The Nearly Good B-Pictures of the 1940s
by Akira_Chimera | created - 06 Nov 2014 | updated - 15 Nov 2022 | PublicCan there even be a thing like 'nearly good B-pictures'? At first I wasn't so sure either. But after years of watching B-movies, more often than not I stumbled across a B-picture which I wouldn't exactly consider to be a good (or even brillant) one. On the other hand it didn't reach the absolute bottoms of z-grade moviedom that connoisseurs of this kind of pictures are used to either. It was simply a movie which, in terms of B-pictures, was competently done, had all those ingredients we love so much in this kind of movies, yes, possibly it was even done bad for all the right reasons. But nevertheless, it didn't click with me, didn't offer that special something which makes B-pictures so enjoyable. What you can expect on this list are B-pictures which are not bad per se, they are more like near misses which can still offer plenty for the B-movie fan. Especially if you are a fan of a certain subgenre, actor or whatever. So have fun browsing through the nearly, but not quite, good B-pictures of the 1940s.
If you're up to it, don't hesitate to leave a comment.
PS: The movies are sorted by year and not necessarily by my preference. This list is by no means complete as I will add new worthwhile films as I stumble across them.
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1. Phantom of Chinatown (1940)
Approved | 62 min | Mystery
Detective James Lee Wong is on the scene as archaeologist Dr. John Benton, recently returned from an expedition in China where a valuable ancient scroll was recovered, is murdered while giving a lecture on the expedition.
Director: Phil Rosen | Stars: Keye Luke, Lotus Long, Grant Withers, Charles Miller
Votes: 830
2. The Fatal Hour (1940)
Approved | 68 min | Crime, Mystery
When Captain Street's best friend Dan Grady is murdered, Street receives help from Chinese detective James Lee Wong and local newspaper reporter Bobbie Logan.
Director: William Nigh | Stars: Boris Karloff, Marjorie Reynolds, Grant Withers, Charles Trowbridge
Votes: 1,308
3. Chamber of Horrors (1940)
Approved | 79 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
A murder is found to be connected to a false heir and a secret underground torture chamber.
Director: Norman Lee | Stars: Leslie Banks, Lilli Palmer, Romilly Lunge, Gina Malo
Votes: 711
4. Doomed to Die (1940)
Approved | 68 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Mr. Wong and a girl reporter investigate a shipping magnate's murder.
Director: William Nigh | Stars: Boris Karloff, Marjorie Reynolds, Grant Withers, William Stelling
Votes: 1,367
5. Sky Bandits (1940)
Approved | 62 min | Action, Comedy, Drama
Sgt. Renfrew and Constable Kelly go aloft to search for a plane missing with a shipment of gold from the Yukon Mine Company. Inventor Speavy has devised a power ray which disrupts ... See full summary »
Director: Ralph Staub | Stars: James Newill, Louise Stanley, Dewey Robinson, William Pawley
Votes: 89
6. Yukon Flight (1940)
Approved | 57 min | Adventure
When the plane owned by the "Yukon and Columbia Mail Service" crashes, RCMP Sergeant Renfrew (James Newill) and Constable Kelly (Dave O'Brien) suspect murder. Their suspicions are confirmed... See full summary »
Director: Ralph Staub | Stars: James Newill, Louise Stanley, Warren Hull, William Pawley
Votes: 86
7. Gangs of Chicago (1940)
66 min | Crime, Drama
A criminal uses his knowledge of the law for his not-very-legal purposes, betraying friends along the way.
Director: Arthur Lubin | Stars: Lloyd Nolan, Barton MacLane, Lola Lane, Ray Middleton
Votes: 100
8. Glamour for Sale (1940)
Approved | 60 min | Drama, Romance
An undercover man (Roger Pryor) recruits an escort-service rookie (Anita Louise) to inform him of scams.
Director: D. Ross Lederman | Stars: Anita Louise, Roger Pryor, Frances Robinson, June MacCloy
Votes: 106
9. Crimes at the Dark House (1940)
Not Rated | 69 min | Drama
A madman kills a man who has just inherited a large estate, then impersonates his victim to gain entrance to the estate so he can murder his enemies.
Director: George King | Stars: Tod Slaughter, Sylvia Marriott, Hilary Eaves, Geoffrey Wardwell
Votes: 610
10. Double Alibi (1940)
Approved | 60 min | Adventure, Crime, Mystery
A man's ex-wife is found murdered, and he finds himself to be the prime suspect.
