J. Walter Ruben

Cavalcade of the Academy Awards

Carey Wilson, Janet Gaynor

This 1940 presentation features highlights of earlier (1928 onward) Oscar ceremonies including Shirley Temple and Walt Disney, plus acceptance speeches for films released in 1939 with recipients and presenters including Vivien Leigh, Judy Garland, Hattie McDaniel, Fay Bainter, Mickey Rooney, Thomas Mitchell, Sinclair Lewis, and more, with host Bob Hope.

Old Hutch

J. Walter Ruben

Wallace Beery, Elizabeth Patterson

Life changes in surprising ways when a lazy, unemployed husband and father finds a box containing thousands of dollars in cash.

Public Hero Number 1

J. Walter Ruben

Lionel Barrymore, Jean Arthur

G-Man Jeff Crane poses as a crook to infiltrate the notorious Purple Gang, a band of hoodlums which preys upon other hoodlums. Orchestrating the jailbreak of the gang's leader, Crane joins him in a Dillinger-like flight across the country.

The Great Jasper

J. Walter Ruben

Richard Dix, Edna May Oliver

Generational saga about a failed streetcar conductor, who finds success as an Atlantic City fortune teller, and his son. Drama.

The Phantom of Crestwood

J. Walter Ruben

Ricardo Cortez, Karen Morley

Five men have to prove their innocence when a blackmailer is murdered.

Java Head

J. Walter Ruben, Thorold Dickinson

Anna May Wong, Elizabeth Allan

The port city of Bristol, England, in the 1800s is home to Java Head, a sailing ship line company. The owner has two sons. One, a handsome seafarer, is in love with a local girl, but cannot marry her due to a long-running feud between their fathers. After a lengthy voyage, he returns with a very exotic, noble Chinese wife, which scandalizes the conservative town. His other son, a "landlubber", seeks to convert to steamships, to the disgust of his father. Even worse, he is secretly dealing in contraband.

The Public Defender

J. Walter Ruben

Richard Dix, Shirley Grey

A mysterious phantom who calls himself The Reckoner vows to expose the crooked bankers who embezzled their company's funds.

Success at Any Price

J. Walter Ruben

Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Genevieve Tobin

A young man ruthlessly climbs the corporate ladder only to attempt suicide when the stock market crashes.

Trouble for Two

J. Walter Ruben

Robert Montgomery, Rosalind Russell

A decadent prince unhappy over an impending arranged marriage, looking for a good time in London discovers the existence of a secret society called The Suicide Club, and so he seeks to become a member.

Man of Two Worlds

J. Walter Ruben

Francis Lederer, Elissa Landi

A British explorer brings an Eskimo hunter to London, where he misreads a woman.

The Bad Man of Brimstone

J. Walter Ruben

Wallace Beery, Dennis O'Keefe

A ruthless outlaw becomes very protective of a prizefighter when he learns the young man is his own son.

Ace of Aces

J. Walter Ruben

Richard Dix, Elizabeth Allan

A sculptor who doesn't want to have any part of World War I is shamed by his girlfriend into joining the army. He becomes a fighter pilot, and undergoes a complete personality change.

Riffraff

J. Walter Ruben

Jean Harlow, Spencer Tracy

Fisherman Dutch marries cannery worker Hattie. After he is kicked out of his union and fired from his job he leaves Hattie who steals money for him and goes to jail. He gets a new job, foils a plot to dynamite the ship, and promises to wait for Hattie.

Hollywood Goes to Town

Herman Hoffman

Judy Garland, Spencer Tracy

This short shows how Hollywood gets ready for the world premiere of an "important" movie. The film celebrated here is Marie Antoinette (1938), which had its premiere at the Carthay Circle Theatre. We see the street leading to the theatre transformed to suggest a garden that might be seen in a French palace. This includes the placement of trees and other foliage, as well as large statues along the route. Grandstands are set up so fans can see their favorite stars as they arrive for the premiere. Finally, the proverbial "galaxy of stars" arrives in their limousines. Fanny Brice and Pete Smith make remarks at the microphone set up on the carpet outside the theatre.

The Good Old Soak

J. Walter Ruben

Wallace Beery, Una Merkel

A small town drunk beats a teetotal banker guilty of a shady transaction.

No Marriage Ties

J. Walter Ruben

Richard Dix, Elizabeth Allan

An unemployed reporter, fired because of his drinking, takes a job at an advertising agency. Drama.