Norma Varden

Norma Varden Shackleton (20 January 1898 – 19 January 1989), known professionally as Norma Varden, was an English-American actress with a long film career.

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The Sound of Music (1965)

MusicalClassicCharmingEnjoyable

In the years before the Second World War, a tomboyish postulant at an Austrian abbey is hired as a governess in the home of a widowed naval captain with seven children, and brings a new love of life and music into the home.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Robert Wise
CAST:  Julie Andrews  •  Christopher Plummer  •  Eleanor Parker  •  Bill Lee

In the years before the Second World War, a tomboyish postulant at an Austrian abbey is hired as a governess in the home of a widowed naval captain with seven children, and brings a new love of life and music into the home.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Robert Wise
CAST:  Julie Andrews  •  Christopher Plummer  •  Eleanor Parker  •  Bill Lee

Casablanca (1942)

In Casablanca, Morocco in December 1941, a cynical American expatriate meets a former lover, with unforeseen complications.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Michael Curtiz
CAST:  Humphrey Bogart  •  Ingrid Bergman  •  Paul Henreid  •  Claude Rains

In Casablanca, Morocco in December 1941, a cynical American expatriate meets a former lover, with unforeseen complications.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Michael Curtiz
CAST:  Humphrey Bogart  •  Ingrid Bergman  •  Paul Henreid  •  Claude Rains

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982)

Juliet Forrest is convinced that the reported death of her father in a mountain car crash was no accident. Her father was a prominent cheese scientist working on a secret recipe. To prove it was murder, she enlists the services of private eye Rigby Reardon. He ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Carl Reiner
CAST:  Steve Martin  •  Rachel Ward  •  Carl Reiner  •  Reni Santoni

Juliet Forrest is convinced that the reported death of her father in a mountain car crash was no accident. Her father was a prominent cheese scientist working on a secret recipe. To prove it was murder, she enlists the services of private eye Rigby Reardon. He ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Carl Reiner
CAST:  Steve Martin  •  Rachel Ward  •  Carl Reiner  •  Reni Santoni

Doctor Dolittle (1967)

A veterinarian who can communicate with animals travels abroad to search for a giant sea snail.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Richard Fleischer
CAST:  Rex Harrison  •  Samantha Eggar  •  Richard Attenborough  •  Anthony Newley

A veterinarian who can communicate with animals travels abroad to search for a giant sea snail.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Richard Fleischer
CAST:  Rex Harrison  •  Samantha Eggar  •  Richard Attenborough  •  Anthony Newley

Fire Over England (1937)

The film is a historical drama set during the reign of Elizabeth I (Flora Robson), focusing on the English defeat of the Spanish Armada, whence the title. In 1588, relations between Spain and England are at the breaking point. With the support of Queen Elizabeth I, ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  William K. Howard
CAST:  Flora Robson  •  Raymond Massey  •  Leslie Banks  •  Laurence Olivier

The film is a historical drama set during the reign of Elizabeth I (Flora Robson), focusing on the English defeat of the Spanish Armada, whence the title. In 1588, relations between Spain and England are at the breaking point. With the support of Queen Elizabeth I, ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  William K. Howard
CAST:  Flora Robson  •  Raymond Massey  •  Leslie Banks  •  Laurence Olivier

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)

FunnyCharmingEnjoyableMusical

Lorelei Lee is a beautiful showgirl engaged to be married to the wealthy Gus Esmond, much to the disapproval of Gus' rich father, Esmond Sr., who thinks that Lorelei is just after his money. When Lorelei goes on a cruise accompanied only by her best friend, Dorothy ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Howard Hawks
CAST:  Marilyn Monroe  •  Jane Russell  •  Elliott Reid  •  Charles Coburn

Lorelei Lee is a beautiful showgirl engaged to be married to the wealthy Gus Esmond, much to the disapproval of Gus' rich father, Esmond Sr., who thinks that Lorelei is just after his money. When Lorelei goes on a cruise accompanied only by her best friend, Dorothy ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Howard Hawks
CAST:  Marilyn Monroe  •  Jane Russell  •  Elliott Reid  •  Charles Coburn

Hollow Triumph (1948)

Pursued by the big-time gambler he robbed, John Muller assumes a new identity—with unfortunate results.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Paul Henreid  •  Steve Sekely
CAST:  Paul Henreid  •  Joan Bennett  •  Eduard Franz  •  Leslie Brooks

Pursued by the big-time gambler he robbed, John Muller assumes a new identity—with unfortunate results.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Paul Henreid  •  Steve Sekely
CAST:  Paul Henreid  •  Joan Bennett  •  Eduard Franz  •  Leslie Brooks

National Velvet (1945)

