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Knute Rockne All American

Long before Rocky Balboa went the distance, there was the original Rock--as in Knute Rockne. His story, a classic 1940 biopic, combines vintage gridiron action with heart-tugging sentiment. Yup, this is the film with the famous halftime pep talk and Ronald Reagan's "win just one for the Gipper" deathbed plea. Yeah, it's corny. But so what. Lloyd Bacon, one of Hollywood's ablest craftsmen (42nd Street), directed with just the right scrappy disregard for genre conventions. Reagan, in his third best vehicle (behind King's Row and The Killers), plays George Gipp, the Fighting Irish's first All- American, who died of pneumonia in 1920; the always-reliable Pat O'Brien plays Notre Dame coach Rockne as a living, breathing icon--part father confessor, part Patton, part idealized father figure. Before he spurs the lads to victory, he changes the face of the sport--by inventing the forward pass, no less. --Glenn Lovell

"I've decided to take up coaching as my life work," Knute Rockne says. Coach he does, revolutionizing football with his strategies, winning close to 90 percent of his games, and helping establish the University of Notre Dame's Fighting Irish as a gridiron powerhouse. But victories alone do not mean success to Rockne. He wants to shape his players into responsible and honorable men. This famed sports biopic combines a passion for the game (and footage of actual Notre Dame contests) with two superb performances: Pat O'Brien in the title role and Ronald Reagan as George Gipp, the gifted but doomed halfback whose deathbed plea is "win just one for the Gipper." The line remains one of cinema's most memorable. And for the rest of his life, Reagan would often be called the Gipper.

They Drive by Night (Snap case)

By turns hard-nosed and ribald, They Drive by Night smashes through a vintage Warner Bros. yarn about truck drivers, the Depression, and one duplicitous dame. The opening reels are a forceful look at the dangerous lives of independent truckers (George Raft and Humphrey Bogart as brothers--Bogie in the supporting role, though he would soon eclipse Raft in Hollywood), battling the system and the economy. The final section veers into a less exciting murder frame-up, but Ida Lupino is so delicious as the Black Widow, it works. The robust humor of director Raoul Walsh dominates the film, with some truly hilarious double entendres aimed at outfoxing the censors. At the center of many such one-liners is Ann Sheridan, as a waitress who slings more than hash. It's close to being a classic, and the road sequences are as vital as those in The Grapes of Wrath, made the same year. --Robert Horton

George Raft and Humphrey Bogart share a driving ambition in They Drive by Night, a feisty tale of brothers trying to make a go of their independent trucking enterprise. Ann Sheridan plays a truck-stop waitress who can dish both the daily special and the patter. And Ida Lupino is the headstrong executive who mixes business and romance with murder. With Bogart again riding shotgun en route to leading-man stardom (a stature he would achieve the following year) and Raft handling the wheel in one of his best roles of the decade, this fine example of Warner Bros. social-conscience filmmaking (directed by Raoul Walsh) proved a sturdy vehicle for both actors. The movie proved even more fortuitous for Lupino. Her courtoom scene of babbling derangement made her a celebrated "overnight" sensation that resulted in a seven-year studio contract for her. Year: 1940 Director: Raoul Walsh Starring: George Raft, Ann Sheridan, Ida Lupino, Humphrey Bogart, Special Feature: Original Theatrical Trailer B&W/93 Mins.

They Drive by Night (Keepcase)

George Raft and Humphrey Bogart share a driving ambition in They Drive by Night a feisty tale of brothers trying to make a go of their independent trucking enterprise. Ann Sheridan plays a truck-stop waitress who can dish both the daily special and the patter. And Ida Lupino is the headstrong executive who mixes business and romance with murder. With Bogart again riding shotgun en route to leading-man stardom (a stature he would achieve the following year) and Raft handling the wheel in one of his best roles of the decade this fine example of Warner Bros. social-conscience filmmaking (directed by Raoul Walsh) proved a sturdy vehicle for both actors. The movie proved even more fortuitous for Lupino. Her courtoom scene of babbling derangement made her a celebrated overnight sensation that resulted in a seven-year studio contract for her. 1940Running Time: 95 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA UPC: 012569794696 Manufacturer No: 79469

