Mantan Moreland

Mantan Moreland

Although his brand of humor has been reviled for decades, Negro character actor Mantan Moreland parlayed his cocky but jittery character into a recognizable presence in the late 1930s and early 1940s, appearing in a long string of comedy thrillers . . . and was considered quite funny at the time! Born just after the turn of the century in Louisiana, Mantan began running away from home at age 12 to join circuses and medicine shows, only to be brought back time and again. During these times he sharpened his comic skills and developed routines and acts that eventually became popular on the vaudeville stage, or what was then called the "chitlin' circuit." A solo performer by nature, he often teamed up with other famous comics (such as Ben Carter) to keep working, and became a deft performer of "indefinite talk" routines, where two quicksilver comics continually topped each other in mid-sentence, as if reading each other's mind (i.e., "Say, did you see...?" "Saw him just yesterday...didn't look so good"). Mantan's focus gradually shifted his trade toward film, where he initially appeared in servile bits (shoeshine men, porters, waiters). However, his talent for making people laugh couldn't be overlooked and he soon earned featured status in Harlem-styled western parodies and grade "A" comedy films playing the superstitious, ever-terrified manservant running from any kind of impending doom. Moreland's peak in movies came with his recurring role as Birmingham, the skittish chauffeur, in the "Charlie Chan" series, where he was forever forewarning his boss to stay away from an obviously dangerous case or situation. Though haunted mansions were an ideal place for setting off his stereotyped character, Mantan would be haunted in a different way by this Hollywood success in years to follow. By the 1950s, racial attitudes began to change and, with the rise of the civil rights movement, what was once considered hilarious was now interpreted as demeaning and offensive to both blacks and whites. Mantan and others, such as Stepin Fetchit, were ostracized and ridiculed by Hollywood for their past negative portrayals. It took decades for audiences to forgive and newer generations to forget the Depression-era comedy of Mantan Moreland in order for the actor to come back. In the late 1960s he managed a modest resurgence on TV and in commercials and occasional films, allowing him to work again with such comic heavyweights as Bill Cosby, Godfrey Cambridge and director Carl Reiner. It was all too brief, however, for Mantan, long suffering from ill health, died of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1973, just as he was settling in to his renewed popularity. Today, audiences tend to be kinder and more understanding of Moreland, remembering him as a highly talented comic who, in the only way he knew, broke major barriers and opened the doors for others black actors to follow.

  • Popularita : 1.722
  • Známy pre : Acting
  • Narodeniny : 1902-09-03
  • Miesto narodenia : Monroe, Louisiana, USA
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Mantan Moreland Filmy

  • 1941
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    King of the Zombies

    King of the Zombies

    5.2 1941 HD

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  • 1941
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    It Started with Eve

    It Started with Eve

    7.1 1941 HD

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  • 1967
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    Spider Baby

    Spider Baby

    6.9 1967 HD

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  • 1970
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    Watermelon Man

    Watermelon Man

    6.4 1970 HD

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  • 1942
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    Footlight Serenade

    Footlight Serenade

    1 1942 HD

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  • 1945
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    The Spider

    The Spider

    5.3 1945 HD

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  • 1944
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    Charlie Chan in the Secret Service

    Charlie Chan in the Secret Service

    5.9 1944 HD

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  • 1944
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    Charlie Chan in The Chinese Cat

    Charlie Chan in The Chinese Cat

    6.4 1944 HD

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  • 1944
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    Black Magic

    Black Magic

    6.8 1944 HD

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  • 1945
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    The Shanghai Cobra

    The Shanghai Cobra

    5.7 1945 HD

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  • 1945
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    The Scarlet Clue

    The Scarlet Clue

    5.9 1945 HD

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  • 1945
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    Charlie Chan in The Jade Mask

    Charlie Chan in The Jade Mask

    6.1 1945 HD

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  • 1946
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    Shadows Over Chinatown

    Shadows Over Chinatown

    5.7 1946 HD

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  • 1946
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    Dark Alibi

    Dark Alibi

    6.1 1946 HD

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  • 1946
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    The Trap

    The Trap

    6.7 1946 HD

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  • 1941
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    Sleepers West

    Sleepers West

    6.3 1941 HD

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  • 1948
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    Docks of New Orleans

    Docks of New Orleans

    5.9 1948 HD

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  • 1947
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    The Chinese Ring

    The Chinese Ring

    4.9 1947 HD

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  • 1948
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    Shanghai Chest

    Shanghai Chest

    6.1 1948 HD

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  • 1948
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    The Feathered Serpent

    The Feathered Serpent

    5.8 1948 HD

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  • 1986
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    Horrible Horror