CharmingClassicLighthearted

Mi Taylor is a young wanderer and opportunist who finds himself in the quiet English countryside home of the Brown family. The youngest daughter, Velvet, has a passion for horses and when she wins the spirited steed Pie in a town lottery, Mi is encouraged to train ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Clarence Brown
CAST:  Mickey Rooney  •  Donald Crisp  •  Elizabeth Taylor  •  Anne Revere

Mi Taylor is a young wanderer and opportunist who finds himself in the quiet English countryside home of the Brown family. The youngest daughter, Velvet, has a passion for horses and when she wins the spirited steed Pie in a town lottery, Mi is encouraged to train ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Clarence Brown
CAST:  Mickey Rooney  •  Donald Crisp  •  Elizabeth Taylor  •  Anne Revere

Random Harvest (1942)

An amnesiac World War I vet falls in love with a music hall star, only to suffer an accident which restores his original memories but erases his post-War life.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Mervyn LeRoy
CAST:  Ronald Colman  •  Greer Garson  •  Philip Dorn  •  Susan Peters

An amnesiac World War I vet falls in love with a music hall star, only to suffer an accident which restores his original memories but erases his post-War life.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Mervyn LeRoy
CAST:  Ronald Colman  •  Greer Garson  •  Philip Dorn  •  Susan Peters

Strangers on a Train (1951)

IntenseSuspensefulClever

A deranged socialite accosts a tennis star with his theory that if two strangers trade murders, they can disguise their motives and avoid suspicion.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Alfred Hitchcock
CAST:  Farley Granger  •  Ruth Roman  •  Robert Walker  •  Leo G. Carroll

A deranged socialite accosts a tennis star with his theory that if two strangers trade murders, they can disguise their motives and avoid suspicion.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Alfred Hitchcock
CAST:  Farley Granger  •  Ruth Roman  •  Robert Walker  •  Leo G. Carroll

The Amazing Mr. X (1948)

On the beach one night, Christine Faber, two years a widow, thinks she hears her late husband Paul calling out of the surf...then meets a tall dark man, Alexis, who seems to know all about such things. After more ghostly manifestations, Christine and younger sister ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Bernard Vorhaus
CAST:  Turhan Bey  •  Lynn Bari  •  Cathy O'Donnell  •  Richard Carlson

On the beach one night, Christine Faber, two years a widow, thinks she hears her late husband Paul calling out of the surf...then meets a tall dark man, Alexis, who seems to know all about such things. After more ghostly manifestations, Christine and younger sister ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Bernard Vorhaus
CAST:  Turhan Bey  •  Lynn Bari  •  Cathy O'Donnell  •  Richard Carlson

The Major and the Minor (1942)

Susan Applegate, tired of New York after one year and twenty-five jobs, decides to return to her home town in Iowa. Discovering she hasn't enough money for the train fare, Susan disguises herself as a twelve-year-old and travels for half the price. Caught out by ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Billy Wilder
CAST:  Ginger Rogers  •  Ray Milland  •  Rita Johnson  •  Robert Benchley

Susan Applegate, tired of New York after one year and twenty-five jobs, decides to return to her home town in Iowa. Discovering she hasn't enough money for the train fare, Susan disguises herself as a twelve-year-old and travels for half the price. Caught out by ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Billy Wilder
CAST:  Ginger Rogers  •  Ray Milland  •  Rita Johnson  •  Robert Benchley

Waterloo Bridge (1940)

BeautifulClassicDramaticHeartbreaking

On the eve of World War II, a British officer revisits Waterloo Bridge and recalls the young man he was at the beginning of World War I and the young ballerina he met just before he left for the front. Myra stayed with him past curfew and is thrown out of the corps ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Mervyn LeRoy
CAST:  Vivien Leigh  •  Robert Taylor  •  Lucile Watson  •  Virginia Field

On the eve of World War II, a British officer revisits Waterloo Bridge and recalls the young man he was at the beginning of World War I and the young ballerina he met just before he left for the front. Myra stayed with him past curfew and is thrown out of the corps ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Mervyn LeRoy
CAST:  Vivien Leigh  •  Robert Taylor  •  Lucile Watson  •  Virginia Field

Witness for the Prosecution (1957)

When Leonard Vole is arrested for the sensational murder of a rich, middle-aged widow, the famous Sir Wilfrid Robarts agrees to appear on his behalf. Sir Wilfrid, recovering from a near-fatal heart attack, is supposed to be on a diet of bland, civil suits—but the ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Billy Wilder
CAST:  Tyrone Power  •  Marlene Dietrich  •  Charles Laughton  •  Elsa Lanchester

