Ava Gardner
Ava Lavinia Gardner (December 24, 1922 – January 25, 1990) was an American actress popular in the 1940s and 1950s. Considered one of the most iconic stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood, she was ranked as the 25th greatest female screen legend by the American Film Institute. Initially cast in minor roles, her breakthrough came with the classic film noir The Killers (1946), which established her as a leading lady. Her career flourished in the 1950s with notable performances in films like Mogambo (1953), for which she received an Academy Award nomination, The Barefoot Contessa (1954), and The Night of the Iguana (1964), which earned her a BAFTA nomination.
Off-screen, Gardner's personal life and progressive politics attracted significant attention. Her marriages to Mickey Rooney and Artie Shaw were gossiped about, but her tumultuous relationship with Frank Sinatra particularly headlined. Gardner was a strong supporter of racial equality and desegregation, and became a member of the NAACP in 1968. Gardner was a heavy smoker, which deteriorated her health as she grew older. She continued acting in minor roles in the 1980s before she suffered a stroke in 1986 and retired. Gardner moved to Spain and England, where she spent her final years before passing away from bronchopneumonia on January 25, 1990.
| Known For | Acting |
|---|---|
| Most Rating | 2.3129 |
| Birthday | 1922-12-24 |
| Place of Birth | Grabtown, North Carolina, USA |
| Also Known As | Ava Lavinia Gardner, A. Gardner, Ава Гарднер, 에바 가드너, エヴァ・ガードナー, |
1988
John Huston: The Man, the Movies, the Maverick
6/12
Biography of risk-taker and raconteur John Huston from his childhood to become one of the most highly respected filmmakers in the world.
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John Huston: The Man, the Movies, the Maverick
1966
The Bible: In the Beginning...
7.317/301
Covering only the first 22 chapters of the Book of Genesis, vignettes include: Adam and Eve frolicking in the Garden of Eden until their indulgence in...
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The Bible: In the Beginning...
1942
Calling Dr. Gillespie
7/7
Dr. Kildare's friend Dr. Gillespie is called in to investigate when a young man suffering from mental problems disappears on a killing spree.
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Calling Dr. Gillespie
1952
The Snows of Kilimanjaro
5.89/105
Writer Harry Street reflects on his life as he lies dying from an infection while on safari in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro.
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The Snows of Kilimanjaro
1974
Earthquake
6.156/381
Various interconnected people struggle to survive when an earthquake of unimaginable magnitude hits Los Angeles, California.
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Earthquake
1964
Seven Days in May
7.359/234
A U.S. Marine Corps colonel alerts the president of a planned military coup against him.
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Seven Days in May
1976
The Cassandra Crossing
6.231/238
Passengers on a European train have been exposed to a deadly disease, and nobody will let them off the train.
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The Cassandra Crossing
1953
Mogambo
6.439/180
On a Kenyan safari, white hunter Victor Marswell has a love triangle with seductive American socialite Eloise Kelly and anthropologist Donald Nordley'...
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Mogambo
1957
The Sun Also Rises
5.8/36
A group of disillusioned American expatriate writers live a dissolute, hedonistic lifestyle in 1920's France and Spain.
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The Sun Also Rises
1949
The Bribe
6.3/35
United States Federal agent Rigby travels to the Central American island Carlotta to investigate a stolen aircraft engines smuggling racket.
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The Bribe
1982
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
6.643/462
Juliet Forrest is convinced that the reported death of her father in a mountain car crash was no accident. Her father was a prominent cheese scientist...
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Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
1972
The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean
6.519/184
Outlaw and self-appointed lawmaker Judge Roy Bean rules over an empty stretch of the West that gradually grows, under his iron fist, into a thriving t...
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The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean
1963
55 Days at Peking
6.9/191
Diplomats, soldiers and other representatives of a dozen nations fend off the siege of the International Compound in Peking during the 1900 Boxer Rebe...
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55 Days at Peking
1954
The Barefoot Contessa
6.749/285
A washed-up filmmaker gets a second chance at stardom when he discovers stunning peasant Maria Vargas dancing in a Madrid nightclub. Goaded by his pro...
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The Barefoot Contessa
1959
On the Beach
6.714/250
In 1964, atomic war wipes out humanity in the northern hemisphere; one American submarine finds temporary safe haven in Australia, where life-as-usual...
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On the Beach
1953
The Band Wagon
7.2/248
A Broadway artiste turns a faded film star's comeback vehicle into an artsy flop.
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The Band Wagon
1941
Shadow of the Thin Man
7/125
Nick and Nora Charles are back at the racetrack—and murder is running a close second! While attending a major horse race with their young son, Nick Jr...