By turns hard-nosed and ribald, They Drive by Night smashes through a vintage Warner Bros. yarn about truck drivers, the Depression, and one duplicitous dame. The opening reels are a forceful look at the dangerous lives of independent truckers (George Raft and Humphrey Bogart as brothers--Bogie in the supporting role, though he would soon eclipse Raft in Hollywood), battling the system and the economy. The final section veers into a less exciting murder frame-up, but Ida Lupino is so delicious as the Black Widow, it works. The robust humor of director Raoul Walsh dominates the film, with some truly hilarious double entendres aimed at outfoxing the censors. At the center of many such one-liners is Ann Sheridan, as a waitress who slings more than hash. It's close to being a classic, and the road sequences are as vital as those in The Grapes of Wrath, made the same year. --Robert Horton

The Time of Your Life

When James Cagney starred in the 1948 movie adaptation of The Time of Your Life, it was hotly debated whether William Saroyan's stage play was really filmable at all. Because of its small cast, because all the action takes place on a single claustrophobic set, because the "plot" consists entirely of sub-plots, and because Saroyan's "dirty sentimentality" isn't to everyone's taste, such doubts are still understandable today.

However, accept the movie for what it is--a play in a box--and you'll be captivated. The story revolves around a down-at-heel bar-restaurant, where a group of disparate characters come and go as their stories gradually unfold. They include an ex-prostitute desperately seeking a new life, a dancer looking for a break into show business, a down-and-out who discovers a vocation as a pianist, and a beer-sodden cowboy. This gaggle of misfits is presided over by an enigmatic, champagne-drinking philanthropist (brilliantly played by Cagney) who gently nudges them towards their goals while indulging his own fascination with the minutiae of daily life. --Roger Thomas

Based on a William Saroyan play, and tells the story of Nick's Saloon and the characters who frequent this waterfront dive in San Francisco. Cagney plays a saloon philosopher, drinking and listening to the stories of his friends there while also offering some eccentricities of his own.

Drama Classics Triple Feature, Vol. 6 (The Fast and the Furious (1954) / The Big Trees / Time of Your Life)

Time of Your Life

When James Cagney starred in the 1948 movie adaptation of The Time of Your Life, it was hotly debated whether William Saroyan's stage play was really filmable at all. Because of its small cast, because all the action takes place on a single claustrophobic set, because the "plot" consists entirely of sub-plots, and because Saroyan's "dirty sentimentality" isn't to everyone's taste, such doubts are still understandable today.

However, accept the movie for what it is--a play in a box--and you'll be captivated. The story revolves around a down-at-heel bar-restaurant, where a group of disparate characters come and go as their stories gradually unfold. They include an ex-prostitute desperately seeking a new life, a dancer looking for a break into show business, a down-and-out who discovers a vocation as a pianist, and a beer-sodden cowboy. This gaggle of misfits is presided over by an enigmatic, champagne-drinking philanthropist (brilliantly played by Cagney) who gently nudges them towards their goals while indulging his own fascination with the minutiae of daily life. --Roger Thomas

The Time of Your Life

When James Cagney starred in the 1948 movie adaptation of The Time of Your Life, it was hotly debated whether William Saroyan's stage play was really filmable at all. Because of its small cast, because all the action takes place on a single claustrophobic set, because the "plot" consists entirely of sub-plots, and because Saroyan's "dirty sentimentality" isn't to everyone's taste, such doubts are still understandable today.

However, accept the movie for what it is--a play in a box--and you'll be captivated. The story revolves around a down-at-heel bar-restaurant, where a group of disparate characters come and go as their stories gradually unfold. They include an ex-prostitute desperately seeking a new life, a dancer looking for a break into show business, a down-and-out who discovers a vocation as a pianist, and a beer-sodden cowboy. This gaggle of misfits is presided over by an enigmatic, champagne-drinking philanthropist (brilliantly played by Cagney) who gently nudges them towards their goals while indulging his own fascination with the minutiae of daily life. --Roger Thomas

The Time of Your Life

When James Cagney starred in the 1948 movie adaptation of The Time of Your Life, it was hotly debated whether William Saroyan's stage play was really filmable at all. Because of its small cast, because all the action takes place on a single claustrophobic set, because the "plot" consists entirely of sub-plots, and because Saroyan's "dirty sentimentality" isn't to everyone's taste, such doubts are still understandable today.

However, accept the movie for what it is--a play in a box--and you'll be captivated. The story revolves around a down-at-heel bar-restaurant, where a group of disparate characters come and go as their stories gradually unfold. They include an ex-prostitute desperately seeking a new life, a dancer looking for a break into show business, a down-and-out who discovers a vocation as a pianist, and a beer-sodden cowboy. This gaggle of misfits is presided over by an enigmatic, champagne-drinking philanthropist (brilliantly played by Cagney) who gently nudges them towards their goals while indulging his own fascination with the minutiae of daily life. --Roger Thomas