The best William Wellman Jr.’s movies
We present our ranking of the best William Wellman Jr.’s movies. Do you love cinema? Or are you looking for a movie of your favorite actor to watch tonight? Surely you have some to see or that you did not know yet about William Wellman Jr..
Black Caesar
6.4/10
Tommy Gibbs is a tough kid, raised in the ghetto, who aspires to be a kingpin criminal. As a young boy, his leg is broken by a bad cop on the take, during a payoff gone bad. Nursing his vengeance, he rises to power in Harlem, New York. Angry at the racist society around him, both criminal and straight, he sees the acquisition of power as the solution to his rage.
It's Alive
5.8/10
Lenore Davis and her husband Frank are about to have their second child. As she gives birth, the newborn baby vanishes and leaves behind five dead bodies. It's up to the police and Frank to figure out where their mutated child has gone.
The Born Losers
5.9/10
A ruthless motorcycle gang rides into a California town and terrorizes its denizens.
Pork Chop Hill
7/10
Korean War, April 1953. Lieutenant Clemons, leader of the King company of the United States Infantry, is ordered to recapture Pork Chop Hill, occupied by a powerful Chinese Army force, while, just seventy miles away, at nearby the village of Panmunjom, a tense cease-fire conference is celebrated.
The Happiest Millionaire
6.5/10
A happy and unbelievably lucky young Irish immigrant, John Lawless, lands a job as the butler of an unconventional millionaire, Biddle. His daughter, Cordelia Drexel Biddle, tires of the unusual antics of her father--especially since the nice young men around town all fear him. Wouldn't you fear a father-in-law that keeps alligators for pets and teaches boxing at his daily Bible classes?
The Errand Boy
6.4/10
Paramutual Pictures wants to know where all the money is going so they hire Morty to be their spy. Morty works for Mr. Sneak and gets a job in the mail room so that he can have access to the lot. But all that Morty ever finds is that he can cause havoc no matter what he does.
Dondi
3.5/10
World War II GIs adopt an Italian war orphan.
The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover
6.1/10
The files that escaped the shredder have become an incredible motion picture. From the Kennedys to Martin Luther King. From cab drivers to Congressmen. From housewives to hostesses. He had something on 58 million people. It was all in his files. Now you can see how he used it.
Darby's Rangers
6.3/10
Stationed in Scotland, Maj. William Darby and the men under his command are trained by British commandos, becoming the U.S. Army's 1st Ranger Battalion. Their drilling period is rigorous, but the men find time to romance local women before being deployed to fight the Nazis. U.S. forces battle from French North Africa to Italy, but when a surprise attack decimates the 1st and 3rd Battalions at the Battle of Cisterna, Darby and the 4th Battalion must come to their aid.
Why Be Good?: Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema
6.3/10
Before the G, PG and R ratings system there was the Production Code, and before that there was, well, nothing. This eye-opening documentary examines the rampant sexuality of early Hollywood through movie clips and reminiscences by stars of the era. Gloria Swanson, Mary Pickford, Marlene Dietrich and others relate tales of the artistic freedom that led to the draconian Production Code, which governed content from 1934 to 1968. Diane Lane narrates.
Gunfight at Comanche Creek
6.1/10
Comanche Creek, Colorado, 1875: Prisoner Jack Mason is broken out of jail by a gang of strangers. They use him in a robbery, then when the dead-or-alive reward is high enough, they shoot him and collect. The National Detective Agency, now knowing the gang's methods, arranges to have agent Bob Gifford jailed in Comanche Creek for train robbery. The gang takes the bait (not before Gifford catches the eye of lovely saloon-keeper Abbie). But how will the bait get off the hook?
College Confidential
4.8/10
Sociology professor Steve MacInter is conducting a survey at Collins College about the mores and lifestyles of the young people. Some of the good citizens begin to find exception to his sociological survey when they find out it includes questions about sex. Reporter Betty Ducayne receives an anonymous tip that the good professor is engaging in corruption of youth and when Steve's past comes up to haunt him, all heck breaks loose.
Lafayette Escadrille
5.5/10
A hotshot young flyer falls for a French sex worker during World War I.
Image of the Beast
4.6/10
Third and best known entry in the Mark IV series of fundamentalist apocalypse films. Fundamentalist Christian guerrilla David helps condemned dissidents escape, attempts to subvert the computerized Mark of the Beast, and generally tries to survive as prophecy unfolds in the rise of the Antichrist to the pinnacle of his power and the beginning of God's war on sinful man.
High School Confidential!
6.1/10
A tough kid comes to a new high school and begins muscling his way into the drug scene. This is a typical morality play of the era, filled with a naive view of drugs, nihilistic beat poetry, and some incredible '50s slang.
The Prodigal Planet
4.5/10
Final and least well-known installment in the Mark IV series of fundamentalist apocalypse films. About to executed by the forces of the Antichrist, fundamentalist Christian guerrilla David is rescued by Connie, an Antichrist agent pretending to be a double agent for the Believers' Underground. Connie hopes to trick David into leading her to the dissidents' hidden base. Meanwhile, Armageddon and the Second Coming draw nigh.
Which Way to the Front?
4.6/10
Brendan Byers III, one of the richest men in America, has been pronounced 4-F and can't serve his country in its war against Hitler. Byers does not takes "No" for an answer and recruits other 4-F's to fight against Hitler.
Victor Fleming: Master Craftsman
7.1/10
A documentary on the life and career of Victor Fleming, director of such iconic movies as The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind.
A Swingin' Summer
4.8/10
Beach party escapade features a bookworm with glasses who learns to "groove", as she attempts to sing "Ready to Groove."
Wings: Grandeur in the Sky
7.4/10
A making-of featurette for the first Academy Award winning film Wings (1927), with plenty of rare photographs and the participation of William Wellman, Jr.
