3:10 to Yuma 1957  N/R, 92 min.
Genre: Western
Director: Delmer Daves
Cast: Glenn Ford, Van Heflin, Felicia Farr, Leora Dana, Henry Jones, Richard Jaeckel, Robert Emhardt, George Mitchell, Ford Rainey
This excellent Western bases its intrigue on the psychological elements entwined in the relationship between farmer Dan Evans (Van Heflin) and his prisoner, Ben Wade (Glenn Ford). Evans has captured Wade and is holding him until the train arrives to carry Wade to Yuma. Frankie Laine sings the theme song for this entertaining film.
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Act of Violence 1949  N/R, 82 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Fred Zinnemann
Cast: Van Heflin, Robert Ryan, Janet Leigh, Mary Astor, Phyllis Thaxter, Berry Kroeger, Taylor Holmes, Will Wright, Connie Gilchrist
After returning home at war's end, an ex-soldier, Ace Parkson (Robert Ryan), tracks down prison-camp informer Frank R. Enley (Van Heflin) to avenge the death of his buddies.
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Airport 1970 G, 137 min.
Genre: Adventure
Director: George Seaton, Henry Hathaway
Cast: Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin, Jean Seberg, Helen Hayes, Jacqueline Bisset, George Kennedy, Van Heflin, Maureen Stapleton, Lloyd Nolan, Dana Wynter, Barry Nelson, Barbara Hale, Gary Collins, Jessie Royce Landis, Whit Bissell
Of the five "Airport" films, this first one is the only one worth your time. Based on Arthur Haley's novel by the same name it is filled with suspense as a plane is stuck on the needed runway during a VERY snowy night. Helen Hayes won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar; nominations included Best Picture and Supporting Actress (Maureen Stapleton).
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B.F.'s Daughter 1948  N/R, 107 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Robert Z. Leonard
Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin, Charles Coburn, Richard Hart, Keenan Wynn, Margaret Lindsay, Spring Byington, Marshall Thompson, Barbara Laage, Fred Nurney
Wealthy Polly Fulton (Barbara Stanwyck) marries an economics professor (Van Heflin) and finances his career in Washington D.C. through the power of her fortune.
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Back Door to Heaven 1939  N/R, 81 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: William K. Howard
Cast: Wallace Ford, William Harrigan, Aline MacMahon, Raymond Roe, Anita Magee, Jane Seymour, Stuart Erwin, William Redfield, Kenneth LeRoy, Jimmy Lydon, Alfred Webster, Van Heflin
As a youth, Frankie Regan (Jimmy Lydon) was a juvenile delinquent; the adult Frankie (Wallace Ford) tries, but fails miserably, to go straight.
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Battle Cry 1955 N/R, 149 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Raoul Walsh
Cast: Van Heflin, Aldo Ray, Mona Freeman, Nancy Olson, James Whitmore, Raymond Massey, Tab Hunter, Dorothy Malone, Anne Francis, Fess Parker, William Campbell, John Lupton, L.Q. Jones, Perry Lopez, Jonas Applegarth
Based on Leon Uris' novel, this is the story of a U.S. Marine Corps unit serving in New Zealand during World War II and involves their training, romances, and battles. Major Huxley (Van Heflin) molds his young unit into fighting Marines. Meanwhile, Pvt. Andy Hookens (Aldo Ray) becomes involved with New Zealand widow Pat (Nancy Olson), Pvt. Danny Forrester (Tab Hunter) is enamored with both Kathy (Mona Freeman) and Elaine (Dorothy Malone), and Pvt. Marion Hotchkiss (John Lupton) takes up with Rae (Anne Francis). However, their lives change when they are assigned the dangerous mission of invading Red Beach. Casualties ensue, but those who do survive continue on with their lives.
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 The Big Bounce 1969  R, 102 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Alex March
Cast: Ryan O'Neal, Leigh Taylor-Young, Van Heflin, Lee Grant, James Daly, Robert Webber, Cindy Eilbacher, Noam Pitlik, Victor Paul, Kevin O'Neal, Charles Cooper, Paul Sorenson
Don't be fooled by the well-known cast–this film is rotten. Farmhand Jack (Ryan O'Neal in his feature film debut) starts a torrid romance with the wild, teen mistress of a plantation owner. Murder and suicide add to the trashy goings-on in this sex-filled soaper.