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Shadow of the Thin Man
1946
The Killers
7.4/445
Two hit men walk into a diner asking for a man called "the Swede". When the killers find the Swede, he's expecting them and doesn't put up a fight. Si...
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The Killers
1964
The Night of the Iguana
7.157/172
A defrocked Episcopal clergyman leads a bus-load of middle-aged Baptist women on a tour of the Mexican coast and comes to terms with the failure haunt...
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The Night of the Iguana
1948
One Touch of Venus
6.662/37
A window dresser's kiss brings a statue of the Roman goddess of love to life.
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One Touch of Venus
1952
Lone Star
5.7/23
Cattle baron Devereaux Burke is enlisted by an aging Andrew Jackson to dissuade Sam Houston from establishing Texas as a republic. Burke must fight st...
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Lone Star
1968
Mayerling
6.173/49
Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria clashes with his father, Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, over implementing progressive policies for their country. R...
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Mayerling
1942
Kid Glove Killer
6.4/22
Van Heflin stars as the head of a city crime lab who tries to solve the murder of the town mayor by scientifically analyzing evidence.
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Kid Glove Killer
1942
Reunion in France
6.5/22
Frenchwoman Michele de la Becque, an opponent of the Nazis in German-occupied Paris, hides a downed American flyer, Pat Talbot, and attempts to get hi...
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Reunion in France
1951
Pandora and the Flying Dutchman
6.8/126
Pandora Reynolds is a woman who has never fallen in love – but one who men kill and die for. When she meets dashing and mysterious ship's captain Hend...
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Pandora and the Flying Dutchman
1953
Ride, Vaquero!
6.1/21
Two Mexican outlaws, Rio and Esqueda, raised as stepbrothers, have a showdown over the issue of whether to evict new settlers from their Texas border...
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Ride, Vaquero!
1951
Show Boat
6.2/82
A dashing Mississippi river gambler wins the affections of the daughter of the owner of the Show Boat.
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Show Boat
1942
We Do It Because
6.5/2
This John Nesbitt's Passing Parade short explores the origins of various customs such as shaking hands, kissing, and why ships are christened.
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We Do It Because
1977
The Sentinel
6.097/237
As a young girl, Alison Parker attempted suicide after being traumatized by her father's sexual exploits. Now an elite fashion model, she moves to a B...
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The Sentinel
1981
Priest of Love
5/14
Following the banning and burning of his novel, "The Rainbow," D.H. Lawrence and his wife, Frieda, move to the United States, and then to Mexico. When...
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Priest of Love
1953
Knights of the Round Table
6/93
In Camelot, kingdom of Arthur and Merlin, Lancelot is well known for his courage and honor. But one day he must quit Camelot and the Queen Guinevere's...
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Knights of the Round Table
1944
Two Girls and a Sailor
5.8/11
A sailor helps two sisters start up a service canteen. The sailor soon becomes taken with gorgeous sister Jean, unaware that her sibling Patsy is also...
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Two Girls and a Sailor
1956
Bhowani Junction
6.064/39
Anglo-Indian Victoria Jones seeks her true identity amid the chaos of the British withdrawal from India.
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Bhowani Junction
1947
Singapore
6.1/22
After the war, Matt Gordon returns to Singapore to retrieve a fortune in smuggled pearls. Arrived, he reminisces in flashback about his prewar fiancée...
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Singapore
1943
Ghosts on the Loose
4.167/36
The East Side Kids try to fix up a house for newlyweds, but find the place next door "haunted" by mysterious men.
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Ghosts on the Loose
1946
Whistle Stop
4.393/28
When beautiful Mary returns to her "whistle stop" hometown, long-standing feelings of animosity between two of her old boyfriends leads to robbery and...
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Whistle Stop
2017
Chavela
6.889/27
Inspired by an exclusive interview and performance footage of Chavela Vargas shot in 1991 and guided by her unique voice, the film weaves an arresting...
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Chavela
1958
The Naked Maja
6.2/8
A historical fiction based on the lives of the artist Goya and the Duchess of Alba.
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The Naked Maja
1976
The Blue Bird
5.5/30
Peasant children Mytyl and Tyltyl are led on a magical quest for the fabulous Blue Bird of Happiness by the fairy Berylune. On their journey, they're...
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The Blue Bird
1942
This Time for Keeps
8/2
A young newlywed (Robert Sterling) finds working for his nasty father-in-law difficult.
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This Time for Keeps
1947
The Hucksters
7.024/21
A World War II veteran wants to return to advertising on his own terms, but finds it difficult to be successful and maintain his integrity.
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The Hucksters
1951
My Forbidden Past
5.5/21
An 1890s New Orleans heiress tries to buy a married doctor's love with her tainted family fortune.
