Arthur Lubin

Rich, eccentric T.J. Banner adopts a feral cat who becomes an affectionate pet. Then T.J. dies, leaving to Rhubarb most of his money and a pro baseball team, the Brooklyn Loons. When the team protests, publicist Eric Yeager convinces them that Rhubarb is good luck. But Eric's fiancée Polly seems to be allergic to cats, and the team's success may mean new hazards for Rhubarb. —Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu> Screwball-noir in which curmudgeonly-but-lovable tycoon (T.J. Banner) dies and leaves his fortune, including a Brooklyn baseball franchise, to his lovable-but-curmudgeonly cat Rhubarb, setting into motion a plot involving thwarted romance, court battles, baseball heroics, and gangsters. —Steve Koppelman <skoppel@dorsai.org>

During World War II, a junior American Army officer, Lt. Peter Stirling, gets sent to the psychiatric ward whenever he insists that an Army mule named Francis speaks to him. The truthful soldier Stirling didn't know how to lie about his source of information, the talking army Mule, Francis, so he was treated as a lunatic and led to one after another hilarious situations, where the mule was the only one that appeared in his right mind. In the process of all this, the mule assisted in uncovering a spy, Maureen, who pretended to be lost among the jungles. —Winston Song

Sherry Williams (Jane Powell) is a fifteen year old girl at boarding school. On the day of the school show, in which she has a leading part, she goes to the rail station to meet her sister Josephine (Constance Moore). Sherry thinks that her sister is a Broadway musical star, but in fact she is in burlesque. Josephine has left the train on the wrong side to avoid meeting Arthur Hale (Ralph Bellamy), a Broadway producer who she fears might recognise her as "Bubbles Barton", her stage name. By the time that she emerges, Sherry and all the taxis have gone, so Josephine has to hitch a lift to the school, while Arthur gets there first. He is at the school talent spotting, so meets Sherry who is in tears because of teasing by other girls over the non-arrival of her famous sister. He earns Sherry's friendship by quick-wittedly supporting her belief that Josephine Williams is indeed a big star. The show goes on, Sherry is a smash and Josephine and Arthur meet. he is smitten but can't quite place her face. They return to New York separately, swiftly followed by Sherry who wants to see her sister perform. She catches the burlesque act and deeply shocked by the sight of her sister's legs, rushes from the theatre in tears to seek solace at Arthur's apartment. Eager to get rid of her, he calls up Josephine who comes round to collect her and reveals that she is Bubbles Barton. Josephine must leave on tour next day, so extracts a promise that Arthur will put Sherry on the train back to school next day. Sherry however, calls a friend, goes shopping and returns after the train time dressed to kill. It is her intention to make Arthur put her into his next musical, so that the money she earns can rescue her sister from a life of sin. Arthur is taken aback, but is persuaded to take her to a big night club, where she is the centre of attention, particularly when she sings with the band! The bandleader, Morton Gould (as himself) introduces her to a radio producer who is just about to sign her, when her sister appears and is recognised by a bystander. The producer reneges on his offer, as his sponsor can have no connection with the sister of a burlesque artiste. Undaunted, Sherry devises a new plan, records her sister singing, plays the record to Arthur, who recognises immediately that she is the star he needs to save his new show and puts both girls onto the stage. They are a smash and Josephine also gets a marriage proposal from Arthur.