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Black Widow 1954  N/R, 95 min.
Genre: Drama / Mystery
Director: Nunnally Johnson
Cast: Ginger Rogers, Van Heflin, Gene Tierney, George Raft, Peggy Ann Garner, Reginald Gardiner, Otto Kruger, Cathleen Nesbitt, Skip Homeier, Virginia Leith, Hilda Simms, Bea Benaderet, Aaron Spelling
This mystery by Patrick Quentin is somewhat gaudy but still entertaining about goings on in an upper-crust apartment building. Van Heflin plays a married Broadway producer who is suspected of killing Nancy (Peggy Ann Garner) when she turns up dead in his apartment. Detective Lt. C.A.Bruce (George Raft) is on the scene to clear it all up.
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Count Three and Pray 1955 N/R, 102 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: George Sherman
Cast: Van Heflin, Joanne Woodward, Philip Carey, Raymond Burr, Allison Hayes, Myron Healey, Nancy Kulp, James Griffith, Richard Webb, Kathryn Givney
Following duty as a Union soldier in the Civil War, Luke Fargo (Van Heflin) returns to his Southern hometown where he plans to be a preacher. To his dismay, his presence is met with distrust. Joanne Woodward made her film debut in this movie.
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Cry of Battle 1963 N/R, 99 min.
Genre: Action / Drama
aka: To Be a Man
Officers and Men
Director: Irving Lerner
Cast: Van Heflin, Rita Moreno, James MacArthur, Leopoldo Salcedo, Sidney Clute, Marilou Munoz, Oscar Roncal, Liza Moreno, Michael Parsons, Claude Wilson, Oscar Keesee, Jr.
David McVey (James MacArthur) has been spoiled by his family's wealth but now finds himself fighting the Japanese in the Philippines shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. (trivia: This film was playing as part of a double feature at the Texas Theater when Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested there after shooting President Kennedy.)
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East Side, West Side 1949 N/R, 108 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Mervyn LeRoy
Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, James Mason, Van Heflin, Ava Gardner, Cyd Charisse, Nancy Davis, Gale Sondergaard, William Conrad, William Frawley, Raymond Greenleaf
An upper-class Manhattan couple, Jessie and Brandon Bourne (Barbara Stanwyck and James Mason), have marital problems because of Brandon's roaming eye.
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The Greatest Story Ever Told 1965 N/R, 225 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: George Stevens
Cast: Max von Sydow, Dorothy McGuire, Claude Rains, Jose Ferrer, Charlton Heston, John Wayne, Shelley Winters, Robert Blake, Sidney Poitier, Telly Savalas, Michael Anderson Jr., Carroll Baker, Martin Landau, Van Heflin, Richard Conte
The life and times of Jesus Christ are depicted in this film containing an all-star cast. Max von Sydow plays the role of Jesus Christ, and the large supporting cast includes Dorothy McGuire as Mary, Claude Rains as Herod the Great, Jose Ferrer as Herod Antipas, Charlton Heston as John the Baptist, and Telly Savalas as Pontius Pilate.
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Green Dolphin Street 1947 N/R, 140 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Victor Saville
Cast: Lana Turner, Van Heflin, Donna Reed, Richard Hart, Frank Morgan, Edmund Gwenn, Dame May Whitty, Reginald Owen, Gladys Cooper, Linda Christian
Set in 19th-century New Zealand, this is a weak epic tale about two sisters who desire the same man. Nevertheless, the film did win the Academy Award for "Best Special Effects" along with three nominations.
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Johnny Eager 1942 N/R, 107 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Mervyn LeRoy
Cast: Robert Taylor, Lana Turner, Edward Arnold, Van Heflin, Robert Sterling, Henry O'Neill, Glenda Farrell, Barry Nelson, Charles Dingle, Nestor Paiva
Lisbeth Bard (Lana Turner), the stepdaughter of a crusading district attorney, falls in love with slick Johnny Eager (Robert Taylor) who is anything but a law-abiding citizen. Van Heflin won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in this film.
