Joan Fontaine

Joan Fontaine

Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland (October 22, 1917 – December 15, 2013), known professionally as Joan Fontaine, was an English-American actress who is best known for her starring roles in Hollywood films during the "Golden Age". She was born in Tokyo, Japan, in what was known as the International Settlement. Her father was a British patent attorney with a lucrative practice in Japan, but due to Joan and older sister Olivia de Havilland's recurring ailments the family moved to California in the hopes of improving their health. Mrs. de Havilland and the two girls settled in Saratoga while their father went back to his practice in Japan. Joan's parents did not get along well and divorced soon afterward. Mrs. de Havilland had a desire to be an actress but her dreams were curtailed when she married, but now she hoped to pass on her dream to Olivia and Joan. While Olivia pursued a stage career, Joan went back to Tokyo, where she attended the American School. In 1934 she came back to California, where her sister was already making a name for herself on the stage. Joan likewise joined a theater group in San Jose and then Los Angeles to try her luck there. After moving to L.A., Joan adopted the name of Joan Burfield because she didn't want to infringe upon Olivia, who was using the family surname. She tested at MGM and gained a small role in No More Ladies (1935), but she was scarcely noticed and Joan was idle for a year and a half. During this time she roomed with Olivia, who was having much more success in films. In 1937, this time calling herself Joan Fontaine, she landed a better role as Trudy Olson in You Can't Beat Love (1937) and then an uncredited part in Quality Street (1937). Although the next two years saw her in better roles, she still yearned for something better. In 1940 she garnered her first Academy Award nomination for Rebecca (1940). Although she thought she should have won, (she lost out to Ginger Rogers in Kitty Foyle (1940)), she was now an established member of the Hollywood set. She would again be Oscar-nominated for her role as Lina McLaidlaw Aysgarth in Suspicion (1941), and this time she won. Joan was making one film a year but choosing her roles well. In 1942 she starred in the well-received This Above All (1942). The following year she appeared in The Constant Nymph (1943). Once again she was nominated for the Oscar, she lost out to Jennifer Jones in The Song of Bernadette (1943). By now it was safe to say she was more famous than her older sister and more fine films followed. In 1948, she accepted second billing to Bing Crosby in The Emperor Waltz (1948). Joan took the year of 1949 off before coming back in 1950 with September Affair (1950) and Born to Be Bad (1950). In 1951 she starred in Paramount's Darling, How Could You! (1951), which turned out badly for both her and the studio and more weak productions followed. Absent from the big screen for a while, she took parts in television and dinner theaters. She also starred in many well-produced Broadway plays such as Forty Carats and The Lion in Winter. Her last appearance on the big screen was The Witches (1966) and her final appearance before the cameras was Good King Wenceslas (1994). She is, without a doubt, a lasting movie icon.

  • Title: Joan Fontaine
  • Popularity: 6.588
  • Known For: Acting
  • Birthday: 1917-10-22
  • Place of Birth: Tokyo, Japan
  • Homepage:
  • Also Known As: Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland, Joan Burfield
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Joan Fontaine Movies

  • 1940
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    Rebecca

    Rebecca

    7.9 1940 HD

    Story of a young woman who marries a fascinating widower only to find out that she must live in the shadow of his former wife, Rebecca, who died...

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  • 1948
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    Letter from an Unknown Woman

    Letter from an Unknown Woman

    7.774 1948 HD

    A pianist about to flee from a duel receives a letter from a woman he cannot remember. As she tells the story of her lifelong love for him, he is...

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  • 1961
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    Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea

    Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea

    5.7 1961 HD

    The crew of an atomic submarine battle to save the world from global destruction.

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  • 1956
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    Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

    Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

    6.856 1956 HD

    A newspaper publisher, wanting to prove a point about the insufficiency of circumstantial evidence, talks his possible son-in-law Tom into a hoax in...

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  • 1948
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    Kiss the Blood Off My Hands

    Kiss the Blood Off My Hands

    6.6 1948 HD

    Bill Saunders, a former prisoner of war living in England, whose experiences have left him unstable and violent, gets into a bar fight in which he in...

