Fortunio Bonanova

1850 adventure story of the Basque immigrants on their way to California, their struggle with the Indians, and the development of a complicated love triangle. In 1847, a group of fifty-two French Basques, including women and children, sets-out from Independence, Missouri to California. These settlers left Europe behind to escape the famine, unrest and aftermaths of the Napoleonic Wars. They bring with them their few belongings, customs and a few grapevines they hope to plant into the fertile Californian soil. They learn English on-the-fly from the younger men who speak it a little. In Independence, they purchase wagons, mules and provisions. They also hire a local trail master for a fee. The trail master, Lon Bennett, is skilled but he likes women and booze too much. When Lon Bennett learns that his Basques only have seven wagons he argues they should join a major wagon train of 20-30 wagons. Strength in numbers, no doubt, but large wagon trains could take weeks to assemble and the Basques cannot wait. Bennett tries to bail-out of his commitment but he already had spent the fee the Basques paid him by partying in the local hotel-saloon with women and friends. Having no choice, Bennett assembles the small wagon train. He is amazed at the Basques' particular customs, traditions, superstitions and morality. He tries to change some of their traditional habits arguing that in the Wild West safety is more important than customs and traditions. But the Basques are a proud and stubborn people and refuse to change their ways. As the wagon train heads West, Bennett becomes obsessed with Gabrielle Dauphin, the beautiful wife of the Basque leader. He repeatedly forces his attentions on her but she rejects him every time. Due to an unfortunate accident Gabrielle's husband is killed and many Basques want to return to Independence. Gabrielle Dauphin convinces them to continue toward California. The brother of her deceased husband becomes her protector and presumptive future husband, according to their customs. When the wagon train hits a desert, the scout advises the group to ration water and abandon their furniture and other useless belongings. Horses start to die of heat and thirst. A known water well in their path is dry. The scout advises to continue through the desert but Gabrielle wants to head toward the mountains, where water surely flows. Bennett is against this plan since the mountains are inhabited by Indians. However, the Basques decide to listen to Gabrielle and they all agree to head toward the mountains but not before Bennett and Gabrielle's new fiance, Pepe, have a fistfight among the sand dunes. The two men fight over Gabrielle. Bennett wins the fight but the Basques disarm him to make sure he's under control. In the mountains, they finally find water but they are spotted by Indians. Bennett is convinced the Indians will attack their wagon train during an ambush. Therefore, Bennett and the Basques come up with a daring plan. While the wagon train, loaded with the women, children and the elderly, continues its journey through the mountain pass, the men will execute a surprise attack against the unsuspecting Indians. They hope to distract the Indians' attention from the passing wagons. The Basques are fierce mountain fighters but the Indians outnumber them. Nevertheless, these settlers must fight for their dreams of California. —nufs68

An expedition exploring the Amazon jungle comes across a jungle goddess who lives among the animals and fears none of them--and apparently has found the secret of eternal youth. American Jim Warburton crashes his plane in the Amazon jungle and promptly falls in love with Christine Ridgegway , a mysterious huntress who rescues him and his passengers. Christine determinedly evades Jim's courtship and advances, making Dr. Karen Lawrence suspect she has a tragic reason for fleeing to Rio to escape Jim. Karen and Jim follow her to Rio de Janeiro and, while dining in a restaurant, see a man named Sebastian Ortega greet Christine. She screams, faints and falls into a long illness. Later, Ortega tells Jim that he knew Mrs. Ridgeway, whom he assumes was Christine's mother, when she was honeymooning in the jungle---a couple of decades ago---with her adventurer-husband, Anthony Ridgeway. Although terrified of animals, Mrs. Ridgeway had saved her husband's life when a panther attacked him in the same jungle where Christine was hunting when Jim's airplane crashed. She plunged into hysteria, following the incident, and returned to the United States. Jim thinks this a good story but fails to comprehend why a bad experience in the Brazilian jungle should make Christine fear falling in love. Christine goes to California and Jim follows her. There, he meets Anthony and is told an incredible tale; The Christine that Jim has fallen in love with is not the young girl Jim thinks she is. Christine is the honeymoon bride who saved Anthony's more than twenty years ago. Now, nearly fifty-years-old, she has been in a state of shock since the panther-attack---a state that has made her ageless. Her changeless beauty had became a curse when her grown daughter's fiancée made violent love to her against her will. The daughter, blaming her mother's eternal youth, killed herself. Anthony's critical evaluations of her cursed beauty led to her leaving him and returning to the jungle, where Jim met her. There's still one major twist left before this one ends. —Les Adams <longhorn1939@suddenlink.net>

Walter Neff, a successful insurance salesman unwittingly finds himself stuck in insurance fraud scheme, which arouses the suspicion of an insurance investigator.

Parish life at Saint Dominic's includes gossip, youth mischief, and a rather shady landlord, but new curate Father Charles "Chuck" O'Malley (Bing Crosby) seems to land on his feet. As older Father Fitzgibbon (Barry Fitzgerald) watches Father O'Malley in action, he feels his days as pastor of his flock may be numbered. The two priests must find "modern" ways to deal with an age-old problem ministering to the people in an economically disadvantaged neighborhood. O'Malley, for his part, must deal with an interrupted romantic relationship from his past with opera star Genevieve Linden (Rise Stevens) and Carol James (Jean Heather), a "wayward" aspiring singer. Father O'Malley and his friend Father Timothy O'Dowd (Frank McHugh) take the elderly Fitzgibbon to play golf. The old priest calls a golf course "a pool room outdoors." Father Fitzgibbon goes to ask the bishop if he is being replaced. He becomes ill and speaks to Chuck of the 45 years since he was in the "old country." Father Fitzgibbon says his mother in Ireland is over 90. O'Malley makes the neighborhood boys into a choir. He gives the youth leader, Tony Scaponi, (Stanley Clements) his St. Louis Browns baseball jacket. Just as all the pieces of the plot seem to have fallen into place, the parish church is damaged in a massive fire. On Christmas Eve the people gather in a temporary church. Father O'Malley transferred to a new assignment, the new assistant is Father O'Dowd. Prior to the Mass, Mrs. Fitzgibbon totters in the embrace her beloved son. Father O'Malley quietly slips away.

During the Spanish Civil War, an American allied with the Republicans finds romance during a desperate mission to blow up a strategically important bridge. Spain in the 1930s is the place to be for a man of action like Robert Jordan. There is a civil war going on and Jordan who has joined up on the side that appeals most to idealists of that era -- like Ernest Hemingway and his friends -- has been given a high-risk assignment up in the mountains. He awaits the right time to blow up a bridge in a cave. Pilar, who is in charge there, has an ability to foretell the future. And so that night she encourages Maria, a young girl ravished by enemy soldiers, to join Jordan who has decided to spend the night under the stars. —Dale O'Connor <daleoc@interaccess.com> Spanish Civil War, 1930s. Richard Jordan, an American, has joined up with the Republican side. He is given the tough assignment of blowing up a vitally important bridge. Things get complicated when he falls in love - Based on the novel by Ernest Hemingway. —grantss