    Horrible Horror

    7 1986 HD

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  • 1942
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    Eyes in the Night

    Eyes in the Night

    6 1942 HD

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  • 1948
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    The Golden Eye

    The Golden Eye

    5.4 1948 HD

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  • 1942
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    The Strange Case of Doctor Rx

    The Strange Case of Doctor Rx

    5.132 1942 HD

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  • 1942
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    Lucky Ghost

    Lucky Ghost

    6.2 1942 HD

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  • 1942
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    Tarzan's New York Adventure

    Tarzan's New York Adventure

    6.363 1942 HD

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  • 1940
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    Up in the Air

    Up in the Air

    5.5 1940 HD

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  • 1943
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    Cabin in the Sky

    Cabin in the Sky

    6.3 1943 HD

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  • 1941
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    Birth of the Blues

    Birth of the Blues

    5.3 1941 HD

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  • 1945
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    She Wouldn't Say Yes

    She Wouldn't Say Yes

    5.9 1945 HD

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  • 1940
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    On the Spot

    On the Spot

    5.3 1940 HD

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  • 1938
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    Frontier Scout

    Frontier Scout

    4.5 1938 HD

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  • 1942
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    Phantom Killer

    Phantom Killer

    4.3 1942 HD

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  • 1941
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    Sign of the Wolf

    Sign of the Wolf

    6 1941 HD

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  • 1943
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    Cosmo Jones, Crime Smasher

    Cosmo Jones, Crime Smasher

    4 1943 HD

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  • 1943
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    Melody Parade

    Melody Parade

    1 1943 HD

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  • 1943
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    Swing Fever

    Swing Fever

    5 1943 HD

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  • 1942
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    Freckles Comes Home

    Freckles Comes Home

    5 1942 HD

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  • 1941
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    The Gang's All Here

    The Gang's All Here

    5 1941 HD

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  • 1943
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    Revenge of the Zombies

    Revenge of the Zombies

    5.2 1943 HD

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  • 1946
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    Mantan Messes Up

    Mantan Messes Up

    1 1946 HD

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  • 1941
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    You're Out of Luck

    You're Out of Luck

    6 1941 HD

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  • 1942
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    Four Jacks and a Jill

    Four Jacks and a Jill

    6 1942 HD

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  • 1938
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    Next Time I Marry

    Next Time I Marry

    6.8 1938 HD

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  • 1938
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    Spirit of Youth

    Spirit of Youth

    5.5 1938 HD

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  • 1938
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    Two-Gun Man from Harlem

    Two-Gun Man from Harlem

    4.5 1938 HD

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  • 1942
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    Mr. Washington Goes to Town

    Mr. Washington Goes to Town

    3 1942 HD

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  • 1939
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    Irish Luck

    Irish Luck

    5.8 1939 HD

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  • 1944
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    Pin Up Girl

    Pin Up Girl

    6.1 1944 HD

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  • 1943
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    Sarong Girl

    Sarong Girl

    1 1943 HD

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  • 1941
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    Let's Go Collegiate

    Let's Go Collegiate

    5 1941 HD

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  • 1946
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    Riverboat Rhythm

    Riverboat Rhythm

    5 1946 HD

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  • 1942
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    Andy Hardy's Double Life

    Andy Hardy's Double Life

    4.6 1942 HD

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  • 1941
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    Dressed to Kill

    Dressed to Kill

    6.3 1941 HD

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  • 1941
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    Ellery Queen's Penthouse Mystery

    Ellery Queen's Penthouse Mystery

    5.3 1941 HD

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  • 1945
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    Captain Tugboat Annie

    Captain Tugboat Annie

    1 1945 HD

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  • 1956
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    Rockin' the Blues

    Rockin' the Blues

    1 1956 HD

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  • 1967
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    Enter Laughing

    Enter Laughing

    4 1967 HD

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  • 1944
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    Chip Off the Old Block

    Chip Off the Old Block

    4 1944 HD

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  • 1937
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    Harlem on the Prairie

    Harlem on the Prairie

    5 1937 HD

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  • 1941
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    Up Jumped the Devil

    Up Jumped the Devil

    1 1941 HD

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  • 1942
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    Professor Creeps

    Professor Creeps

    1 1942 HD

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  • 1947
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    Return of Mandy's Husband

    Return of Mandy's Husband

    1 1947 HD

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  • 1942
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    Girl Trouble

    Girl Trouble

    6.5 1942 HD

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  • 1939
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    Tell No Tales

    Tell No Tales

    5.3 1939 HD

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  • 1942
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    Law of the Jungle

    Law of the Jungle

    5.1 1942 HD

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  • 1939
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    Riders of the Frontier

    Riders of the Frontier

    1 1939 HD

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  • 1944
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    Moon Over Las Vegas

    Moon Over Las Vegas

    1 1944 HD

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  • 1940
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    Chasing Trouble

    Chasing Trouble

    5 1940 HD

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  • 1949
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    Come On, Cowboy!

