate of one James Smith born in 1909. (The good Samaritan who rescued him had mentioned that his name Jim “Tennessee” Jones sounded familiar, he knew someone born in 1909 by that name, a distant cousin- this gives Houston the chance to further strengthen his fake identity).
The man takes him home, where he meets Mary Smith, ‘Fixit’ Smith’s niece, who lives with him and Mom Smith. Jim enlists in the Navy, he makes careful efforts to remain unnoticed, purposely missing targets in at the rifle range etc. but in spite of this, before long, is promoted to the rank of Gunner’s Mate.

He vies for Mary’s affection, pitted against Elliot Nash (Russell Hayden), whom he meets on Mary’s birthday - in fact both men end up gifting her the same vanity set, except that the one Jim gave her has a note that reads “Happy Birthday to Blue Eyes”. The three men are assigned to a mine disposal ship, one day, they are on a scouting mission, when the mooring’s of the vessel are trapped in a landmine. Teaming up with two other sailors, Jim and Elliot examine the problem at hand; the former dislodges a knife from the mine, and they return to the ship, wondering about how the bomb looked a lot different from other they’d seen. Unfortunately, as soon as they return, the two sailors are killed in the mine blast.
Lieutenant Gilpin (Frank Felton, Gun Man Down) is allocated the task of training both Gun Mates in the field of diffusing mines underwater; on their first assignment, Jim’s oxygen lines become tangled in a net - Elliot saves his life. When Lt. Gilpin sifts through Jim’s belongings, he comes across a pocket watch with the name Richard Houston engraved on it - this gives rise to suspicion, and the Lt. unbeknownst to Jim, starts to investigate his true identity. He finds a write-up and photograph of his in a Naval record book - he writes to the US Naval Academy from where Houston graduated , to furnish personal details of the man, including his current whereabouts - stating at the end – ‘this is strictly unofficial.’
Meanwhile, Jim is so besotted with Mary and determined to win her hand, that he “borrows” ten bucks from a colleague and wagers it in the hope that he may use the winnings to buy an engagement ring - he loses the money as well as misses out on a dinner date with Mary. Fixit makes the needful excuses on Jim’s behalf, and is then sent on duty. Sadly, a Japanese mine is set off  and Fixit dies in the mishap. Meanwhile, Jim returns and proposes to Mary, who seems sad and preoccupied, when she asks Jim whether he’s heard anything about her Uncle, he replies he isn’t aware - and is shocked to learn of his kind friend’s sudden death.
Bewildered and contrite, he tells Mary the truth about his own identity and plans to run away again. However, he receives orders to return to Base, where Lt. Gilpin wants to unearth how the mines work - he orders Jim to dive and find out. When Elliot and Jim dives, they   discover that the mines are sensitive to sound, and are propelled by sound waves. Jim compels his friend Elliot to move up to the surface, as he tries to disable the mine - suddenly, the mine explodes and Jim is killed. Lt. Gilpin was able to unearth and dismantle countless mines based on the information Jim shared before his death, for which he is awarded the Navy Cross posthumously.

The Ox Bow incident (released in 1943) starring Henry Fonda and Harry Morgan

The Ox Bow incident tells the tale of mob fury and violence. It is a western which is adapted from the book by Walter Van Tilburg Clark by the same name. The Ox-Bow Incident was selected for preservation in the United states National Film Registry by the Library of congress and was nominated for the the Oscar for the Best motion picture. When it was released, it tanked at the box office but over the years it has achieved artistic success and is marked for the superb acting of its cast namely Henry Fonda as Gil carter and Dana Andrews as Donald Martin.
The movie opens with Gil Carter and Art Croft (Harry Morgan), two drifters riding in to the town of Bridgers Well. They find that the tension is simmering in the town because of certain incidents of Cattle rustling or the stealing of livestock. The two new strangers are initially suspected of being thieves, but later an uneasy calm prevails. Gil Carter mourning the loss of his girl friend tries to drown his sorrows in the bottle.



Amidst all this a rider comes in with news that a local rancher, Larry Kinkaid is murdered and his cattle has been raided. This enrages the men around and they gang together to form a posse to hunt the cattle rustlers. A local Judge tries to pacify them and tells them not to take law in to their own hands. But the furious mob egged on by Major Tetley, Farnley, Jenny Grier pay little heed to the judges words and go in search of the thieves. Gil and Art are forced to join to avoid further suspicion.
They meet 3 men sleeping near the Ox Bow Canyon with some cattle nearby. It is revealed during interrogation that they are Donald Martin, Juan Martinez an illiterate Mexican and a senile Alva Hardwicke. The furious mob decides that these men are cattle thieves and decided to hang them. Only Gil, Gerard Tetley and Davies support the men and ask for clemency. But the furious mob overpowers them. Davies even reads out an eloquent letter written by Martin to his wife, to support his claims. To make matters worse, Juan Martinez is found to be a gambler knowledgeable in many local languages and in possession of a gun with Kinkaid's name engraved on it. This enrages the posse which orders the killing with Gerald Tetley being forced by his father to be one of the executioners.
The victorious posse on their return gets the news from the sheriff about the real culprits being caught for the attack on Larry Kinkaid. The judge and the Sheriff condemn their actions and promises to bring them to justice. The posse returns to the saloon and drinks, with Davies reading out the sad letter of Donald Martin. Major Tetley filled with remorse is driven to suicide when his son screams at him for his devilish behavior. At the end of the film Art and Gil is deputed by Davies to deliver the letter to Donald Martin's widow and ride out of Bridges Well.