Director: Phil Rosen | Stars: Wayne Morris, Margaret Lindsay, William Gargan, Roscoe Karns
Votes: 62
11. Honeymoon Deferred (1940)
Approved | 59 min | Comedy, Crime, Film-Noir
Detective Adam Farradene postpones his honeymoon with wife Janet to investigate a murder. Janet puts aside her frustration to lend a hand, despite Adam's insistence on working alone.
Director: Lew Landers | Stars: Edmund Lowe, Margaret Lindsay, Elisabeth Risdon, Chick Chandler
Votes: 54
12. Danger Ahead (1940)
Approved | 60 min | Adventure
The Royal Mounties are called in when one of the armored cars owned by Maxwell, containing a gold shipment, disappears with driver George Hill suspected of trying to get away with the gold.... See full summary »
Director: Ralph Staub | Stars: James Newill, Dorothea Kent, Guy Usher, Maude Allen
Votes: 45
13. Enemy Agent (1940)
Approved | 64 min | Adventure, Mystery
A man is framed for being a spy. After he is released, he sets out to find who the real spies are.
Director: Lew Landers | Stars: Richard Cromwell, Helen Vinson, Robert Armstrong, Marjorie Reynolds
Votes: 70
14. The Last Alarm (1940)
Approved | 61 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
A veteran firefighter is forced to retire at age 65 by the Fire Department.
Director: William Beaudine | Stars: J. Farrell MacDonald, Warren Hull, Polly Ann Young, Mary Gordon
Votes: 226
15. Pier 13 (1940)
Approved | 64 min | Crime, Mystery
Policeman (Nolan) flirts with waitress (Bari) and finds out her sister (Valerie) is involved with the robber (Fowley) he is trailing.
Director: Eugene Forde | Stars: Lynn Bari, Lloyd Nolan, Joan Valerie, Douglas Fowley
Votes: 71
16. Framed (1940)
60 min | Drama
A young newspaper reporter finds himself framed for murder.
Director: Harold D. Schuster | Stars: Frank Albertson, Constance Moore, Jerome Cowan, Robert Armstrong
Votes: 22
17. Zanzibar (1940)
Approved | 70 min | Adventure
A beautiful young woman organizes an expedition to Africa to search for a sacred skull that is worshiped by the locals.
Director: Harold D. Schuster | Stars: Lola Lane, James Craig, Eduardo Ciannelli, Tom Fadden
Votes: 44
18. Drums of the Desert (1940)
Approved | 64 min | Adventure
On his way to a post as special adviser of the new parachute troops of the French Foreign Legion in Morocco, Paul Dumont meets the beautiful Helene on the ship. A romance ensues, but the ... See full summary »
Director: George Waggner | Stars: Ralph Byrd, Lorna Gray, George Lynn, Willy Castello
Votes: 119
19. Typhoon (1940)
Approved | 70 min | Adventure, Romance
Having been marooned on an isolated island as a child, Dea grows to adulthood without human contact, her only companion being the chimp "Koko." Years later, on a South Sea island, Skipper ... See full summary »
Director: Louis King | Stars: Dorothy Lamour, Robert Preston, Lynne Overman, J. Carrol Naish
Votes: 145
20. Diamond Frontier (1940)
Approved | 73 min | Adventure, Crime, Romance
Story of the early days of the diamond-mining era in South Africa.
Director: Harold D. Schuster | Stars: Victor McLaglen, John Loder, Anne Nagel, Cecil Kellaway
Votes: 31
21. The Devil's Pipeline (1940)
Approved | 65 min | Adventure, Drama, Romance
A secretary sends a coded plea for help in her monthly report; two detectives investigate and find out that men are jailed on phony charges, forced to work in oil fields and then murdered if they try to escape.
Director: Christy Cabanne | Stars: Richard Arlen, Andy Devine, John Eldredge, Jean Brooks
Votes: 41
22. Love, Honor and Oh-Baby! (1940)
Passed | 59 min | Comedy, Mystery, Romance
In despair after breaking up with his girlfriend, a man hires a thug he has never seen to kill him. However, he changes his mind when he falls in love with another woman--but he can't stop ... See full summary »
Director: Charles Lamont | Stars: Donald Woods, Kathryn Adams, Wallace Ford, Mona Barrie
Votes: 42
23. The Leather Pushers (1940)
Approved | 64 min | Comedy
A shifty boxing promoter places an amateur in fixed fights, then hands his contract over to an suspicious female investigative reporter as a raffle prize. He later regrets his actions, however, when the boxer becomes an honest champion.