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Kid Glove Killer 1942 N/R, 74 min.
Genre: Mystery
Director: Fred Zinnemann
Cast: Van Heflin, Marsha Hunt, Lee Bowman, Samuel S. Hinds, John Litel, Cliff Clark, Eddie Quillan, Nella Walker, Ava Gardner, James Flavin
Police criminologist Gordon McKay (Van Heflin) uses scientific test-tube evidence to solve the mystery behind the mayor's murder.
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Madame Bovary 1949 N/R, 114 min.
Genre: Drama / Romance
Director: Vincente Minnelli
Cast: Jennifer Jones, James Mason, Van Heflin, Louis Jourdan, Alf Kjellin, Gene Lockhart, Frank Allenby, Gladys Cooper, Harry Morgan, George Zucco, John Abbott, Ellen Corby, Eduard Franz, Henri Letondal, Esther Somers
Set in 19th-century France, this is the film adaptation of Flaubert's classic novel about Emma Bovary (Jennifer Jones) and her scandalous affairs that lead to tragedy. Country girl Emma is bored with her life and marries Dr. Charles Bovary (Van Heflin) hoping for romance and social standing. But, the marriage is not what she had dreamed, and Emma begins affairs with numerous suitors–until, finally, in despair she commits suicide.
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Once a Thief 1965  N/R, 106 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Ralph Nelson
Cast: Alain Delon, Ann - Margret, Van Heflin, Jack Palance, Jeff Corey, John Davis Chandler, Tony Musante, Steve Mitchell, Zekial Marko, Tammy Locke
An ex-con wants to lead a clean life, but he gets involved with three killers and is harassed by a cop.
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Patterns 1956 N/R, 83 min.
Genre: Drama
aka: Patterns of Power
Director: Fielder Cook
Cast: Van Heflin, Everett Sloane, Ed Begley, Beatrice Straight, Elizabeth Wilson, Joanna Roos, Valerie Cossart, Eleni Kiamos, Ronnie Welsh, Shirley Standlee, Andrew Duggan, Sally Gracie
This film began as a play by Rod Serling for TV's "Kraft Theater." The plot involves an owner of a conglomerate, William Ramsey (Everett Sloan), who brings in Fred Staples (Van Heflin) to replace a vice-president, William Briggs (Ed Begley), who he wants to off-load.
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Possessed 1947 N/R, 108 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Curtis Bernhardt
Cast: Joan Crawford, Van Heflin, Raymond Massey, Geraldine Brooks, Stanley Ridges, John Ridgely, Nana Bryant, Moroni Olsen, Erskine Sanford, Peter Miles
Joan Crawford was nominated for an Academy Award for her role in this film about a woman who marries her boss (Raymond Massey) and then is plagued by her growing mental problems involving her obsession for David (Van Heflin).
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Presenting Lily Mars 1943 N/R, 106 min.
Genre: Musical
Director: Norman Taurog
Cast: Judy Garland, Van Heflin, Fay Bainter, Richard Carlson, Spring Byington, Marta Eggerth, Marilyn Maxwell, Tommy Dorsey, Bob Crosby, Leonid Kinskey
A small town girl, Lily Mars (Judy Garland), aspires to stardom on Broadway in this run-of-the-mill, boy-meets-girl musical.
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The Raid 1954 N/R, 82 min.
Genre: Action
Director: Hugo Fregonese
Cast: Van Heflin, Anne Bancroft, Richard Boone, Lee Marvin, Tommy Rettig, Peter Graves, Claude Akins, Douglas Spencer, Paul Cavanagh, Will Wright
After escaping from a New England prison, Confederate soldiers plot revenge by raiding a Vermont farm.
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The Santa Fe Trail 1940 N/R, 110 min.
Genre: Adventure
Director: Michael Curtiz
Cast: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Raymond Massey, Ronald Reagan, Alan Hale, William Lundigan, Van Heflin, Gene Reynolds, Guinn "Big Boy" Williams, Ward Bond
Jeb Stuart (Errol Flynn), who would later become Robert E. Lee's top cavalry scout, is given orders to bring in abolitionist John Brown (Raymond Massey).
