June Travis

  • William C. McGann & Alan Crosland – The Case of the Black Cat (1936)

    Alan Crosland1931-1940CrimeMysteryUSAWilliam C. McGann

    Synopsis:
    Lawyer Perry Mason is summoned to the Laxter mansion in the dead of night to write granddaughter Wilma out of invalid Peter Laxter’s will, to keep her from marrying suspected fortune hunter Doug. Peter dies in a mysterious fire and Laxter’s two grandsons, Sam Laxter and Frank Oafley, inherit his estate on the condition old caretaker Schuster and his cat Clinker are kept on. When cat-hating Sam threatens Clinker, Perry steps in and learns Laxter’s death was suspicious and the family fortune and diamonds are missing. Schuster’s found dead in his basement apartment, Laxter’s nurse Louise is murdered with Schuster’s crutch, and circumstantial evidence brings Doug to trial for Louise’s death. Mason’s investigation produces a surprise witness who turns the trial around.Read More »

  • Frank McDonald – Over the Wall (1938)

    1931-1940DramaFrank McDonaldRomanceUSA

    IMDB
    Jerry Davis is a street tough and troublemaker who winds up in Sing Sing framed for murder. There he discovers he has a great singing voice, and with the help of prison chaplain Father Connor, Jerry begins to rehabilitate himself.Read More »

  • George Nichols Jr. – The Big Game (1936)

    Drama1931-1940ComedyGeorge Nichols Jr.USA

    Plot Synopsis
    Future best-selling novelist Irwin Shaw made his screenwriting bow with the modest RKO Radio sports drama The Big Game. The story revolves around the efforts by a group of crooked gamblers to fix the outcomes of college football games. When star quarterback Clark (Philip Huston) refuses to be bribed, the villains kidnap him on the eve of the titular Big Game. Clark is rescued by his burly teammates just in the nick of time, but the film’s not over yet: there’s a riot on the football field during the final scenes, reportedly inspired by a real-life incident during a 1935 NYU-Fordham game. Adding to the enjoyment of The Big Game is the presence of several genuine members of the 1936 All-American football squad: The University of Chicago’s Jay Berwanger, Notre Dame’s William Shakespeare, Southern Methodist’s Bobby Wilson, NYU’s Irwin “King Kong” Klein, Ohio State’s Gomer Jones, and Stanford’s Robert “Bones” Hamilton, Monk Moscrip and Frank Alustiza.Read More »

Back to top button