8 Forgotten Movies of the 1940s: From The Clock to Larceny, Inc.

Watching old movies is one of my favorite interests. I cannot even begin to estimate the number of movies from the early days of the silent screen through 1980 that I have seen, mainly through TCM, AMC before it became too commercialized, or from my personal collection. I have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly of filmmaking. Among these thousands of films are personal favorites, including some that have been generally forgotten by others. Following, are eight of my favorite "forgotten" movies of the 1940s. Some of them were not successful at the time of their release and others were initially well received then quickly forgotten by contemporary and later movie goers. They are movies that I can, and have, watched many times. Some were low budget "B" movies while others were main programmers, some of them receiving one or more Oscar nominations. There are many more that could be added to the list and, like any other list, this one is subject to debate.

Here is the list in chronological order:

They Drive by Night (1940). Directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Humphrey Bogart, George Raft, Ann Sheridan, and Ida Lupino.

Nice little melodrama of two truck driving brothers (Bogart and Raft) and their battles to reform the trucking industry and establish a company of their own. Except for some courtroom histrionics, Ida Lupino is quite good playing a jealous and psychotic femme fatale who tries to frame Raft on a murder charge. The movie is a good example of the "social issues" productions that Warner Brothers was making in the late 1930s and early 1940s.

Larceny, Inc. (1942). Directed by Lloyd Bacon and starring Edward G. Robinson, Jane Wyman, Broderick Crawford, Jack Carson, Anthony Quinn, and Edward Brophy.

An often hilarious comedy of two-bit hoods Robinson, Crawford, and Brophy using a legitimate business store as a front to rob the bank next door. The main theme is, as Robert Burns would say, "The best laid schemes o' mice an' men....." This is a different type of role for tough man Eddie. Wyman and Carson fulfill the obligatory romantic angle, and Jackie Gleason, early in his career, makes a small appearance.

The Ox-Bow Incident (1943). Directed by William Wellman and starring Henry Fonda, Dana Andrews, Anthony Quinn, and Henry (Harry) Morgan.

This is one of the finest movies ever made about mob rule and the breakdown of society when passion overtakes the rule of law. A low budget movie, it was not a box office success when released, but did receive an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. In many ways, it foreshadowed 1957's Twelve Angry Men, also featuring Fonda as a voice of conscience. The movie was based on the novel of the same name by Walter Tilburg Clark.

The Seventh Victim (1943). Directed by Mark Robson and starring Kim Hunter, Tom Conway, Evelyn Brent, and Hugh Beaumont.

A moody, suspenseful, and eerie tale of a young girl (Hunter) searching for her missing sister and in the process discovering a New York City cult that worships the devil. This is one of the many fine Val Lewton produced "B" thrillers of the 1940s which also include The Cat People, Curse of the Cat People, Isle of the Dead, and The Body Snatcher among others.

The Uninvited (1944). Directed by Lewis Allen and starring Ray Milland, Ruth Hussey, Donald Crisp, Gail Russell, and Cornelia Otis Skinner.

A brother and sister (Milland and Hussey) purchase an abandoned house on the Cornish coastline of England and soon discover that unexplained mysterious "disturbances" take place within it. This film is a fine example of the "old haunted house" film genre and, although outdated in many respects, is proof that a mysterious, moody, and dark atmosphere can be created through the use of words, sounds, suggestions, and creative photography (Charles Lang received an Academy Award nomination for the latter). The film also features the song "Stella by Starlight" that became quite popular for a time.

The Clock (1945). Directed by Vincente Minnelli and starring Judy Garland, Robert Walker, James Gleason, Lucille Gleason, and Keenan Wynn.

A whimsical romantic tale about a New York City office worker (Garland) and a soldier (Walker) on a two day leave who meet beneath the clock at Grand Central Station. Don't expect a lot of action as most of the film centers around the couple spending the day walking, talking, and running into assorted characters such as an affable drunk (Wynn) and a friendly milkman and his wife (the Gleasons, who in real life were married). All in all, a nice feel-good movie made as World War II was winding down. Garland, in a non-singing role, was at her best during this time period.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945). Directed by Elia Kazan (On the Waterfront) and starring Peggy Ann Garner, Dorothy McGuire, James Dunn, Joan Blondell, Lloyd Nolan, and James Gleason.

This movie is a beautiful, poignant story of a bright, sensitive young girl coming of age while living in a Brooklyn tenement in the early 1900s. Young Garner is wonderful as Francie, a young dreamer who wants something more in life for her parents, her brother, and for herself. McGuire as the mother who finds herself becoming more detached from her family and the world around her; Dunn as the well-meaning, alcoholic father; Blondell as an eccentric aunt; and, Nolan and Gleason as family friends are also great. The movie was nominated for two Academy Awards and Dunn won one of them for Best Supporting Actor. Based on the popular best-selling book by Betty Smith, the film was Elia Kazan's debut as a film director.

The Set-Up (1949). Directed by Robert Wise and starring Robert Ryan, Audrey Totter, George Tobias, and Wallace Ford.

Simply put, this is one of the all-time best boxing films. It is the story of a washed-up prizefighter who wanting one more "last chance" goes into the ring not knowing that he has been set up by his manager to take a fall. When he is finally told this, his pride and self-respect will not allow him to deliberately lose and the consequences are devastating. Ryan, an actual ex-boxer, is superb as the fighter. So is the highly underrated actress Audrey Totter as his long-suffering wife who only wants a "normal" life. Robert Wise, who would go on to direct the musicals West Side Story and The Sound of Music, gets every detail correct in this look at the seamier side of the boxing world - from the seedy, second-rate neighborhood and fight arena to the reactions of the bloodthirsty crowd. He also shot the movie in "real time," being one of the first filmmakers, if not the first, to do so.