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  • 1939
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    The Women

    The Women

    7.1 1939 HD

    A happily married woman lets her catty friends talk her into divorce when her husband strays.

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  • 1941
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    Suspicion

    Suspicion

    7.114 1941 HD

    A wealthy and sheltered young woman elopes with a charming playboy and soon learns of his bad traits, including his extreme dishonesty and lust for...

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  • 1943
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    Jane Eyre

    Jane Eyre

    6.9 1943 HD

    After a harsh childhood, orphan Jane Eyre is hired by Edward Rochester, the brooding lord of a mysterious manor house to care for his young daughter.

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  • 1939
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    Gunga Din

    Gunga Din

    6.513 1939 HD

    British army sergeants Ballantine, Cutter and MacChesney serve in India during the 1880s, along with their native water-bearer, Gunga Din. While...

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  • 1948
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    You Gotta Stay Happy

    You Gotta Stay Happy

    6.4 1948 HD

    Indecisive heiress Dee Dee Dillwood is pushed into marrying her sixth fiancée, but unable to face the wedding night, she flees into the...

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  • 1952
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    Ivanhoe

    Ivanhoe

    6.8 1952 HD

    Sir Walter Scott's classic story of the chivalrous Ivanhoe who joins with Robin of Locksley in the fight against Prince John and for the return of...

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  • 1966
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    The Witches

    The Witches

    6.1 1966 HD

    Following a nervous breakdown, Gwen takes up the job of head teacher in the small village of Haddaby. There she can benefit from the tranquillity and...

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  • 1956
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    Serenade

    Serenade

    5.5 1956 HD

    A wealthy woman discovers a vineyard worker with a beautiful operatic singing voice. She helps make him a star but then breaks his heart. He flees in...

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  • 1957
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    Island in the Sun

    Island in the Sun

    6.5 1957 HD

    A scandalous tale of politics, social inequality, interracial romance, and murder set on a fictitious British-owned Caribbean island.

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  • 1950
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    Born to Be Bad

    Born to Be Bad

    5.8 1950 HD

    Christabel Caine has the face of angel and the heart of a swamp rat. She'll step on anyone to get what she wants, including her own family. A master...

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  • 2017
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    Becoming Cary Grant

    Becoming Cary Grant

    6.8 2017 HD

    For the first time one of Hollywood's greatest stars tells his own story, in his own words. From a childhood of poverty to global fame, Cary Grant,...

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  • 1947
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    Ivy

    Ivy

    6.8 1947 HD

    When Ivy, an Edwardian belle, begins to like Miles, a wealthy gentleman, she is unsure of what to do with her husband, Jervis, and her lover, Dr....

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  • 1948
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    The Emperor Waltz

    The Emperor Waltz

    5.9 1948 HD

    At the turn of the 20th century, travelling salesman Virgil Smith journeys to Vienna in the hope he can sell a gramophone to Emperor Franz Joseph,...

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  • 1937
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    A Damsel in Distress

    A Damsel in Distress

    6.4 1937 HD

    Lady Alyce Marshmorton must marry soon, and the staff of Tottney Castle have laid bets on who she'll choose, with young Albert wagering on 'Mr. X'....

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  • 1951
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    Othello

    Othello

    7.371 1951 HD

    When a secret marriage is planned between Othello, a Moorish general, and Desdemona, the daughter of Senator Brabantio, her old suitor Roderigo takes...

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  • 1937
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    Quality Street

    Quality Street

    5.9 1937 HD

    In the 1810s, an old maid poses as her own niece in order to teach her onetime beau a lesson.

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  • 1953
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    The Bigamist

    The Bigamist

    6.44 1953 HD

    San Francisco businessman Harry Graham and his wife and business partner, Eve, are in the process of adopting a child. When private investigator Mr....

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  • 1950
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    September Affair

    September Affair

    6 1950 HD

    An industrialist and a pianist meet on a trip and fall in love. Through a quirk of fate, they are reported dead in a crash though they weren't on the...

