The Cowboy And The Lady - 1938

William Wyler began as director of this movie, but walked off the picture after an argument with Samuel Goldwyn about extensive retakes he wanted. Goldwyn suspended Wyler, who did not return as director. However, he and Goldwyn settled their differences, and he did direct Goldwyn's next picture, Wuthering Heights (1939).

Several trade papers and national magazines noted that the film set a record for the number of screenwriters who worked on the script. Beside the 4 given credit onscreen, at least 13 others were involved.

David Niven played the role of a "British Diplomat" during filming, and Benita Hume also was "Mary Smith's Stepmother." However, both roles were eliminated before release.

Arthur Hoyt is in studio records/casting call lists as "Valet," but he did not appear in the movie.

Modern sources also list Billy Wayne, Ernie Adams and Jack Baxley as Rodeo Riders, but they did not appear or were not identifiable in the movie.

During the film's production, news items listed Iron Eyes Cody, Silver Tip Baker, Steve Clemente, John Judd and Danny Borzage in the cast. None of these actors, however, have been confirmed.

Cast of The Cowboy And The Lady

Gary Cooper ... Stretch Willoughby
Merle Oberon ... Mary Smith
Patsy Kelly ... Katie Callahan
Walter Brennan ... Sugar
Fuzzy Knight ... Buzz
Mabel Todd ... Elly
Henry Kolker ... Horace Smith
Harry Davenport ... Uncle Hannibal Smith
Emma Dunn ... Ma Hawkins
Walter Walker ... Ames
Berton Churchill ... Oliver Wendell Henderson
Charles Richman ... Dillon
Frederick Vogeding ... Ship's Captain

The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse - 1938

Nearly all of the characters' names are changed from the original play on which the film is based.

Factual errors: Near the end of the movie there is a montage of newspaper headlines, the word PSYCHIATRIST is mis-spelled in the headline.

Continuity: At about 80 minutes into the film, the prosecutor cross examines the incomprehensible expert witness. In the first shot, the prosecutor unbuttons his jacket. In the next shot, he unbuttons it again.

Ronald Reagan's voice can be heard as a radio announcer, a job that Reagan held before he started as a film actor.

Max "Slapsie Maxie" Rosenbloom was a boxer who converted his fame in the ring into a film career playing Runyonesque characters.

Susan Hayward had a part in the film, but her scenes were deleted.

The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse premiered in New York on 20 July, 1938, and went in to general American release on 30 July, and was mostly well received. The review in Variety called it "an unquestionable winner" and said that "Robinson...is at his best" and "Bogart's interpretation of the gangster chief...is topflight."

Humphrey Bogart later said that the role of "Rocks" Valentine was one of his least favorite.

Cast of The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse

Edward G. Robinson as Dr. Clitterhouse
Humphrey Bogart as 'Rocks' Valentine
Claire Trevor as Jo Keller
Allen Jenkins as Okay
Donald Crisp as Police Inspector Lewis Lane
Gale Page as Nurse Randolph
Henry O'Neill as the judge
John Litel as Mr. Monroe, the prosecuting attorney
Thurston Hall as Grant
Maxie Rosenbloom as Butch
Burt Hanlon as Pat 'Pal'
Curt Bois as Rabbit
Ward Bond as Tug
Vladimir Sokoloff as Popus 'Poopus'
Billy Wayne as Candy

Sing You Sinners - 1938

Sing You Sinners is a 1938 black and white American musical comedy film starring Bing Crosby, Fred MacMurray, Donald O'Connor, and Ellen Drew. The movie was written by Claude Binyon and directed by Wesley Ruggles. Songs include "Small Fry" by Hoagy Carmichael and Frank Loesser, which Crosby recorded for Decca Records with Johnny Mercer dueting.

The role of Mike Beebe, played by Donald O'Connor, was originally meant for Mickey Rooney. But Rooney was scheduled to make another picture at the same time.

One of over 700 Paramount Productions, filmed between 1929 and 1949, which were sold to MCA/Universal in 1958 for television distribution, and have been owned and controlled by Universal ever since.