After a performance of Martha at the Paris Opera House, police inspector Raoul Daubert (Edgar Barrier) proclaims his undying love to singer Christine DuBois (Susanna Foster), despite her known affections for both her career and baritone Anatole Garron (Nelson Eddy). The conductor Villeneuve (Frank Puglia) then tells Christine that she has great promise, but must choose between the opera and "a normal life." The news is not so fortunate for violinist Erique Claudin (Claude Rains), who is fired after 20 years in the opera's orchestra. Returning home, he is threatened with eviction by his landlady, who questions his confessed poverty. The next day, Claudin visits singing instructor Signor Ferretti (Leo Carrrillo), whom he has been secretly paying for three years to coach Christine. With no funds to continue the lessons, Claudin offers his new concerto to music publishers Pleyel and Desjardines. Later, after mistakenly believing that the music publisher has stolen his work, Claudin strangles Pleyel to death, then is facially disfigured when the publisher's assistant throws a tray of acid in his face. The violinist escapes into the sewers of Paris, and the next day, the master key of the opera house is stolen, as well as a costume and two masks. Meanwhile, as Christine sings Anatole a childhood lullaby, Raoul arrives to question her about the murderer, as a bust of her was found in Claudin's apartment. At a performance of Amour et Gloire, Christine hears Claudin's disembodied voice, telling her that, with his help, she is going to be a great singer. The mad violinist then drugs soprano Biancarolli's (Jane Farrar) drink, and understudy Christine takes her place with great success. Biancarolli accuses Garron of drugging her and demands a police investigation. She agrees to drop all charges if Christine is returned to the chorus and no mention of her magnificent performance is published. Later, Claudin visits Biancarolli, ordering her to leave Paris, and when she refuses, murders the singer and her maid. The opera is closed by the police, only to have a note arrive, demanding Christine's performance. After Raoul agrees to re-open the opera, but with another singer, Lorenzi, in her place, to lure the murderer out, Christine is visited by her two suitors, who argue over their two plans to catch the killer. Anatole convinces Franz Liszt to perform Claudin's concerto as another lure and the opera house re-opens with Le prince masque de Caucasie. A new note from the "Phantom" is found, threatening harm if Lorenzi performs in Christine's place. To gain access to the performers, Claudin kills an undercover policeman, taking his place backstage, and sends a giant chandelier crashing down on the audience when Lorenzi begins to sing. He then abducts Christine and takes her into the catacombs of the opera house. He tells her that she can sing now, but only for him. Upstairs, Anatole instructs Liszt to play Claudin's concerto, as he and Raoul search for the missing singer. Claudin accompanies the famous pianist, and Christine slowly recognizes the piece as her childhood lullaby. The two suitors follow the music of Claudin's piano and Christine's singing to find the Phantom and his captive. Just as Christine removes Claudin's mask and discovers his disfigured face, her rescuers arrive. Raoul attempts to shoot the advancing madman, but Anatole deflects his arm, sending the bullet into the ceiling and causing the collapse of the Phantom's lair. Anatole, Christine and Raoul escape the disintegrating walls, but Claudin is buried alive. Christine questions how Claudin composed the concerto around her lullaby, but Anatole tells her that she and Claudin were from the same part of France, and that it must be an old folk song of the area. As she utters sympathetic words about her patron, Anatole comforts her, stating that Claudin's madness will soon be forgotten, but his concerto will live forever. Later, after a triumphant performance, Christine is congratulated by her two suitors. They demand that she choose between them, but she elects instead to greet her adoring public. Realizing that she has made her choice, the baritone and the detective decide to dine together.

Joaquin Shannon arrives home from a cruise on his fishing boat. His first mate, Charles Nelson, is to marry Shannon's sister the next day. Nelson gets drunk and Shannon finds him near the unconscious body of a man that he, Shannon, had been fighting with previously. The man dies and Shannon takes the blame and goes to prison. There he gets into trouble instigated by "Big Red" Kincaid and is denied a parole. He stops a prison break and get a parole. Not able to get work, he takes a job with a former convict on a fishing boat. Kincaid, who has shot a guard and escaped and vowing vengeance on Shannon, shows up. —Les Adams <longhorn1939@suddenlink.net> A fisherman confesses to a murder he didn't commit in order to protect a good friend, whom he believes did commit it. Once in prison he determines to keep out of trouble and win his parole, but a tough convict is just as determined to make things difficult for him. —frankfob2@yahoo.com