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 Shane 1953 N/R, 118 min.
Genre: Western / Drama
Director: George Stevens
Cast: Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur, Jack Palance, Van Heflin, Brandon DeWilde, Ben Johnson, Edgar Buchanan, Elisha Cook Jr., Ellen Corby, Emile Meyer, Douglas Spencer, John Dierkes, Paul McVey, Edith Evanson
This is one of the best Westerns ever made. It features a family of homesteaders befriended by a mysterious man (Alan Ladd) who helps them fight the cattle baron trying to bar farming on free land. The film won one Academy Award (Best Cinematography) and was nominated for five others: Best Picture, two for Best Supporting Actor (Brandon de Wilde and Jack Palance), Best Director, and Best Writing.
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 Stagecoach 1966 N/R, 114 min.
Genre: Western
Director: Gordon Douglas
Cast: Ann - Margret, Red Buttons, Mike Connors, Alex Cord, Bing Crosby, Robert Cummings, Van Heflin, Slim Pickens, Stefanie Powers, Keenan Wynn, Brad Weston, Joseph Hoover, John Gabriel
Buck (Slim Pickens) is driving a stagecoach, and the riders include drunken Dr. Josiah Boone (Bing Crosby), prostitute Dallas (Ann-Margret), embezzling bank clerk Mr. Gatewood (Robert Cummings), policeman Curly (Van Heflin), pregnant Army wife Lucy (Stefanie Powers), and liquor salesman Mr. Peacock (Red Buttons). Later, outlaw Ringo (Alex Cord) boards the coach. They are attacked by Indians, and when they arrive in Cheyenne they must deal with outlaws led by Luke Plummer (Keenan Wynn). In the midst of these dangers, the passengers realize that they must work as a group if any of them is to survive.
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The Strange Love of Martha Ivers 1946 N/R, 117 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Lewis Milestone
Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin, Kirk Douglas, Lizabeth Scott, Judith Anderson, Roman Bohnen, Darryl Hickman, Ann Doran, Frank Orth, James Flavin
Martha Ivers (Barbara Stanwyck) is a domineering wife living with her weak husband, Walter (Kirk Douglas). Both share a dark secret relating to the murder of Martha's aunt. When Sam (Van Heflin) returns to town, the secret threatens to be exposed.
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Tap Roots 1948 N/R, 109 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: George Marshall
Cast: Van Heflin, Susan Hayward, Boris Karloff, Julie London, Whitfield Connor, Ward Bond, Richard Long, Arthur Shields, Griff Barnett, Russell Simpson
In the days before the outbreak of the Civil War, a plantation owner (Ward Bond) tries to talk his fellow Mississippians into seceding from the state if the issue of slavery results in war.
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Tennessee Johnson 1942 N/R, 103 min.
Genre: Drama
aka: The Man on America's Conscience
Director: William Dieterle
Cast: Van Heflin, Ruth Hussey, Lionel Barrymore, Marjorie Main, Regis Toomey, Montagu Love, Porter Hall, Charles Dingle, J. Edward Bromberg, Grant Withers
The life of President Andrew Johnson is told–with Van Heflin in the title role. Johnson's life from his backwoods boyhood through his impeachment is covered. Good cast.
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They Came to Cordura 1959 N/R, 123 min.
Genre: Western
Director: Robert Rossen
Cast: Gary Cooper, Rita Hayworth, Van Heflin, Tab Hunter, Richard Conte, Michael Callan, Dick York, Robert Keith, Jim Bannon, Edward Platt
Set during World War I, this is the story of Major Thomas Thorn's (Gary Cooper) mission into Mexico where he leads his men in pursuit of Pancho Villa and becomes involved with a politician's daughter (Rita Hayworth).
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The Three Musketeers 1948 N/R, 128 min.