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  • 1954
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    Casanova's Big Night

    Casanova's Big Night

    6.1 1954 HD

    Italy 1757, Pippo Popolino, a lowly tailor, disguises himself as the great Casanova in order to romance the attractive widow Francesca. He little...

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  • 1943
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    The Constant Nymph

    The Constant Nymph

    5.8 1943 HD

    The daughter of a musical mentor adores a promising composer, who is quite fond of the adolescent. When her father dies, an uncle arrives with his...

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  • 1958
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    A Certain Smile

    A Certain Smile

    5.8 1958 HD

    A pretty Parisian law student falls in love with her boyfriend's uncle.

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  • 1952
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    Something to Live For

    Something to Live For

    6.8 1952 HD

    Advertising executive Alan Miller, a recovered alcoholic who now does interventions on behalf of Alcoholics Anonymous, is called to help Broadway...

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  • 1938
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    Sky Giant

    Sky Giant

    4.7 1938 HD

    Given the job of training young pilots for important post-war cargo flights, hard-boiled Col. Stockton forces ex-officer Stag Cahill back into the...

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  • 1957
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    Until They Sail

    Until They Sail

    6.4 1957 HD

    Four sisters in New Zealand fall for soldiers en route to the Pacific theater in WWII.

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  • 1942
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    This Above All

    This Above All

    6.6 1942 HD

    In 1940 England, aristocratic Prudence Cathaway alarms her snobbish parents by joining the WAF service branch. She soon meets and falls in love with...

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  • 1935
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    No More Ladies

    No More Ladies

    5.1 1935 HD

    A society girl tries to reform her playboy husband by making him jealous.

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  • 1944
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    Frenchman's Creek

    Frenchman's Creek

    5 1944 HD

    An English lady falls in love with a French pirate after he kidnaps her from her ancestral home on the coast of Cornwall and sweeps her off her feet...

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  • 1951
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    Darling, How Could You!

    Darling, How Could You!

    6 1951 HD

    Two absentee American parents get to know their three children again after spending five years in Panama.

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  • 1946
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    From This Day Forward

    From This Day Forward

    5.2 1946 HD

    A young American soldier, with an honorable discharge, returns home from World War II to his bride, whom he married after a short courtship and has...

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  • 1938
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    The Duke of West Point

    The Duke of West Point

    3.8 1938 HD

    A cocky new West Point cadet from Cambridge is given the cold shoulder by his classmates because of his rule-breaking antics.

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  • 1953
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    Decameron Nights

    Decameron Nights

    5 1953 HD

    Italian poet Boccaccio (Louis Jourdan) hides in the court of Fiammetta (Joan Fontaine) and tells three tales of love and lust.

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  • 1945
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    The Affairs of Susan

    The Affairs of Susan

    6.1 1945 HD

    Susan is about to be married, but the wedding may get called off after her fiancé summons three former beaus. Each reveals a different...

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  • 1938
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    Blond Cheat

    Blond Cheat

    6 1938 HD

    Socially prominent Michael Ashburn, chief assistant for a London loan broker makes a large loan during a closing time to a man for a pair of...

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  • 1939
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    Man of Conquest

    Man of Conquest

    5.2 1939 HD

    The story of Sam Houston, hero of the Texas revolution, statesman, and first president of the Republic of Texas.

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  • 1937
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    You Can't Beat Love

    You Can't Beat Love

    6 1937 HD

    The film begins with a knuckle-head playboy (Preston Foster) working on a road crew dressed in a tux in order to win a bet. Apparently, this guy will...

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  • 1936
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    A Million to One

    A Million to One

    3 1936 HD

    The son of a disgraced Olympic decathlete prepares to become a star in his own right. His quest is complicated by a beautiful girl and a bitter rival.

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  • 1937
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    Music for Madame

    Music for Madame

    5 1937 HD

    An Italian immigrant singer, Nino, hoping to succeed in Hollywood, falls in with a gang of crooks who use his talent to distract everyone at a party...