When Leonard Vole is arrested for the sensational murder of a rich, middle-aged widow, the famous Sir Wilfrid Robarts agrees to appear on his behalf. Sir Wilfrid, recovering from a near-fatal heart attack, is supposed to be on a diet of bland, civil suits—but the ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Billy Wilder
CAST:  Tyrone Power  •  Marlene Dietrich  •  Charles Laughton  •  Elsa Lanchester

Three Coins in the Fountain (1954)

Three American roommates working in Italy wish for the man of their dreams after throwing coins into Rome's magnificent Trevi Fountain. Frances, a secretary at a government agency, sets out to win the heart of her smooth-talking novelist employer; Anita, her ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Jean Negulesco
CAST:  Clifton Webb  •  Dorothy McGuire  •  Jean Peters  •  Louis Jourdan

Three American roommates working in Italy wish for the man of their dreams after throwing coins into Rome's magnificent Trevi Fountain. Frances, a secretary at a government agency, sets out to win the heart of her smooth-talking novelist employer; Anita, her ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Jean Negulesco
CAST:  Clifton Webb  •  Dorothy McGuire  •  Jean Peters  •  Louis Jourdan

Young Bess (1953)

The mother died under the executioner's axe; the daughter rose to become England's greatest monarch -- the brilliant and cunning Queen Elizabeth I. Jean Simmons portrays young Bess in this rich tapestry of a film that traces the tumultuous, danger-fraught years ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  George Sidney
CAST:  Jean Simmons  •  Stewart Granger  •  Deborah Kerr  •  Charles Laughton

The mother died under the executioner's axe; the daughter rose to become England's greatest monarch -- the brilliant and cunning Queen Elizabeth I. Jean Simmons portrays young Bess in this rich tapestry of a film that traces the tumultuous, danger-fraught years ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  George Sidney
CAST:  Jean Simmons  •  Stewart Granger  •  Deborah Kerr  •  Charles Laughton

Les Miserables (1952)

Jean Valjean, a Frenchman of good character, has nevertheless been convicted for the minor crime of stealing bread. A minor infraction leads to his pursuit by the relentless policeman Javert, a pursuit that consumes both men's lives for many years.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Lewis Milestone
CAST:  Michael Rennie  •  Debra Paget  •  Robert Newton  •  Edmund Gwenn

Jean Valjean, a Frenchman of good character, has nevertheless been convicted for the minor crime of stealing bread. A minor infraction leads to his pursuit by the relentless policeman Javert, a pursuit that consumes both men's lives for many years.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Lewis Milestone
CAST:  Michael Rennie  •  Debra Paget  •  Robert Newton  •  Edmund Gwenn

The Cheaters (1945)

An eccentric wealthy family facing bankruptcy schemes to steal an inheritance, but an alcoholic ex-actor they take in for Christmas charity complicates their plan.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Joseph Kane
CAST:  Joseph Schildkraut  •  Billie Burke  •  Eugene Pallette  •  Ona Munson

An eccentric wealthy family facing bankruptcy schemes to steal an inheritance, but an alcoholic ex-actor they take in for Christmas charity complicates their plan.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Joseph Kane
CAST:  Joseph Schildkraut  •  Billie Burke  •  Eugene Pallette  •  Ona Munson

The Buccaneer (1958)

During the War of 1812 against Britain: General Andrew Jackson has only 1,200 men left to defend New Orleans when he learns that a British fleet will arrive with 60 ships and 16,000 men to take the city. In this situation an island near the city becomes ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Anthony Quinn
CAST:  Yul Brynner  •  Claire Bloom  •  Inger Stevens  •  Charlton Heston

During the War of 1812 against Britain: General Andrew Jackson has only 1,200 men left to defend New Orleans when he learns that a British fleet will arrive with 60 ships and 16,000 men to take the city. In this situation an island near the city becomes ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Anthony Quinn
CAST:  Yul Brynner  •  Claire Bloom  •  Inger Stevens  •  Charlton Heston

Boys Will Be Boys (1935)

Alec Smart, who is engaged teaching in a prison, applies for the job of headmaster at a nearby public school to replace the previous headmaster who has been convicted of writing forged cheques and has just been sent to prison. Smart appeals to the Governor to write ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  William Beaudine
CAST:  Will Hay  •  Gordon Harker  •  Jimmy Hanley  •  Davy Burnaby

Alec Smart, who is engaged teaching in a prison, applies for the job of headmaster at a nearby public school to replace the previous headmaster who has been convicted of writing forged cheques and has just been sent to prison. Smart appeals to the Governor to write ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  William Beaudine
CAST:  Will Hay  •  Gordon Harker  •  Jimmy Hanley  •  Davy Burnaby
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