Director: John Rawlins | Stars: Richard Arlen, Andy Devine, Astrid Allwyn, Douglas Fowley
Votes: 33
24. Ragtime Cowboy Joe (1940)
Passed | 68 min | Drama, Music, Western
When Sam Osborne, owner of the Circle S Ranch, is killed by cattle rustler Bo Gillman, the outlaw is advised by crooked attorney Virgil Parker to report the "mysterious" killing to ... See full summary »
Director: Ray Taylor | Stars: Johnny Mack Brown, Fuzzy Knight, Nell O'Day, Dick Curtis
Votes: 39
25. Young Bill Hickok (1940)
Passed | 59 min | Drama, Music, Western
Bill Hickok, assisted by Calamity Jane, is after a foreign agent and his guerrilla band who are trying to take over some Western territory just as the Civil War is coming to a close.
Director: Joseph Kane | Stars: Roy Rogers, George 'Gabby' Hayes, Julie Bishop, John Miljan
Votes: 273
26. The Border Legion (1940)
Passed | 58 min | Drama, Music, Western
An Eastern doctor is on the run from authorities in New York. Out west he comes to the aid of friends besieged by an outlaw gang known as the border legion. In the end, he is cleared of any wrong-doing back east.
Director: Joseph Kane | Stars: Roy Rogers, George 'Gabby' Hayes, Carol Hughes, Joe Sawyer
Votes: 138
27. Take Me Back to Oklahoma (1940)
Approved | 57 min | Drama, Music, Western
Storm is out to wreck Ace's stage line. When Tex arrives to help Ace, Storm brings in hired killer Mule Bates. But Tex and Bates know each other and the two devise a plan to fool Storm.
Director: Albert Herman | Stars: Tex Ritter, Karl Hackett, White Flash, Bob Wills
Votes: 103
28. Wagon Train (1940)
Passed | 59 min | Drama, Western
Pecos businessman Matt Gardner is buying up freighters, or wagon trains of food supplies, at cheap prices through intimidation, and charging high prices by deliberately causing phony food ... See full summary »
Director: Edward Killy | Stars: Tim Holt, Ray Whitley, Emmett Lynn, Martha O'Driscoll
Votes: 275
29. Trail of the Vigilantes (1940)
Approved | 75 min | Comedy, Western
A reporter goes undercover to break up an outlaw gang.
Director: Allan Dwan | Stars: Franchot Tone, Warren William, Broderick Crawford, Andy Devine
Votes: 113
30. Santa Fe Marshal (1940)
Passed | 68 min | Western
U.S. Marshal Hopalong Cassidy is called when a town becomes overrun with bad guys. Disguised as a member of a medicine show, Hoppy discovers that the ringleader is none other than sweet li'l ol' Ma Burton.
Director: Lesley Selander | Stars: William Boyd, Russell Hayden, Marjorie Rambeau, Bernadene Hayes
Votes: 218
31. The Showdown (1940)
Passed | 65 min | Drama, Western
European bad guy Baron Bendor leads some local townsmen in a plot to obtain horses through theft. Hoppy and his sidekicks Lucky and Speedy must find and expose the horse thieves.
Director: Howard Bretherton | Stars: William Boyd, Russell Hayden, Britt Wood, Morris Ankrum
Votes: 196
32. Hidden Gold (1940)
Passed | 60 min | Western
Hoppy and Lucky confront a gang of outlaws which has been ravaging stagecoaches and gold mines. The final gunfight is at Ed Colby's mine.
Director: Lesley Selander | Stars: William Boyd, Russell Hayden, Minor Watson, Ruth Rogers
Votes: 224
33. Stagecoach War (1940)
Passed | 63 min | Drama, Western
Hoppy is busy chasing stagecoach bandits who sing as they rob.
Director: Lesley Selander | Stars: William Boyd, Russell Hayden, Julie Carter, Harvey Stephens
Votes: 199
34. Three Men from Texas (1940)
Approved | 76 min | Western
Hoppy and new sidekick California Carlson head to California to help out Lucky Jenkins.
Director: Lesley Selander | Stars: William Boyd, Russell Hayden, Andy Clyde, Morris Ankrum
Votes: 246
35. Phantom Rancher (1940)
Passed | 61 min | Western
Cowboy puts on a black mask and a black outfit to fight a gang of land-grabbing crooks.
Director: Harry L. Fraser | Stars: Ken Maynard, Tarzan, Dorothy Short, Harry Harvey
Votes: 164
36. Billy the Kid's Gun Justice (1940)
Passed | 57 min | Western
The third in the series of six PRC westerns starring Bob Steele as Billy the Kid (Bob Steele, finds Billy and his pals, Jeff Blanchard (Carleton Young) and Fuzzy Jones (Al St. John) ... See full summary »
Director: Sam Newfield | Stars: Bob Steele, Al St. John, Louise Currie, Carleton Young
Votes: 106
37. Murder on the Yukon (1940)
Approved | 58 min | Adventure, Drama, Music
Two Mounties find the body of a man who has just been murdered. They follow the trail to a cabin, where they are attacked by the murderer's gang.