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  • 1937
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    The Man Who Found Himself

    The Man Who Found Himself

    7 1937 HD

    Young Jim Stanton is a conscientious surgeon, but spends too many off-duty hours pursuing his passion for aviation to suit his stuffy father. When it...

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  • 1938
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    Maid's Night Out

    Maid's Night Out

    6.2 1938 HD

    A millionaire's son works as a milkman for a month to win a bet with his father. While delivering milk he falls in love with a young debutante whom...

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  • 1953
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    Flight to Tangier

    Flight to Tangier

    6.1 1953 HD

    At the Tangier airport, a group of people await the arrival of a mysterious plane from behind the Iron Curtain. The reception committee includes...

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  • 2000
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    Howard Hughes: His Women and His Movies

    Howard Hughes: His Women and His Movies

    1 2000 HD

    A reclusive millionaire who owed his fortune to his father, Howard Hughes staked his fame on many things, including his credits as a producer,...

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  • 1978
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    The Users

    The Users

    1 1978 HD

    A beautiful girl from a small town with dreams of making it in Hollywood marries an actor whose career is fading, then schemes to get him back into...

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  • 1961
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    Hollywood: The Selznick Years

    Hollywood: The Selznick Years

    3.3 1961 HD

    Henry Fonda hosts this retrospective on the career and films of iconic filmmaker David O. Selznick, who epitomized the era of the auteur producer in...

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  • 2004
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    Before the Fact: Suspicious Hitchcock

    Before the Fact: Suspicious Hitchcock

    7 2004 HD

    A documentary on Alfred Hitchcock's 1941 film, "Suspicion".

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  • 1982
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    All By Myself: The Eartha Kitt Story

    All By Myself: The Eartha Kitt Story

    1 1982 HD

    Documentary profile of singer-actress Eartha Kitt.

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  • 1994
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    Good King Wenceslas

    Good King Wenceslas

    3 1994 HD

    Based upon the true story that inpired the Christmas carol about a young king's care for his people.

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  • 1986
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    Dark Mansions

    Dark Mansions

    1 1986 HD

    A woman hired to write the history of a wealthy family stays at the family's estate in Oregon. She discovers that she strongly resembles a long-dead...

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  • 1999
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    Hitchcock, Selznick and the End of Hollywood

    Hitchcock, Selznick and the End of Hollywood

    7.6 1999 HD

    Paying homage to two of Hollywood's central icons, the film creates an unparalleled portrait of two very different personalities amidst the demise of...

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  • 1949
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    The Art Director

    The Art Director

    1 1949 HD

    A film's art director is in charge of the set, from conception to construction to furnishing. This short film walks the viewer through art directors'...

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  • 1985
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    George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey

    George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey

    5.583 1985 HD

    Biography of the legendary filmmaker directed by his son.

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  • 1962
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    Tender Is the Night

    Tender Is the Night

    5.2 1962 HD

    Against the counsel of his friends, psychiatrist Dick Diver marries Nicole Warren, a beautiful but unstable young woman from a moneyed family....

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  • 1942
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    Breakdowns of 1942

    Breakdowns of 1942

    6 1942 HD

    Flubs and bloopers that occurred on the set of some of the major Warner Bros. pictures of 1942.

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  • 1977
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    The Love Boat

    The Love Boat

    6.3 1977 HD

    Passengers who search for romantic nights aboard a beautiful ship travelling to tropical or mysterious countries, decide to pass their vacation...

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  • 1982
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    Hotel

    Hotel

    6.8 1982 HD

    Hotel is an American prime time drama series which aired on ABC from September 21, 1983 to May 5, 1988 in the timeslot following Dynasty. Based on...

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  • 1953
    imgS10 E34

    General Electric Theater

    General Electric Theater

    6 1953 HD

    General Electric Theater is an American anthology series hosted by Ronald Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was...

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  • 1971
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    Cannon

    Cannon

    6.5 1971 HD

    Cannon is a CBS detective television series produced by Quinn Martin which aired from March 26, 1971 to March 3, 1976. The primary protagonist is the...

