Max Wagner

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Max Wagner (November 28, 1901 – November 16, 1975) was a Mexican-born American film actor who specialized in playing small parts such as thugs, gangsters, sailors, henchmen, bodyguards, cab drivers and moving men, appearing more than 400 films in his career, most without receiving screen credit. Newspaper gossip columnists noted his rise from playing "Gangster #4", with no lines, and not carrying a gun, to "Gangster #2", with both lines and a gun. Wagner was one of five children, all boys, of William Wallace Wagner, a railroad conductor, and Edith Wagner, a writer who provided dispatches for the Christian Science Monitor during the Mexican Revolution. When he was 10 years old, his father was killed by rebels and the family moved to Salinas, California, where he met John Steinbeck, who became a lifelong friend. Steinback based the character of the boy in his novel The Red Pony on Wagner. Under the name "Max Baron", Wagner acted in many Spanish-language versions of English-language films, which studios made as a matter of course in the early days of sound films, He also served as a Spanish language coach for other actors, and appeared in many of the "Mexican Spitfire" films starring Lupe Vélez, where he also served to monitor Velez's Spanish ad-libs for profanity. Other series that Wagner appeared in include the Charlie Chan films, and Tom Mix serials, as well as others made by Mascot Pictures Corporation. In the 1940s, Wagner was ...

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It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

ClassicUpliftingSlow movingChristmas

A holiday favourite for generations... George Bailey has spent his entire life giving to the people of Bedford Falls. All that prevents rich skinflint Mr. Potter from taking over the entire town is George's modest building and loan company. But on Christmas Eve ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Frank Capra
CAST:  James Stewart  •  Donna Reed  •  Lionel Barrymore  •  Thomas Mitchell

A holiday favourite for generations... George Bailey has spent his entire life giving to the people of Bedford Falls. All that prevents rich skinflint Mr. Potter from taking over the entire town is George's modest building and loan company. But on Christmas Eve ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Frank Capra
CAST:  James Stewart  •  Donna Reed  •  Lionel Barrymore  •  Thomas Mitchell

The Ghost Breakers (1940)

FunnyCharmingFun

After intrepid working girl Mary Carter becomes the new owner of a reputedly haunted mansion located on Black Island near the Cuban coast, a stranger phones warning her to stay away from the castle. Undaunted, Mary sets sail for Cuba with a stowaway in her ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  George Marshall
CAST:  Bob Hope  •  Paulette Goddard  •  Richard Carlson  •  Paul Lukas

After intrepid working girl Mary Carter becomes the new owner of a reputedly haunted mansion located on Black Island near the Cuban coast, a stranger phones warning her to stay away from the castle. Undaunted, Mary sets sail for Cuba with a stowaway in her ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  George Marshall
CAST:  Bob Hope  •  Paulette Goddard  •  Richard Carlson  •  Paul Lukas

Rosemary's Baby (1968)

ClassicDarkDramaticInspiring

A young couple, Rosemary and Guy, moves into an infamous New York apartment building, known by frightening legends and mysterious events, with the purpose of starting a family.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Roman Polanski
CAST:  Mia Farrow  •  John Cassavetes  •  Ruth Gordon  •  Sidney Blackmer

A young couple, Rosemary and Guy, moves into an infamous New York apartment building, known by frightening legends and mysterious events, with the purpose of starting a family.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Roman Polanski
CAST:  Mia Farrow  •  John Cassavetes  •  Ruth Gordon  •  Sidney Blackmer

East of Eden (1955)

In the Salinas Valley in and around World War I, Cal Trask feels he must compete against overwhelming odds with his brother for the love of their father. Cal is frustrated at every turn, from his reaction to the war, how to get ahead in business and in life, and ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Elia Kazan
CAST:  James Dean  •  Julie Harris  •  Raymond Massey  •  Richard Davalos

In the Salinas Valley in and around World War I, Cal Trask feels he must compete against overwhelming odds with his brother for the love of their father. Cal is frustrated at every turn, from his reaction to the war, how to get ahead in business and in life, and ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Elia Kazan
CAST:  James Dean  •  Julie Harris  •  Raymond Massey  •  Richard Davalos

Fallen Angel (1945)

An unemployed drifter, Eric Stanton wanders into a small California town and begins hanging around the local diner. While Eric falls for the lovely waitress Stella, he also begins romancing a quiet and well-to-do woman named June Mills. Since Stella isn't ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Otto Preminger
CAST:  Alice Faye  •  Dana Andrews  •  Linda Darnell  •  Charles Bickford

An unemployed drifter, Eric Stanton wanders into a small California town and begins hanging around the local diner. While Eric falls for the lovely waitress Stella, he also begins romancing a quiet and well-to-do woman named June Mills. Since Stella isn't ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Otto Preminger
CAST:  Alice Faye  •  Dana Andrews  •  Linda Darnell  •  Charles Bickford

Flaxy Martin (1949)