"Lux Radio Theater" broadcast a 60 minute radio adaptation of the movie on January 15, 1940 with Bing Crosby reprising his film role.

Cast of Sing You Sinners

Bing Crosby as Joe Beebe
Fred MacMurray as David Beebe
Donald O'Connor as Mike Beebe
Elizabeth Patterson as Mother Beebe
Ellen Drew as Martha Randall

Algiers - 1938

Animator Chuck Jones based the Warner Brothers cartoon character "Pepe le Pew" on the "Pepe le Moko" character played by Charles Boyer in this film.

The cast and credits are based on the 98-minute print shown on Turner Classic Movies, but the AFI Catalogue lists slightly different changes which suggest that their print may have been a re-release. In the AFI Catalogue listing, Sigrid Gurie's name is above the title with the rest of the cast list the same. The crew credits are identical, except that James Wong Howe is credited for "photography" instead of "director of photography." The latter terminology was rare in 1938, but not unheard of.

The title for this film was the inspiration for the later movie titled Casablanca (1942).

Charles Boyer's often repeated, and parodied, line "Come with me to the Casbah" was in the trailers but was never actually said in the film. According to an article in Smithsonian Magazine (July 2007), the line came from an impersonation of Boyer by the cartoon character Pepé Le Pew, in The Cats Bah (1954), an animated short."

Remake of the 1937 french film Pépé le Moko (1937). When Walter Wanger produced Algiers (1938), he tired to have all copies of the original "Pépé le Moko" destroyed. Fortunately, he was not able to do so.

Cast of Algiers

Charles Boyer as Pepe le Moko
Sigrid Gurie as Ines
Hedy Lamarr as Gaby
Joseph Calleia as Inspector Slimane
Alan Hale as Grandpere
Gene Lockhart as Regis
Walter Kingsford as Chef Inspector Louvain
'Paul Harvey as Commissioner Janvier

Test Pilot - 1938

Reportedly Myrna Loy's personal favorite movie of all her films.

The four engine bomber flown by Gable and Tracy near the end of the film when they are flying with the simulated bomb load was a Model 299, which was bought by the Army Air Force and became the yb-17 while testing continued until it became operational as the b-17a.

Test Pilot is a 1938 film directed by Victor Fleming and featuring Clark Gable, Myrna Loy, Spencer Tracy, and Lionel Barrymore. It tells the story of a daredevil test pilot, his wife and his best friend.

Test Pilot was written by Howard Hawks, Vincent Lawrence, John Lee Mahin, Frank Wead and Waldemar Young. The screenplay was largely based on an original story written by Wead (a naval aviator and writer later portrayed by John Wayne in John Ford's The Wings of Eagles).

The movie was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture; Best Writing, Original Story for Wead; and Best Film Editing for Tom Held.

Cast of Test Pilot

Clark Gable as Jim Lane
Myrna Loy as Ann Barton
Spencer Tracy as Gunner Morris
Lionel Barrymore as Drake, the owner of the company that employs Jim and Gunner

Boys Town - 1938

The day after Spencer Tracy won the Best Actor Oscar for his performance in this film, an MGM publicist released a statement - without consulting Tracy first - that the actor would donate his Oscar to the real Boys Town in Nebraska. Tracy agreed to make the donation if the Academy would send him a replacement Oscar. When the replacement arrived, the engraving on the award read: "Best Actor - Dick Tracy."

The famous line, "He ain't heavy, he's my brother" comes from this film.

Freddie Bartholomew was considered for the part of Mickey Rooney's best friend, but was not cast because the producers felt he was too associated with Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936) and so would not be believable in this film.

Boys Town (1938) is a biographical drama film based on Father Edward J. Flanagan's work with a group of disadvantaged and delinquent boys in a home that he founded and named "Boys Town". It stars Spencer Tracy as Father Edward J. Flanagan, and Mickey Rooney, Henry Hull, Gene Reynolds, Edward Norris, and Addison Richards.

The film was written by Dore Schary, Eleanore Griffin and John Meehan, and was directed by Norman Taurog.

Legendary MGM Studio head Louis B. Mayer, known privately for his deep reservations regarding the Catholic Church, later called this his favorite film of his tenure at MGM.