Director: Louis J. Gasnier | Stars: James Newill, Polly Ann Young, Dave O'Brien, Al St. John
Votes: 59
38. The Man from Tumbleweeds (1940)
Passed | 59 min | Drama, Western
Powder Kilgore (Ray Bennett as Raphael Bennett) kills freighter Jeff Cameron (Edward LeSaint) and the latter's daughter, "Spunky" (Iris Meredith), sends for gunfighter Wild Bill Saunders (... See full summary »
Director: Joseph H. Lewis | Stars: Bill Elliott, Iris Meredith, Dub Taylor, Ray Bennett
Votes: 146
39. Give Us Wings (1940)
Passed | 62 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Dead End Kids epic. The boys want desperately to fly, and get mixed up with crooked crop dusters, whose planes are flying deathtraps.
Director: Charles Lamont | Stars: Billy Halop, Huntz Hall, Gabriel Dell, Bernard Punsly
Votes: 63
40. Calling Philo Vance (1940)
Passed | 62 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Despite an exclusive contract with the U.S. government, designer Archer Coe's design is being bid on by German, Japanese, and Italian agents - until he's murdered.
Director: William Clemens | Stars: James Stephenson, Margot Stevenson, Henry O'Neill, Edward Brophy
Votes: 491
41. Law and Order (1940)
Approved | 57 min | Western
Bill Ralston arrives in town planning to settle down but quickly gets caught up in the fight between the townspeople and Poe Daggett and his gang. He takes the job of town Marshal and soon ... See full summary »
Director: Ray Taylor | Stars: Johnny Mack Brown, Fuzzy Knight, Nell O'Day, James Craig
Votes: 36
42. Colorado (1940)
Passed | 57 min | Western
Trouble in Colorado is tying up Union troops needed back east during the Civil War and Lieut. Burke is sent to investigate. Macklin and his gang are causing the problems and Capt. Mason ... See full summary »
Director: Joseph Kane | Stars: Roy Rogers, George 'Gabby' Hayes, Pauline Moore, Milburn Stone
Votes: 289
43. The Carson City Kid (1940)
Passed | 57 min | Drama, Western
Roy is a bandit who is out to get the man who killed his younger brother. He learns as he rides into the town of Sonora that the man is the owner of the local saloon and gambling hall.
Director: Joseph Kane | Stars: Roy Rogers, George 'Gabby' Hayes, Bob Steele, Noah Beery Jr.
Votes: 337
44. The Range Busters (1940)
Approved | 56 min | Drama, Music, Western
After the owner of the Circle T Ranch is murdered by a ghostly serial killer, owner Carol Thorp resists offers to buy the ranch and is helped defend her property by the Range Busters.
Director: S. Roy Luby | Stars: Ray Corrigan, John 'Dusty' King, Max Terhune, Elmer
Votes: 106
45. Trailing Double Trouble (1940)
Approved | 56 min | Drama, Music, Western
Moreland wants to control the lucrative gravel contract, so he has owner Bob Horner murdered, so he can make his orphaned son his ward, but the Range Bustersand Horner's sister have other plans.
Director: S. Roy Luby | Stars: Ray Corrigan, John 'Dusty' King, Max Terhune, Elmer
Votes: 70
46. Riders of Pasco Basin (1940)
Approved | 56 min | Drama, Music, Western
A newspaper editor stumbles upon an irrigation project swindle.
Director: Ray Taylor | Stars: Johnny Mack Brown, Bob Baker, Fuzzy Knight, Frances Robinson
Votes: 47
47. West of Pinto Basin (1940)
Approved | 60 min | Drama, Music, Western
Three cowboys fight a saloon owner who is trying to grab up all the local land by engineering stagecoach robberies so an irrigation dam can't be built.
Director: S. Roy Luby | Stars: Ray Corrigan, John 'Dusty' King, Max Terhune, Elmer
Votes: 42
48. The Ranger and the Lady (1940)
Approved | 59 min | Drama, Romance, Western
While Sam Houston in in the nation's capital trying to get Texas into the Union, his aide is trying to impose a self-serving tax on the use of the Santa Fe trail. The lady owner of a wagon ... See full summary »
Director: Joseph Kane | Stars: Roy Rogers, George 'Gabby' Hayes, Julie Bishop, Harry Woods
Votes: 146
49. Chasing Trouble (1940)
Approved | 64 min | Drama
A delivery boy for a flower shop, who thinks of himself as an amateur detective, finds out that his boss is mixed up with a foreign espionage ring.