Attorney Walter Colby has ties to the mob, but he begins to regret his criminal affiliations. When his girlfriend, showgirl Flaxy Martin, who also has shady connections, becomes a suspect in a murder, Walter takes the fall. However, on his way to prison, he escapes ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Richard L. Bare
CAST:  Virginia Mayo  •  Zachary Scott  •  Dorothy Malone  •  Tom D'Andrea

Attorney Walter Colby has ties to the mob, but he begins to regret his criminal affiliations. When his girlfriend, showgirl Flaxy Martin, who also has shady connections, becomes a suspect in a murder, Walter takes the fall. However, on his way to prison, he escapes ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Richard L. Bare
CAST:  Virginia Mayo  •  Zachary Scott  •  Dorothy Malone  •  Tom D'Andrea

Hang 'em High (1968)

Action-packedViolentSuspensefulClassic

Marshall Jed Cooper survives a hanging, vowing revenge on the lynch mob that left him dangling. To carry out his oath for vengeance, he returns to his former job as a lawman. Before long, he's caught up with the nine men on his hit list and starts dispensing his ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Ted Post
CAST:  Clint Eastwood  •  Inger Stevens  •  Ed Begley  •  Pat Hingle

Marshall Jed Cooper survives a hanging, vowing revenge on the lynch mob that left him dangling. To carry out his oath for vengeance, he returns to his former job as a lawman. Before long, he's caught up with the nine men on his hit list and starts dispensing his ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Ted Post
CAST:  Clint Eastwood  •  Inger Stevens  •  Ed Begley  •  Pat Hingle

Invaders from Mars (1953)

In the early hours of the night, young David Maclean sees a flying saucer land and disappear into the sand dunes just beyond his house. Slowly, all of the adults, including his once loving parents, begin to act strangely.  (more)

DIRECTION:  William Cameron Menzies
CAST:  Jimmy Hunt  •  Arthur Franz  •  Helena Carter  •  Leif Erickson

In the early hours of the night, young David Maclean sees a flying saucer land and disappear into the sand dunes just beyond his house. Slowly, all of the adults, including his once loving parents, begin to act strangely.  (more)

DIRECTION:  William Cameron Menzies
CAST:  Jimmy Hunt  •  Arthur Franz  •  Helena Carter  •  Leif Erickson

It Happens Every Spring (1949)

A scientist discovers a formula that makes a baseball which is repelled by wood. He promptly sets out to exploit his discovery.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Lloyd Bacon
CAST:  Ray Milland  •  Jean Peters  •  Paul Douglas  •  Ed Begley

A scientist discovers a formula that makes a baseball which is repelled by wood. He promptly sets out to exploit his discovery.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Lloyd Bacon
CAST:  Ray Milland  •  Jean Peters  •  Paul Douglas  •  Ed Begley

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)

FunnyUpliftingClassicClever

A group of strangers come across a man dying after a car crash who proceeds to tell them about the $350,000 he buried in California. What follows is the madcap adventures of those strangers as each attempts to claim the prize for himself.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Stanley Kramer
CAST:  Spencer Tracy  •  Milton Berle  •  Sid Caesar  •  Buddy Hackett

A group of strangers come across a man dying after a car crash who proceeds to tell them about the $350,000 he buried in California. What follows is the madcap adventures of those strangers as each attempts to claim the prize for himself.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Stanley Kramer
CAST:  Spencer Tracy  •  Milton Berle  •  Sid Caesar  •  Buddy Hackett

Shenandoah (1965)

Charlie Anderson, a farmer in Shenandoah, Virginia, finds himself and his family in the middle of the Civil War he wants nothing to do with. When his youngest boy is taken prisoner by the North, the Civil War is forced upon him.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Andrew V. McLaglen
CAST:  James Stewart  •  Doug McClure  •  Glenn Corbett  •  Patrick Wayne

Charlie Anderson, a farmer in Shenandoah, Virginia, finds himself and his family in the middle of the Civil War he wants nothing to do with. When his youngest boy is taken prisoner by the North, the Civil War is forced upon him.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Andrew V. McLaglen
CAST:  James Stewart  •  Doug McClure  •  Glenn Corbett  •  Patrick Wayne

Stage Door (1937)

The ups and downs in the lives and careers of a group of ambitious young actresses and show girls from disparate backgrounds brought together in a theatrical hostel. Centres particularly on the conflict and growing friendship between Terry Randall, a rich girl ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Gregory La Cava
CAST:  Katharine Hepburn  •  Ginger Rogers  •  Adolphe Menjou  •  Lucille Ball

The ups and downs in the lives and careers of a group of ambitious young actresses and show girls from disparate backgrounds brought together in a theatrical hostel. Centres particularly on the conflict and growing friendship between Terry Randall, a rich girl ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Gregory La Cava
CAST:  Katharine Hepburn  •  Ginger Rogers  •  Adolphe Menjou  •  Lucille Ball

The Bank Dick (1940)

Egbert Sousé becomes an unexpected hero when a bank robber falls over a bench he's occupying. Now considered brave, Egbert is given a job as a bank guard. Soon, he is approached by charlatan J. Frothingham Waterbury about buying shares in a mining company. Egbert ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Edward F. Cline
CAST:  W.C. Fields  •  Cora Witherspoon  •  Una Merkel  •  Evelyn Del Rio

