Esther Howard
Actor · 1892 – 1965 · Butte, Montana, USA
Esther Howard (April 4, 1892 – March 8, 1965) was an American stage and film character actress who played a wide range of supporting roles, from man-hungry spinsters to amoral criminals, appearing in 108 films in her 23-year screen career. From 1940 to 1949, Howard was part of Preston Sturges' unofficial "stock company" of character actors, appearing in seven films written and directed by Sturges. From 1937, Howard was a regular player in short-subjects produced at Columbia Pictures, where she was frequently cast opposite comedian Andy Clyde. Her last film was a Columbia comedy short, Caught on the Bounce (1952), in which she played Joe Besser's aunt. From Wikipedia.
Movies24
Movie7.2CrimeDramaAfter being hired to find an ex-con's former girlfriend, Philip Marlowe is drawn into a deeply complex web of mystery and deceit.
Murder, My Sweet
1944 · 268 votes
Movie7.4ComedyRomanceSuccessful movie director John L. Sullivan, convinced he won't be able to film his ambitious masterpiece until he has suffered, dons a hobo disguise and sets off on a journey, aiming to "know trouble" first-hand. When all he finds is a train ride back to Hollywood and a beautiful blonde companion, he redoubles his efforts, managing to land himself in more trouble than he bargained for when he loses his memory and ends up a prisoner on a chain gang.
Sullivan's Travels
1941 · 525 votes
Movie6.8ComedyRomanceA small-town girl with a soft spot for American soldiers wakes up the morning after a wild farewell party for the troops to find that she married someone she can't remember.
The Miracle of Morgan's Creek
1944 · 125 votes
Movie7.0ComedyRomanceA New York inventor, Tom Jeffers, needs cash to develop his big idea, so his adoring wife, Gerry, decides to raise it by divorcing him and marrying an eccentric Florida millionaire, J. D. Hackensacker III.
The Palm Beach Story
1942 · 213 votes
Movie6.9RomanceFantasyA 17th-century witch returns to wreak havoc in the life of a descendant of the Puritan witch hunter who burned her, but runs afoul of her father when she discovers that her mischief might have found her true love.
I Married a Witch
1942 · 231 votes
Movie6.1DramaWhen Joan Boothe accompanies husband-reporter David to Las Vegas, she begins gambling to pass the time while he is doing a story. Encouraged by the casino manager, she gets hooked on gambling, to the point where she "borrows" David's expense money to pursue her addiction. This finally breaks up their marriage, but David continues trying to help her.
The Lady Gambles
1949 · 34 votes
Movie6.7DramaAn unscrupulous boxer fights his way to the top, but eventually alienates all of the people who helped him on the way up.
Champion
1949 · 105 votes
Movie7.1RomanceComedyA magazine's staff, including bickering ex-lovers Linda and Carey, cover an Indiana wedding, which goes slightly wrong.
June Bride
1948 · 12 votes
Movie6.7ComedyCrimeNick and Nora Charles are back in action—and this time, the music is murder! While attending a glamorous jazz cruise on New York’s East River, the sophisticated couple witnesses the fatal shooting of a wealthy patron. When suspicion falls on a young bandleader and his musicians, Nick and Nora step in to clear their friends and uncover the real killer. Their investigation leads through a lively world of jazz clubs, radio personalities, high society, and backstage rivalries, where almost everyone has a secret and the next clue may be hidden in the music. William Powell and Myrna Loy return as Hollywood’s favorite married sleuths, combining sparkling banter, romance, and comic sophistication with a spirited mystery. Directed by Edward Buzzell, Song of the Thin Man features lively musical performances, colorful characters, and the familiar comic appeal of Asta. This stylish 1947 finale delivers one last tuneful adventure for Nick and Nora Charles.
Song of the Thin Man
1947 · 107 votes
Movie6.6DramaHistoryThe young Austrian princess Marie Antoinette is arranged to marry Louis XVI, future king of France, in a politically advantageous marriage for the rival countries. The opulent Marie indulges in various whims and flirtations. When Louis XV passes and Louis XVI ascends the French throne, his queen's extravagant lifestyle earns the hatred of the French people, who despise her Austrian heritage.