Director: Howard Bretherton | Stars: Frankie Darro, Marjorie Reynolds, Mantan Moreland, Milburn Stone
Votes: 134
50. Billy the Kid in Texas (1940)
Passed | 52 min | Drama, Western
Arriving in a lawless Texas town, Billy finds his old friend Fuzzy. When Billy stands up to Flash and his gang, he is made Sheriff. He and Fuzzy then set out to retrieve the money stolen by... See full summary »
Director: Sam Newfield | Stars: Bob Steele, Terry Walker, Al St. John, Carleton Young
Votes: 89
51. Lightning Strikes West (1940)
Passed | 55 min | Western
When Butch Taggart escapes prison, the Marshal sends Lightning Morgan to find him and his hidden gold. He finds the map to the gold on Taggart's boot. Joe Laikon and his men are also after ... See full summary »
Director: Harry L. Fraser | Stars: Ken Maynard, Claire Rochelle, Bob Terry, Michael Vallon
Votes: 72
52. The Light of Western Stars (1940)
Passed | 64 min | Drama, Western
Cowhand Ladd dances with cantina girl Estrella and has a part in shooting Sheriff Tyler.
Director: Lesley Selander | Stars: Victor Jory, Jo Ann Sayers, Russell Hayden, Morris Ankrum
Votes: 203
53. Texas Rangers Ride Again (1940)
Passed | 68 min | Drama, Western
With thousands of cattle being rustled from White Sage ranch the 1930's Texas Rangers are called in. They manage to get one of their agents into the gang by making them think he is the Pecos Kid on the lam.
Director: James P. Hogan | Stars: Ellen Drew, John Howard, Akim Tamiroff, May Robson
Votes: 230
54. Young Buffalo Bill (1940)
Passed | 59 min | Drama, Music, Western
Buffalo Bill, who bears virtually no relation to the real one, gets in a fight over mining lands in New Mexico. Indians besiege a Spanish rancho and the U.S. Cavalry rides to the rescue.
Director: Joseph Kane | Stars: Roy Rogers, George 'Gabby' Hayes, Pauline Moore, Hugh Sothern
Votes: 187
55. Pioneers of the West (1940)
Passed | 56 min | Drama, Western
This entry in Republic's "Three Mesquiteer" series, that skipped back forth in time much like Brick Bradford in his "Time Top" machine, finds the Mesquiteers, Stony Brooke, Rusty Joslin and... See full summary »
Director: Lester Orlebeck | Stars: Robert Livingston, Raymond Hatton, Duncan Renaldo, Noah Beery
Votes: 34
56. Covered Wagon Days (1940)
Approved | 56 min | Western
Stony Brooke, Rusty Joslin and Rico, the Three Mesquiteers, are returning from Mexico and are stopped at the border by Army officials, who are attempting to apprehend smugglers who are ... See full summary »
Director: George Sherman | Stars: Robert Livingston, Raymond Hatton, Duncan Renaldo, Kay Griffith
Votes: 32
57. Under Texas Skies (1940)
Passed | 57 min | Drama, Western
Stony Brooke returns to his home town only the learn that his father, Sheriff Brooke, has been murdered and that his boyhood friend, Tucson Smith has been convicted and is to hang for the ... See full summary »
Director: George Sherman | Stars: Robert Livingston, Bob Steele, Rufe Davis, Lois Ranson
Votes: 87
58. The Trail Blazers (1940)
Approved | 58 min | Western
The Continental Telegraph Co. is putting a telegraph line to the town and the fort. They know that the telegraph is needed to stop the activities of the outlaws, but only the outlaws can ... See full summary »
Director: George Sherman | Stars: Robert Livingston, Bob Steele, Rufe Davis, Pauline Moore
Votes: 34
59. Lone Star Raiders (1940)
Approved | 57 min | Drama, Western
Dust storms and drought make herding horses a tough job for the boys. When the new owner of the ranch, Lydia Phelps, shows up, the ranch is in dire financial straits. The Martin Ranch has ... See full summary »
Director: George Sherman | Stars: Robert Livingston, Bob Steele, Rufe Davis, June Johnson
Votes: 30
60. Rocky Mountain Rangers (1940)
Passed | 58 min | Drama, Western
This entry in Republic's "Three Mesquiteers" series has a misnomer for a title since the action takes place in Texas and pre-statehood Oklahoma, and the Rocky Mountains are in neither state... See full summary »
Director: George Sherman | Stars: Robert Livingston, Raymond Hatton, Duncan Renaldo, Rosella Towne
Votes: 70
61. The Durango Kid (1940)
Approved | 61 min | Western
The first film in which Charles Starrett played an alter-ego character known as "The Durango Kid" but this entry, for all intents and purposes, has only the names of Starrett and "Durango" ... See full summary »
Director: Lambert Hillyer | Stars: Charles Starrett, Luana Walters, Kenneth MacDonald, Francis Walker
Votes: 181
62. You're Not So Tough (1940)
Approved | 65 min | Drama
The Dead End Kids are out of the slums of New York's East Side and running around the sunny valleys of California looking for a way to make a quick buck. The idea of working never enters ... See full summary »
Director: Joe May | Stars: The Dead End Kids, Nan Grey, Rosina Galli, Henry Armetta
Votes: 58
63. East Side Kids (1940)
Approved | 62 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
After being falsely accused of a murder, a group of kids have to find the real killer in order to clear their name.
