Allen Jenkins

The movie musical that introduced the choreography of Busby Berkeley, 42nd Street also contains the classic plot involving a tyrannical director, egotistical leading lady and wide-eyed ingenue, all set to a standout musical score.

"James Cagney and Bette Davis star as a less-than-scrupulous private detective and the woman he loves--who has just left him for an even less scrupulous employer. Jimmy Corrigan (Cagney) is jealous when his operative and sweetheart, Joan Martin (Davis), goes to work for his seemingly upper-crust rival Charles Wallingham (Alan Dinehart). But Corrigan discovers that Wallingham is just as crooked as Corrigan; he's just better at concealing it. Now--even...

As Destry, a mild-mannered deputy who doesn't like guns, Stewart is called to restore order to the hopelessly corrupt frontier town of Bottleneck. Though reluctant to undertake such an enormous task, he's soon roped into action after meeting the seductive Frenchy (Dietrich), an alluring saloon girl who belts out unforgettable show-stoppers like "The Boys in the Back Room, " while winning the hero's heart.

After the dawn of sound and before the Production Code, Hollywood ran wild and free. Fearlessly and frankly tackling subjects and scenes that would quickly become forbidden to a generation of filmmakers, these seldom-seen pre-Code wonders are both revelatory and sin-sational. This fifth volume takes a walk on the wild side. This collection includes: Hard to Handle (1933), Ladies They Talk About (1933), The Mind Reader (1933), Miss Pinkerton (1932)....

In the tradition of great conmen - one of the few with a visible tail - Top Cat holds a top spot. The smooth-talking New York City cat, known as T.C. to his furry cohorts Benny the Ball, Choo-Choo, Spook, the Brain and Fancy-Fancy, Top Cat is always on the make toward a big score or swindle. And the bothersome - and ever exasperated - Officer Dibble is relentlessly on his case (although always one step behind).

Dr. Clitterhouse wants to find out what makes a criminal tick. Eager to study the physical and mental states of lawbreakers, he joins a gang of jewel thieves. Rocks Valentine is an ice-blooded tough guy the doc calls "a magnificient speciment of pure viciousness, " is part of the gang. Jo Keller is a savvy crime queen the doc hooks up with.

"Society girl Margaret Richards, in full snit, has roared off in the family valet's car without a cent in her pocket. But now there's the matter of $3.48 to be paid at the gas station and the attendant isn't buying her promise of payment tomorrow. He insists she pay by cleaning rooms in the station's adjoining motel. The gas jockey [is] a college grad who plans to put his engineering degree to use by someday establishing a chain of auto courts. Meanwhile,...

In this gritty pre-code crime thriller, racketeers flood the market with counterfeit cosmetics and drugs which leads to violence and murder as the competition fights back.

Gangsters have a song-and-dance man killed to prevent his testimony. The dead singer's spirit appears before his intellectual twin brother convincing the latter to impersonate him and get his evidence to the District Attorney. The bookworm finds himself performing at a night club, dealing with his brother's fiancée and steering clear of very confused gangsters.

"While his boss is on vacation, reporter Alvin Roberts has been writing a snappy gossip column featuring announcements of 'blessed events, ' impending births of both the married and unmarried. Although the column is not very respectable, circulation jumps, so Alvin is assigned a regular position. Soon, he is so powerful that gangster Sam Goebel sends his gunman, Frankie Wells, to threaten him. Instead, Alvin tricks Frankie into confessing to murder...