Genre: Adventure / Action / Drama / Romance
Director: George Sidney
Cast: Gene Kelly, Lana Turner, June Allyson, Van Heflin, Vincent Price, Gig Young, Angela Lansbury, Keenan Wynn, Reginald Owen, Frank Morgan, John Sutton, Robert Coote, Ian Keith, Patricia Medina, Richard Wyler
For the sheer fun of spotting many MGM stars, this is a good rendition of the Alexandre Dumas classic novel about D'Artagnan (Gene Kelly) and the musketeers'–Athos, Porthos, and Aramis (Van Heflin, Gig Young, and Robert Coote)–reaction to Louis XIII (Frank Morgan) and the calculating Cardinal Richelieu (Vincent Price).
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 Till the Clouds Roll By 1946 N/R, 137 min.
Genre: Drama / Musical
Director: Richard Whorf
Cast: Robert Walker, Lucille Bremer, Judy Garland, Kathryn Grayson, Van Heflin, Lena Horne, Van Johnson, Tony Martin, Dinah Shore, Frank Sinatra, June Allyson, Cyd Charisse, Paul Langton, Paul Maxey, Dorothy Patrick
An all-star cast singing Jerome Kern's songs make this account of Kern's life and times an entertaining experience. Kern's story begins and ends with his Broadway show, "Showboat," and is told through flashbacks as Kern sells his songs, moves to London, and marries Eva (Dorothy Patrick). Then, his contacts with Victor Herbert (Paul Maxey) and Oscar Hammerstein (Paul Langton) lead to success on Broadway. Songs are abundant and are sung by top musical stars of the day.
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Under Ten Flags 1960 N/R, 92 min.
Genre: Adventure
Director: Duilio Coletti
Cast: Van Heflin, Charles Laughton, Mylene Demongeot, John Ericson, Cecil Parker, Alex Nicol, Liam Redmond, Gregoire Aslan, Gian Maria Volonte, Ralph Truman
Told from the German perspective, this World War II story involves Captain Reger's attempts to evade allied war ships as he commands his German ship in a cat and mouse game of Axis powers vs. Allies.
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A Woman Rebels 1936 N/R, 88 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Mark Sandrich
Cast: Katharine Hepburn, Herbert Marshall, Donald Crisp, Elizabeth Allan, Lucile Watson, Van Heflin, David Manners, Doris Dudley, Eily Malyon, Margaret Seddon
Pamela Thistlewait (Katharine Hepburn) is a 19th-century feminist who overcomes the fact that she is an unwed mother and fights for women's rights.
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Woman's World 1954 N/R, 94 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Jean Negulesco
Cast: Clifton Webb, June Allyson, Van Heflin, Lauren Bacall, Fred MacMurray, Arlene Dahl, Cornel Wilde, Elliott Reid, Margalo Gillmore, Alan Reed
Clifton Webb plays a corporate executive who chooses his new manager from three candidates and decides to base their qualifications on the abilities of their wives.
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| Oscar: Best Supporting Actor for Johnny Eager (1942) |
1. 3:10 to Yuma (1957)
2. Act of Violence (1949)
3. Airport (1970)
4. B.F.'s Daughter (1948)
5. Back Door to Heaven (1939)
6. Battle Cry (1955)
7. The Big Bounce (1969)
8. Black Widow (1954)
9. Count Three and Pray (1955)
10. Cry of Battle (1963)
aka: To Be a Man
aka: Officers and Men
11. East Side, West Side (1949)
12. The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
13. Green Dolphin Street (1947)
14. Johnny Eager (1942)
15. Kid Glove Killer (1942)
16. Madame Bovary (1949)
17. Once a Thief (1965)
18. Patterns (1956)
aka: Patterns of Power
19. Possessed (1947)
20. Presenting Lily Mars (1943)
21. The Raid (1954)
22. The Santa Fe Trail (1940)
23. The Secret Land (1948)
24. Shane (1953)
25. Stagecoach (1966)
26. The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946)
27. Tap Roots (1948)
28. Tennessee Johnson (1942)
aka: The Man on America's Conscience
29. They Came to Cordura (1959)
30. The Three Musketeers (1948)
31. Till the Clouds Roll By (1946)
32. Under Ten Flags (1960)
33. A Woman Rebels (1936)
34. Woman's World (1954)
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