Director: Robert F. Hill | Stars: Leon Ames, Dennis Moore, Joyce Bryant, Hal E. Chester
Votes: 296
64. Boys of the City (1940)
Approved | 68 min | Comedy, Mystery, Thriller
Street kids get sent to the country, where they get mixed up in murder and a haunted house.
Director: Joseph H. Lewis | Stars: Bobby Jordan, Leo Gorcey, Hal E. Chester, Frankie Burke
Votes: 665
65. That Gang of Mine (1940)
Approved | 62 min | Comedy, Drama, Sport
Gang member, Muggs, aspires to be a jockey and tries to cheat his way to the top.
Director: Joseph H. Lewis | Stars: Bobby Jordan, Leo Gorcey, Clarence Muse, Dave O'Brien
Votes: 566
66. Pride of the Bowery (1940)
Approved | 61 min | Comedy, Drama
New York City street principles get an East Side kid in trouble at a Civilian Conservation Corps camp.
Director: Joseph H. Lewis | Stars: Leo Gorcey, Bobby Jordan, Kenneth Howell, Mary Ainslee
Votes: 628
67. On the Spot (1940)
Approved | 62 min | Mystery
Frankie Kelly is the soda jerk and embryo scientist in Midvales only drugstore. Two murders and an attempted killing suddenly swing Midvale into national prominence. Frankie and his pal, ... See full summary »
Director: Howard Bretherton | Stars: Frankie Darro, Mary Kornman, Mantan Moreland, John St. Polis
Votes: 91
68. Up in the Air (1940)
Approved | 62 min | Comedy, Musical, Mystery
A none-too-popular (nor good) radio singer, Rita Wilson is murdered while singing on the air in a radio studio. Radio page boy, Frankie Ryan, and his janitor pal, Jeff, solve the mystery for the none-too-sharp police.
Director: Howard Bretherton | Stars: Frankie Darro, Marjorie Reynolds, Mantan Moreland, Lorna Gray
Votes: 382
69. Hit the Road (1941)
Approved | 61 min | Drama
Kids look to get revenge when their fathers are all killed in a mob war.
Director: Joe May | Stars: Gladys George, Barton MacLane, Billy Halop, Huntz Hall
Votes: 64
70. Horror Island (1941)
Passed | 60 min | Comedy, Crime, Horror
A down-on-his-luck businessman organizes an excursion to Sir Henry Morgan's Island for a treasure hunt only to encounter a mysterious phantom and murder.
Director: George Waggner | Stars: Dick Foran, Leo Carrillo, Peggy Moran, Fuzzy Knight
Votes: 988
71. The Mad Doctor (1940)
Approved | 90 min | Crime, Film-Noir, Romance
A crazed physician marries a wealthy women and, with the help of his demented assistant, murders them for their money.
Director: Tim Whelan | Stars: Basil Rathbone, Ellen Drew, John Howard, Barbara Jo Allen
Votes: 303
72. South of Tahiti (1941)
Passed | 78 min | Adventure
Three shipwrecked sailors on an uncharted South Pacific island: one falls in love with the beautiful daughter of the tribe's leader; the others prefer to think about how to rob the tribe's gold treasure.
Director: George Waggner | Stars: Brian Donlevy, Broderick Crawford, Andy Devine, Maria Montez
Votes: 81
73. The Saint's Vacation (1941)
Approved | 61 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
While on vacation, the Saint discovers a much-sought-after music box.
Director: Leslie Fenton | Stars: Hugh Sinclair, Sally Gray, Arthur Macrae, Cecil Parker
Votes: 590
74. Nine Lives Are Not Enough (1941)
Approved | 63 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
An investigative crime reporter helps the cops solve the case of a missing tycoon who's later found dead in a cheap boarding house.