    Come On, Cowboy!

    1 1949 HD

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  • 1940
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    Millionaire Playboy

    Millionaire Playboy

    2.7 1940 HD

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  • 1940
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    The Man Who Wouldn't Talk

    The Man Who Wouldn't Talk

    4 1940 HD

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  • 1940
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    Viva Cisco Kid

    Viva Cisco Kid

    5.5 1940 HD

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  • 1942
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    Treat 'Em Rough

    Treat 'Em Rough

    6 1942 HD

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  • 1940
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    Star Dust

    Star Dust

    4.7 1940 HD

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  • 1936
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    The Green Pastures

    The Green Pastures

    6.3 1936 HD

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  • 1940
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    Laughing at Danger

    Laughing at Danger

    1 1940 HD

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  • 1940
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    Drums of the Desert

    Drums of the Desert

    5.5 1940 HD

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  • 1940
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    Four Shall Die

    Four Shall Die

    1 1940 HD

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  • 1943
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    He Hired the Boss

    He Hired the Boss

    3 1943 HD

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  • 1942
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    A-Haunting We Will Go

    A-Haunting We Will Go

    6.015 1942 HD

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  • 1946
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    Mantan Runs for Mayor

    Mantan Runs for Mayor

    1 1946 HD

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  • 1948
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    The Dreamer

    The Dreamer

    1 1948 HD

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  • 1970
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    Ebony Parade

    Ebony Parade

    1 1970 HD

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  • 1948
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    She's Too Mean for Me

    She's Too Mean for Me

    1 1948 HD

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  • 1948
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    What a Guy

    What a Guy

    1 1948 HD

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  • 1940
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    Girl in 313

    Girl in 313

    5.6 1940 HD

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  • 1940
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    Maryland

    Maryland

    6.2 1940 HD

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  • 1940
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    City of Chance

    City of Chance

    5.2 1940 HD

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  • 1949
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    Sky Dragon

    Sky Dragon

    7.7 1949 HD

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  • 1938
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    Gang Smashers

    Gang Smashers

    1 1938 HD

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  • 1941
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    Cracked Nuts

    Cracked Nuts

    1 1941 HD

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  • 1942
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    Mexican Spitfire Sees a Ghost

    Mexican Spitfire Sees a Ghost

    4.4 1942 HD

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  • 1943
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    Slightly Dangerous

    Slightly Dangerous

    5.8 1943 HD

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  • 1944
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    Bowery to Broadway

    Bowery to Broadway

    1 1944 HD

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  • 1943
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    You're a Lucky Fellow, Mr. Smith

    You're a Lucky Fellow, Mr. Smith

    3.5 1943 HD

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  • 1944
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    South of Dixie

    South of Dixie

    1 1944 HD

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  • 1943
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    We've Never Been Licked

    We've Never Been Licked

    1 1943 HD

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  • 1943
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    Hit the Ice

    Hit the Ice

    5.9 1943 HD

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  • 1933
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    That's the Spirit

    That's the Spirit

    2 1933 HD

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  • 1946
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    Tall, Tan and Terrific

    Tall, Tan and Terrific

    1 1946 HD

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  • 1944
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    See Here, Private Hargrove

    See Here, Private Hargrove

    6 1944 HD

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  • 1943
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    Swing Fever

    Swing Fever

    5 1943 HD

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  • 1964
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    The Patsy

    The Patsy

    6.2 1964 HD

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  • 1973
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    The Young Nurses

    The Young Nurses

    4.2 1973 HD

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  • 1941
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    Marry the Boss's Daughter

    Marry the Boss's Daughter

    1 1941 HD

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  • 1939
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    One Dark Night

    One Dark Night

    1 1939 HD

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  • 1940
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    While Thousands Cheer

    While Thousands Cheer

    1 1940 HD

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  • 1969
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    The Comic

    The Comic

    5.9 1969 HD

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  • 1969
    imgS2 E26

    The Bill Cosby Show

    The Bill Cosby Show

    4.9 1969 HD

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  • 1968
    imgS3 E26

    Julia

    Julia

    6 1968 HD

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  • 1968
    imgS7 E24

    Adam-12

    Adam-12

    7.1 1968 HD

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