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  • 1958
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    Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse

    Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse

    5.25 1958 HD

    Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse is an American television anthology series produced by Desilu Productions. The show ran on CBS television between 1958...

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  • 1959
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    One Step Beyond

    One Step Beyond

    5.6 1959 HD

    Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond is an American anthology series created by Merwin Gerard. The original series ran for three seasons on ABC from...

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  • 1955
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    The 20th Century Fox Hour

    The 20th Century Fox Hour

    5.167 1955 HD

    The 20th Century Fox Hour is an American drama anthology series televised in the United States on CBS from 1955 to 1957. Some of the shows in this...

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  • 1981
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    Aloha Paradise

    Aloha Paradise

    5 1981 HD

    Aloha Paradise is an American comedy series that aired on ABC on Wednesday night from February 25, 1981 to April 22, 1981. Aloha...

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  • 1964
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    The Bing Crosby Show

    The Bing Crosby Show

    5 1964 HD

    The Bing Crosby Show is a 28-episode situation comedy television program starring crooner, film star, iconic phenomenon, and businessman Bing Crosby...

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  • 1953
    imgS72 E1

    The Oscars

    The Oscars

    7 1953 HD

    An annual American awards ceremony honoring cinematic achievements in the film industry. The various category winners are awarded a copy of a...

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  • 1953
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    Letter to Loretta

    Letter to Loretta

    6.2 1953 HD

    Letter to Loretta is an American anthology drama series telecast on NBC from September 1953 to June 1961 for a total of 165 episodes. The filmed show...

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  • 2013
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    Talking Pictures

    Talking Pictures

    5 2013 HD

    A look back at television appearances by legends of the silver screen, using archive footage to tell the story of their lives and careers.

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  • 1953
    imgS10 E34

    General Electric Theater

    General Electric Theater

    6 1953 HD

    General Electric Theater is an American anthology series hosted by Ronald Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was...

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  • 1953
    imgS10 E34

    General Electric Theater

    General Electric Theater

    6 1953 HD

    General Electric Theater is an American anthology series hosted by Ronald Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was...

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  • 1953
    imgS10 E34

    General Electric Theater

    General Electric Theater

    6 1953 HD

    General Electric Theater is an American anthology series hosted by Ronald Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was...

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  • 1953
    imgS10 E34

    General Electric Theater

    General Electric Theater

    6 1953 HD

    General Electric Theater is an American anthology series hosted by Ronald Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was...

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  • 1952
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    Four Star Playhouse

    Four Star Playhouse

    6.125 1952 HD

    Four Star Playhouse is an American television anthology series that ran from 1952 to 1956, sponsored in its first bi-weekly season by The Singer...

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  • 1986
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    Crossings

    Crossings

    4.8 1986 HD

    Despite rumors of impending war, the majestic ship Normandie makes its transatlantic voyage from Washington D.C., to France. Aboard is beautiful,...

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  • 1956
    imgS61 E2

    Tony Awards

    Tony Awards

    5 1956 HD

    The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The...

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  • 1950
    imgS1 E876

    What's My Line?

    What's My Line?

    6.7 1950 HD

    Four panelists must determine guests' occupations - and, in the case of famous guests, while blindfolded, their identity - by asking only "yes" or...

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  • 1950
    imgS1 E876

    What's My Line?

    What's My Line?

    6.7 1950 HD

    Four panelists must determine guests' occupations - and, in the case of famous guests, while blindfolded, their identity - by asking only "yes" or...

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  • 1961
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    The Mike Douglas Show

    The Mike Douglas Show

    5.1 1961 HD

    The Mike Douglas Show is an American daytime television talk show hosted by Mike Douglas that originally aired only in the Cleveland area during much...

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  • 1962
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    The Alfred Hitchcock Hour

    The Alfred Hitchcock Hour

    7.8 1962 HD

    A continuation of the anthology series “Alfred Hitchcock Presents”, hosted by the master of suspense and featuring thrillers and...

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