Director: A. Edward Sutherland | Stars: Ronald Reagan, Joan Perry, James Gleason, Howard Da Silva
Votes: 370
75. Shadows on the Stairs (1941)
Approved | 64 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
Occupants of a London boarding house become suspects as a string of murders are discovered.
Director: D. Ross Lederman | Stars: Frieda Inescort, Paul Cavanagh, Heather Angel, Bruce Lester
Votes: 780
76. The Case of the Black Parrot (1941)
Passed | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A reporter investigates a pair of deaths connected to an antique chest falsely believed to be a counterfeit made by a forger known as the "Black Parrot."
Director: Noel M. Smith | Stars: William Lundigan, Maris Wrixon, Eddie Foy Jr., Paul Cavanagh
Votes: 309
77. A Shot in the Dark (1941)
Approved | 57 min | Comedy, Drama, Mystery
Homicide detective Bill Ryder reluctantly teams up with wise-cracking news-hound Peter Kennedy to solve a pair of murders.
Director: William C. McGann | Stars: William Lundigan, Nan Wynn, Ricardo Cortez, Regis Toomey
Votes: 207
78. Murder in 3-D (1941)
8 min | Short, Comedy, Crime
A man tells his harrowing story of one evening at midnight being alerted by a telephone call from his Aunt Tilly in distress at the old deserted Smith mansion. The man drove the two hours ... See full summary »
Director: George Sidney | Stars: Ed Payson, Pete Smith
Votes: 161
79. Bullets for O'Hara (1941)
Approved | 50 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
A detective (Roger Pryor) courts a gangster's (Anthony Quinn) ex-wife (Joan Perry) to lure him into a trap.
Director: William K. Howard | Stars: Joan Perry, Roger Pryor, Anthony Quinn, Maris Wrixon
Votes: 275
80. Mob Town (1941)
Approved | 60 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
A young street kid idolizes his brother, a gangster who was sent to death row for murder. Frank, a local cop, tries to ensure that the boy and his gang don't wind up the same way as his ... See full summary »
Director: William Nigh | Stars: Dick Foran, Anne Gwynne, Billy Halop, Huntz Hall
Votes: 61
81. Highway West (1941)
Passed | 64 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Claire Foster (Brenda Marshall) discovers that her respectable-businessman husband George Foster (Arthur Kennedy) isn't respectable and isn't a businessman, but a gunman in this remake-version of "Heat Lightning".
Director: William C. McGann | Stars: Brenda Marshall, Arthur Kennedy, William Lundigan, Olympe Bradna
Votes: 156
82. Burma Convoy (1941)
Approved | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A truck convoy traveling the Burma Road is menaced by a group of smugglers.
Director: Noel M. Smith | Stars: Charles Bickford, Evelyn Ankers, Frank Albertson, Cecil Kellaway
Votes: 68
83. Mr. Dynamite (1941)
63 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
A ball player takes his girlfriend to a carnival, only to discover a ring of saboteurs.
Director: John Rawlins | Stars: Lloyd Nolan, Irene Hervey, J. Carrol Naish, Robert Armstrong
Votes: 80
84. Mutiny in the Arctic (1941)
Passed | 64 min | Adventure, Drama
Arctic explorers (Richard Arlen, Anne Nagel, Andy Devine) partner with a sea captain and his ship, to locate a radium deposit. However, they are betrayed by the ship's crew and must fight to survive the deadly polar environment.
Director: John Rawlins | Stars: Richard Arlen, Andy Devine, Anne Nagel, Addison Richards
Votes: 42
85. Flying Cadets (1941)
Passed | 64 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Story of test pilots at a school that trains new flyers.
Director: Erle C. Kenton | Stars: William Gargan, Edmund Lowe, Peggy Moran, Frank Albertson
Votes: 36
86. Doomed Caravan (1941)
Approved | 62 min | Drama, Western
Stephen Westcott and Ed Martin scheme to put Jane Travers' wagon line out of business. They want to use it take over all the wagon- train traffic going west. Hoppy, California and Lucky must make sure that doesn't happen.
Director: Lesley Selander | Stars: William Boyd, Russell Hayden, Andy Clyde, Minna Gombell
Votes: 205
87. Raiders of the Desert (1941)
Approved | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Two American adventurers jump ship in a Middle Eastern port, and wind up in the middle of a civil war.
Director: John Rawlins | Stars: Richard Arlen, Andy Devine, Linda Hayes, Maria Montez
Votes: 55
88. Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie (1941)
Approved | 61 min | Western
A young mining engineer sets out to catch the killers of both his brother and a beautiful young girl's father.