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My Forbidden Past
1949
East Side, West Side
7.1/26
A vain businessman puts strains on his happy marriage to a rich, beautiful socialite by allowing himself to be seduced by a former girlfriend.
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East Side, West Side
1980
The Kidnapping of the President
4.643/14
A South American quasi-revolutionary/guerilla/terrorist and a misled, admiring girl compatriot manage to kidnap the U.S. President during a diplomatic...
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The Kidnapping of the President
1979
City on Fire
5.098/41
An ex-employee of a city oil refinery creates an explosion at the facility which starts a chain-reaction of fires that engulf the entire city.
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City on Fire
1970
The Ballad of Tam Lin
5.056/18
Based upon the Celtic legend Tam Lin, a young man is bewitched by a beautiful, heartless, aging sorceress to become her lover. When his attention wand...
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The Ballad of Tam Lin
1975
Permission to Kill
5.8/6
Western intelligence agents try, by all means necessary, to prevent a Communist-bloc defector from leaving the West in his bid to return home to lead...
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Permission to Kill
1992
Legends of the West
0/0
Host Jack Palance explores how Hollywood has depicted Western legends like George Armstrong Custer, Billy the Kid, Crazy Horse and the O.K. Corral
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Legends of the West
2018
Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood
5.9/44
A deliciously scandalous portrait of unsung Hollywood legend Scotty Bowers, whose bestselling memoir chronicled his decades spent as sexual procurer t...
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Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood
1949
The Great Sinner
6.783/23
A young man succumbs to gambling fever.
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The Great Sinner
1957
The Little Hut
6.375/16
Sir Philip Ashlow (Stewart Granger), his neglected wife, Lady Ashlow (Ava Gardner) and his best friend Henry Brittingham-Brett (David Niven) are shipw...
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The Little Hut
1960
The Angel Wore Red
5.045/11
A clergyman travels to Spain to join the Loyalist side during the Spanish Civil War and finds himself attracted to a beautiful entertainer.
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The Angel Wore Red
1944
3 Men in White
6.375/12
Gillespie has to finally choose his official assistant, or Red and Lee are going to kill themselves in competition. So, it's another diagnosis competi...
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3 Men in White
1982
Regina Roma
4/2
An aging couple search for peace and family harmony when their only son returns home after a long absence with his fiancee.
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Regina Roma
1944
Maisie Goes to Reno
6.6/7
A Brooklyn showgirl gets mixed up in a divorce between a soldier and his wife.
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Maisie Goes to Reno
2017
Ava Gardner: Life Is Bigger Than the Movies
5.625/4
A barefoot contessa, a screwed-up princess, an exquisite drunk, a bawdy aristocrat, a nightmare for puritanical America and the moguls of Metro-Goldwy...
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Ava Gardner: Life Is Bigger Than the Movies
1943
Du Barry Was a Lady
6.5/18
Hat check man Louis Blore is in love with nightclub star May Daly. May, however, is in love with a poor dancer but wants to marry for money. When Loui...
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Du Barry Was a Lady
1945
She Went to the Races
6/5
A group of scientists develop a system to pick winners at the racetrack. Comedy.
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She Went to the Races
1941
H.M. Pulham, Esq.
7.1/11
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.
2022
Rat Pack
9/2
In the 1950s, a small group of artists monopolized the attention of the cameras and the public. Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bish...
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Rat Pack
1974
That's Entertainment!
7.373/71
Various MGM stars from yesterday present their favorite musical moments from the studio's 50 year history.
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That's Entertainment!
2010
All Night Long
6.7/3
Like so many other actors, Ava Gardner hated to watch her films. She said that the woman on the screen wasn't her. But all films tell two stories: the...
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All Night Long
2023
Kennedy, Sinatra and the Mafia
7.5/4
With his mafia wiseguy links and access to entertainment industry star power, Frank Sinatra helped John F. Kennedy into the White House in 1960. But i...
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Kennedy, Sinatra and the Mafia
1986
Harem
5.444/9
A young British woman is kidnapped by an Arabian sheikh and held captive in his harem. At first she frantically tries to escape, but as they slowly ge...
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Harem
2013
Fallout
7/2
During the 1940s, Nevil Shute had a steady job as an engineer in the British military but in his spare time, he wrote novels that were being well-rece...
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Fallout
1942
Sunday Punch
6/4
Ma Galestrum (Connie Gilchrist) is a boardinghouse owner whose tenants are a group of aspiring boxers. When her young niece, Judy (Jean Rogers), comes...
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Sunday Punch
2003
Frank Sinatra glömde aldrig Finspång
0/0
Frank Sinatra was at rock bottom as far as his career in Hollywood was concerned, but made his way back to the spotlight via Finspångs Folkets park in...