In 1941, MGM made a sequel, Men of Boys Town, with Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney reprising their roles from the earlier film.

Cast of Boys Town

Spencer Tracy - Father Flanagan
Mickey Rooney - Whitey Marsh
Henry Hull - Dave Morris
Leslie Fenton - Dan Farrow
Addison Richards - The Judge
Gene Reynolds - Tony Ponessa

Edward Norris - Joe Marsh

Bobs Watson - Pee Wee

Minor Watson - The Bishop

Jonathan Hale - John Hargraves

Martin Spellman - Skinny

Mickey Rentschler - Tommy Anderson

Frankie Thomas - Freddie Fuller

Jimmy Butler - Paul Ferguson

Sidney Miller - Mo Kahn;

Robert Emmett Keane - Burton

Arthur Ayleswofth - Tim

Barbara Bedford - Catholic Sister

Wesley Giraud - Butch

Donald Haines - Alabama

John Hamilton - Warden

Al Hill - Apples

George Humbert - Calateri

Gladden James - Doctor

Victor Kilian - The Sheriff

Jay Novello - Gangster

Kane Richmond - Newspaper Reporter Jackson

Phillip Terry - Newspaper Reporter

William Worthington - Governor

Tommy Noonan - Red

Orville Caldwell - Warden

Roger Converse - Newspaper Reporter Lane

Walter Young - Judge

Johnny Walsh - Charley Haines

John Wray - Weasel

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer - 1938

H.C. Potter was the initial director but quit over "Selsnickian interference." His footage (in black and white) was completely discarded.

Many disputes arose between photographer James Wong Howe and his associate, Technicolor photographer Wilfred M. Cline about which colors to use in wardrobe and sets. Cline wanted bright primary colors, while Howe insisted on subdued earth tones. Since Howe got his way, after one week they were not on speaking terms and The Technicolor Company banned Howe from shooting further pictures in color; Howe did not make another color film for 10 years.

Spring Byington (Widow Douglas) in studio records/casting call lists, but did not appear or was not identifiable in the movie.

Marcia Mae Jones was originally signed to play Becky Thatcher. Because of a growth spurt, she was recast as Mary Sawyer.

Tommy Kelly, a Bronx fireman's son, was selected for the title role through a national campaign waged by producer David O. Selznick, who later would conduct a similar search for an actress to portray Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind. According to a 1937 memo he sent to story editor Katharine Brown, he originally hoped to cast an orphan as Tom, feeling such a stunt would receive "tremendous attention and arouse such a warm public feeling that it would add enormously to the gross of the picture." Kelly failed to achieve the star status of fellow child actor Freddie Bartholomew, and after an inconsequential career he retired and later became a school teacher.

After reading the comment cards completed by an audience at a sneak preview of the film, Selznick sent director Taurog a memo expressing concern about the climactic scene in the cave, which many viewers had described as "too horrible for children." He advised Taurog "this worried me, because we certainly want the picture to be for a family audience," and as a result he was cutting a close-up of Becky, in which her hysteria was "perhaps a shade too much that of a very ill woman, rather than that of a little girl," "with regrets."

On the strength of the designs for the cave sequence executed by William Cameron Menzies, Selznick hired him for Gone with the Wind.

Some exterior scenes were filmed at Big Bear Lake, Lake Malibu, and the Paramount Ranch in Agoura, California.

Cast of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Tommy Kelly as Tom Sawyer
Jackie Moran as Huckleberry Finn
Ann Gillis as Becky Thatcher
May Robson as Aunt Polly
Walter Brennan as Muff Potter
Victor Jory as Injun Joe
David Holt as Sid Sawyer
Nana Bryant as Mrs. Thatcher
Victor Kilian as Sheriff
Olin Howland as Mr. Dobbins
Mickey Rentschler as Joe Harper
Donald Meek as Sunday School Superintendent
Charles Richman as Judge Thatcher
Margaret Hamilton as Mrs. Harper
Spring Byington as Widow Douglas
Roland Drew as Dr. Robinson
Cora Sue Collins as Amy Lawrence