Marie Antoinette
1938 · 37 votes
Movie7.0CrimeDramaThe lives of a young man and woman, an infamous gangster and a group of street kids converge one day in a volatile New York City slum.
Dead End
1937 · 158 votes
Movie6.9DramaCrimeA penniless pregnant woman adopts the identity of a rich woman killed in a train crash.
No Man of Her Own
1950 · 48 votes
Movie6.7CrimeDramaA calculating divorcée risks her chances at wealth and security with a man she doesn't love by getting involved with a hotheaded murderer.
Born to Kill
1947 · 93 votes
Movie7.1DramaA single mistake puts a 19-year old girl behind bars, where she experiences the terrors and torments of women in prison.
Caged
1950 · 92 votes
Movie7.2DramaThrillerThe life of Al Roberts, a pianist in a New York nightclub, turns into a nightmare when he decides to hitchhike to Los Angeles to visit his girlfriend.
Detour
1945 · 426 votes
Movie6.3ComedyRomanceKit Madden is traveling to Hollywood, where her best-selling novel is to be filmed. Aboard the train, she encounters Marines Rusty and Dink, who don't know she is the author of the famous book, and who don't think much of the ideas it proposes. She and Rusty are greatly attracted, but she doesn't know how to deal with his disdain for the book's author.
Without Reservations
1946 · 21 votes
Movie6.5ComedyDramaA drunken newspaperman, Jerry Corbett, is rescued from his alcoholic haze by an heiress, Joan Prentice, whose love sobers him up and encourages him to write a play, but he lapses back into dipsomania.
Merrily We Go to Hell
1932 · 48 votes
Movie6.4AdventureRomanceA rough and tumble man of the sea falls for a meek librarian.
Adventure
1945 · 15 votes
Movie7.1ComedyWarHaving been discharged from the Marines for a hayfever condition before ever seeing action, Woodrow Lafayette Pershing Truesmith delays the return to his hometown, feeling that he is a failure. While in a moment of melancholy, he meets up with a group of Marines who befriend him and encourage him to return home to his mother by fabricating a story that he was wounded in battle with honorable discharge.
Hail the Conquering Hero
1944 · 77 votes
Movie6.2WesternArriving at Medicine Bow, eastern schoolteacher Molly Woods meets two cowboys, irresponsible Steve and the "Virginian," who gets off on the wrong foot with her. To add to his troubles, the Virginian finds that his old pal Steve is mixed up with black-hatted Trampas and his rustlers...then finds himself at the head of a posse after said rustlers; and Molly hates the violent side of frontier life.
The Virginian
1946 · 24 votes
Movie5.5CrimeThrillerA police detective uses his girlfriend to track down a homicidal maniac.
Dick Tracy vs. Cueball
1946 · 25 votes
Movie6.2DramaThrillerStage actress Valerie Stanton is locked in a bitter feud with her producer and ex Gordon Dunning. When he attempts to blackmail her into remaining under contract with his company, Stanton, in a fit of passion, clubs Dunning with a statuette, killing him. Her gloves have prevented fingerprints but her perfect alibi quickly unravels as Captain Danbury begins investigating.
The Velvet Touch
1948 · 34 votes
Movie6.9ComedyTold in flashback, Depression-era bum Dan McGinty is recruited by the city's political machine to help with vote fraud. His great aptitude for this brings rapid promotion from "the boss," who finally decides he'd be ideal as a new, nominally "reform" mayor; but this candidacy requires marriage. His in-name-only marriage to honest Catherine proves the beginning of the end for dishonest Dan...
The Great McGinty
1940 · 80 votes
Movie6.2CrimeDramaA war veteran suffering from amnesia, returns to Los Angeles from a San Francisco veterans hospital hoping to learn who he is and discovers his criminal past.
The Crooked Way
1949 · 33 votes