[N.B.: All of the following movies are public domain movies – available online and free to watch.]
Suddenly (1954)
Tod Shaw (Sterling Hayden), the sheriff in the small town of Suddenly, has fallen in love with the beautiful widow Ellen Benson (Nancy Gates). Ellen lives with his only son Pidge (Kim Charney) and father-in-law Peter (James Gleason). Her husband was shot to death in Korea during World War Two. Tod Shaw hears that the U.S. president himself will be stopping by their small town for a visit. In the meantime, John Baron (Frank Sinatra), a psychopathic sniper, arrives in town with his two assistants. John is involved with a plot to assassinate the US president. He takes over Ellen’s house and holds the Benson family hostage. Thus it becomes a rush against time to stop the three hired hit men and save the president.
Main casts are Frank Sinatra, James Gleason, Kim Charney, Nancy Gates and Sterling Hayden. This film is also known as “Der Attentäter”.
More Info:
Director: Lewis Allen
Country: USA
Total Runtime: 1 hr 15 min
Filming Location: Santa Clarita, California, USA
D.O.A. (1950)
California accountant Frank Bigelow (played by Edmond OBrien) goes to Los Angeles police station and tells them that he has been murdered. What actually happened is that he was poisoned by someone. Doctors have already informed him that he is living on borrowed time.
Someone switched his drink and gave him a fatal dose of luminous toxin while he was hanging out at a bar, The Fisherman. Frank is bewildered, furious, tired and sick. Yet he makes up his mind and strides off to find his killer.
Main casts of the film – Edmond OBrien, Beverly Garland, Luther Adler, Lynn Baggett and Pamela Britton. This film is also known as “Dead On Arrival”.
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Director: Rudolph Maté
Country: USA
Total Runtime: 1 hr 23 min
Filming Location: Los Angeles, California, USA
Thirteenth Guest (1932)
Young and lovely Marie Morgan (played by Ginger Rogers) is the daughter of a wealthy millionaire. Her father was killed by a mysterious person walking in the house during a dinner party. The Morgans then abandoned the house. On her twenty-first birthday Marie arrives at her family manor in order to get her inheritance. But she finds out that someone hired a woman to impersonate her. The family lawyer is later found murdered in the house. Captain Ryan and private detective Phil Winston try to solve the mystery. Thirteenth Guest is a low-budget movie but it is the puzzling mystery that makes it worth watching.
Main casts of the movie include Erville Alderson, J. Farrell MacDonald, Lyle Talbot, Paul Hurst and Ginger Rogers. The filming locations include Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA. This film is also known as “A Convidada”.
More Info:
Director: Albert Ray
Country: USA
Total Runtime: 1 hr 9 min