Director: Ray Taylor | Stars: Johnny Mack Brown, Fuzzy Knight, Nell O'Day, Kathryn Adams
Votes: 86
89. Red River Valley (1941)
Approved | 62 min | Drama, Music, Western
Ranchers, with the help of Roy, raise money to build a reservoir but lose it to a gambler through a crooked stock deal.
Director: Joseph Kane | Stars: Roy Rogers, George 'Gabby' Hayes, Sally Payne, Trevor Bardette
Votes: 118
90. Ridin' the Cherokee Trail (1941)
Approved | 59 min | Drama, Music, Western
A Texas Ranger goes after an outlaw who has his operations based in the Cherokee Strip.
Director: Spencer Gordon Bennet | Stars: Tex Ritter, White Flash, Slim Andrews, Forrest Taylor
Votes: 62
91. The Round Up (1941)
Approved | 90 min | Western
At Janet Allen's wedding to Steve Payson, owner of the Sweetwater Cattle Ranch, Greg Lane, her former fiancé whom she thought dead and Steve's best friend, turns up. Greg disregards the ... See full summary »
Director: Lesley Selander | Stars: Richard Dix, Patricia Morison, Preston Foster, Don Wilson
Votes: 54
92. Nevada City (1941)
Approved | 58 min | Drama, Music, Western
The conflict between a railroader and a stage line owner is being aggravated by bad guys who are sabotaging both sides. Roy and Gabby mediate the conflict and expose the bad guys.
Director: Joseph Kane | Stars: Roy Rogers, George 'Gabby' Hayes, Sally Payne, George Cleveland
Votes: 193
93. In Old Cheyenne (1941)
Passed | 58 min | Drama, Western
Roy is a newspaper reporter. He goes to Cheyenne to cover the activities of supposed bad guy Arapahoe Brown, and of course he discovers who the real bad guy is.
Director: Joseph Kane | Stars: Roy Rogers, George 'Gabby' Hayes, Joan Woodbury, J. Farrell MacDonald
Votes: 155
94. In Old Colorado (1941)
Approved | 66 min | Drama, Western
Joe Weiler has instigated a conflict over water rights between two ranchers. The idea is to have the ranchers do each other in then move in and take over. Hoppy and the good guys won't let this happen.
Director: Howard Bretherton | Stars: William Boyd, Russell Hayden, Andy Clyde, Margaret Hayes
Votes: 211
95. Border Vigilantes (1941)
Passed | 63 min | Western
A town bedeviled with outlaws sends for Hoppy, Lucky. and California after their own vigilante committee fails to solve the town's problems. Hoppy discovers that the bad guys are led by the town boss--and so are the vigilantes.
Director: Derwin Abrahams | Stars: William Boyd, Russell Hayden, Andy Clyde, Frances Gifford
Votes: 177
96. Trail of the Silver Spurs (1941)
Approved | 57 min | Drama, Western
The Range Busters are investigating a gold robbery from the Denver Mint in a supposedly deserted Arizona ghost town, but they soon find they're not the only town resident with a nose for gold.
Director: S. Roy Luby | Stars: Ray Corrigan, John 'Dusty' King, Max Terhune, I. Stanford Jolley
Votes: 89
97. The Kid's Last Ride (1941)
Approved | 55 min | Drama, Music, Western
The Range Busters are hired as lawmen by the notorious Breeden Brothers, two-thirds of trio of three ruthless outlaws now disguised and renamed as solid citizens.
Director: S. Roy Luby | Stars: Ray Corrigan, John 'Dusty' King, Max Terhune, Elmer
Votes: 95
98. Tumbledown Ranch in Arizona (1941)
Approved | 60 min | Western
Rodeo contestants Johnny King and Corrigan meet, their fathers having been members of the Range Busters. When Johnny is knocked unconscious, time reverts to their father's era and the Range... See full summary »
Director: S. Roy Luby | Stars: Ray Corrigan, John 'Dusty' King, Max Terhune, Elmer
Votes: 52
99. Law of the Range (1941)
Approved | 59 min | Western
The Wolverine Kid kills a man and it looks like Steve Howard did it. But Steve's father recognizes the bullet as coming from the gun owned by the Kid. The Kid and Steve each have one of the... See full summary »
Director: Ray Taylor | Stars: Johnny Mack Brown, Fuzzy Knight, Nell O'Day, Riley Hill
Votes: 44
100. The Masked Rider (1941)
Approved | 58 min | Drama, Music, Western
The beautiful owner of a silver mine in Mexico asks an employee for help when bandits keep robbing her shipments.'
Director: Ford Beebe | Stars: Johnny Mack Brown, Fuzzy Knight, Nell O'Day, Grant Withers
Votes: 59
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