Egbert Sousé becomes an unexpected hero when a bank robber falls over a bench he's occupying. Now considered brave, Egbert is given a job as a bank guard. Soon, he is approached by charlatan J. Frothingham Waterbury about buying shares in a mining company. Egbert ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Edward F. Cline
CAST:  W.C. Fields  •  Cora Witherspoon  •  Una Merkel  •  Evelyn Del Rio

The Grapes of Wrath (1940)

EpicPowerfulDramaticEmotional

Tom Joad returns to his home after a jail sentence to find his family kicked out of their farm due to foreclosure. He catches up with them on his Uncle’s farm, and joins them the next day as they head for California and a new life... Hopefully.  (more)

DIRECTION:  John Ford
CAST:  Henry Fonda  •  Jane Darwell  •  John Carradine  •  Charley Grapewin

Tom Joad returns to his home after a jail sentence to find his family kicked out of their farm due to foreclosure. He catches up with them on his Uncle’s farm, and joins them the next day as they head for California and a new life... Hopefully.  (more)

DIRECTION:  John Ford
CAST:  Henry Fonda  •  Jane Darwell  •  John Carradine  •  Charley Grapewin

The Great Race (1965)

Professional daredevil and white-suited hero, The Great Leslie, convinces turn-of-the-century auto makers that a race from New York to Paris (westward across America, the Bering Straight and Russia) will help to promote automobile sales. Leslie's arch-rival, the ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Blake Edwards
CAST:  Jack Lemmon  •  Tony Curtis  •  Natalie Wood  •  Peter Falk

Professional daredevil and white-suited hero, The Great Leslie, convinces turn-of-the-century auto makers that a race from New York to Paris (westward across America, the Bering Straight and Russia) will help to promote automobile sales. Leslie's arch-rival, the ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Blake Edwards
CAST:  Jack Lemmon  •  Tony Curtis  •  Natalie Wood  •  Peter Falk

The Lost Weekend (1945)

Don Birnam, a long-time alcoholic, has been sober for ten days and appears to be over the worst... but his craving has just become more insidious. Evading a country weekend planned by his brother and girlfriend, he begins a four-day bender that just might be his ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Billy Wilder
CAST:  Ray Milland  •  Jane Wyman  •  Phillip Terry  •  Howard Da Silva

Don Birnam, a long-time alcoholic, has been sober for ten days and appears to be over the worst... but his craving has just become more insidious. Evading a country weekend planned by his brother and girlfriend, he begins a four-day bender that just might be his ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Billy Wilder
CAST:  Ray Milland  •  Jane Wyman  •  Phillip Terry  •  Howard Da Silva

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)

PowerfulClassicDramatic

A senator, who became famous for killing a notorious outlaw, returns for the funeral of an old friend and tells the truth about his deed.  (more)

DIRECTION:  John Ford
CAST:  John Wayne  •  James Stewart  •  Vera Miles  •  Lee Marvin

A senator, who became famous for killing a notorious outlaw, returns for the funeral of an old friend and tells the truth about his deed.  (more)

DIRECTION:  John Ford
CAST:  John Wayne  •  James Stewart  •  Vera Miles  •  Lee Marvin

The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek (1944)

A 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.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Preston Sturges
CAST:  Eddie Bracken  •  Betty Hutton  •  Diana Lynn  •  William Demarest

A 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.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Preston Sturges
CAST:  Eddie Bracken  •  Betty Hutton  •  Diana Lynn  •  William Demarest

The Palm Beach Story (1942)

A New York inventor, Tom Jeffers, needs cash to develop his big idea, so his adoring wife, Gerry (Geraldine), decides to raise it by divorcing him and marrying an eccentric Florida millionaire, J. D. Hackensacker III.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Preston Sturges
CAST:  Claudette Colbert  •  Joel McCrea  •  Mary Astor  •  Rudy Vallee

A New York inventor, Tom Jeffers, needs cash to develop his big idea, so his adoring wife, Gerry (Geraldine), decides to raise it by divorcing him and marrying an eccentric Florida millionaire, J. D. Hackensacker III.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Preston Sturges
CAST:  Claudette Colbert  •  Joel McCrea  •  Mary Astor  •  Rudy Vallee

The Roaring Twenties (1939)

After World War I, Armistice Lloyd Hart goes back to practice law, former saloon keeper George Hally turns to bootlegging, and out-of-work Eddie Bartlett becomes a cab driver. Eddie builds a fleet of cabs through delivery of bootleg liquor and hires Lloyd as his ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Raoul Walsh
CAST:  James Cagney  •  Priscilla Lane  •  Humphrey Bogart  •  Gladys George

After World War I, Armistice Lloyd Hart goes back to practice law, former saloon keeper George Hally turns to bootlegging, and out-of-work Eddie Bartlett becomes a cab driver. Eddie builds a fleet of cabs through delivery of bootleg liquor and hires Lloyd as his ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Raoul Walsh
CAST:  James Cagney  •  Priscilla Lane  •  Humphrey Bogart  •  Gladys George
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