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Frank Sinatra glömde aldrig Finspång
1943
Hitler's Madman
5.5/12
In 1942, a young paratrooper in the RAF returns to Czechoslovakia to encourage his fellow countrymen to sabotage the German war effort.
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Hitler's Madman
1943
Young Ideas
5.3/5
A widowed lecturer's two grown children try to break up what they believe is her inappropriate romance with a staid college professor.
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Young Ideas
1994
That's Entertainment! III
7.119/42
Some of MGM's musical stars review the studio's history of musicals. From The Hollywood Revue of 1929 to Brigadoon, from the first musical talkies to...
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That's Entertainment! III
1941
Fancy Answers
7/2
In this Pete Smith Speciality, the audience is asked a series of multiple-choice questions on various subjects.
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Fancy Answers
1998
Frank Sinatra: The Voice of the Century
7.7/3
Acknowledged as one of the greatest singers of the twentieth century, Arena explores the rise of the legendary crooner Frank Sinatra from his early fa...
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Frank Sinatra: The Voice of the Century
2006
De Madrid a la Luna
6/1
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De Madrid a la Luna
1943
Lost Angel
8/8
Alpha's been raised along scientific principles, and will make Mike Regan a great human interest story for his paper. But when his interview prompts A...
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Lost Angel
1964
On the Trail of the Iguana
6.5/4
Behind the scenes documentary of the filming of Tennessee Williams' The Night of the Iguana.
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On the Trail of the Iguana
2018
Ava Gardner, the Gypsy of Hollywood
6.923/13
At the height of her fame in 1954, actress Ava Gardner transplanted herself from Hollywood to the country of Spain. As she lovingly stated in her auto...
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Ava Gardner, the Gypsy of Hollywood
1944
Twenty Years After
8/2
This short celebrates the 20th anniversary of MGM. Segments are shown from several early hits, then from a number of 1944 releases.
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Twenty Years After
1950
The Costume Designer
10/1
This short focuses on the job of the costume designer in the production of motion pictures. The costume designer must design clothing that is correct...
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The Costume Designer
1945
I'm a Civilian Here Myself
10/1
A comic training film designed to help sailors readjust to civilain life after World War II.
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I'm a Civilian Here Myself
1941
Strange Testament
7.5/2
This MGM Passing Parade series short tells the story of Julian Poydras, whose encounter with a girl at Mardi Gras had a profound effect on his later l...
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Strange Testament
1942
Mighty Lak a Goat
6.5/2
The Our Gang gets splashed by mud from a passing car and so using some cleaning fluid to get rid of the mud; they unknowingly created a bad odour amon...
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Mighty Lak a Goat
1963
La Rabbia
7/29
Documentary footage (from the 1950s) and accompanying commentary to attempt to answer the existential question, Why are our lives characterized by dis...
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La Rabbia
1942
Joe Smith, American
6.5/6
Joe Smith is an ordinary American family man who works in an aircraft factory. Shortly after being a promoted to a much higher position, Joe is kidnap...
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Joe Smith, American
1944
Blonde Fever
4.438/8
Peter and Delilah are a married couple running a roadside café in Nevada. Their stable partnership turns rocky, though, with the arrival of the sultry...
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Blonde Fever
1943
Swing Fever
6/4
Comedy about a bandleader with hypnotic powers.
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Swing Fever
1950
Screen Actors
6.25/4
This short film takes a look at the off-screen personas of screen actors. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2012.
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Screen Actors
2010
Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff
6.645/39
In 2001 Jack Cardiff (1914-2009) became the first director of photography in the history of the Academy Awards to win an Honorary Oscar. But the first...
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Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff
2009
Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1950s: The Golden Era of the Musical
0/0
During the 1950s, musical masterpieces that have yet to be equaled were produced in Cinemascope with stereophonic sound. These two episodes explore ho...
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Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1950s: The Golden Era of the Musical
2003
Året var 1953
5/1
1953 - this is the year when Frank Sinatra tours Sweden and Stockholm celebrates 700 years with the entire air force in the air. The American way of l...
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Året var 1953
2020
Beautiful Like a Poem
0/0
I have a lot of interest and respect for classic cinema. I tried to make a film with at least 20 portraits of classical actresses whose films I'm fami...
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Beautiful Like a Poem
1977
Kolossal - The Magnificent Macisti
9/1
A documentary on the history of Italy's peplum genre.
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Kolossal - The Magnificent Macisti
1986
Maggie
0/0
Following the death of her husband, Maggie Webb finds herself left with numerous debts and back taxes. Her wealthy sister-in-law, Diane, hires her to...
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Maggie
2000
Howard Hughes: His Women and His Movies
9/1
A reclusive millionaire who owed his fortune to his father, Howard Hughes staked his fame on many things, including his credits as a producer, directo...
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