Acting
Hillary Brooke
Born September 8, 1914 · Astoria, New York, USA
Died May 25, 1999 · aged 84
Hillary Brooke (born Beatrice Sofia Mathilda Peterson) was an American screen and television actress best known for her work in Abbott and Costello and Sherlock Holmes films.
Known For
Jane Eyre · 1943Jane Eyre
★ 6.91943
MovieDramaRomance
After a bleak childhood, Jane Eyre goes out into the world to become a governess. As she lives happily in her new position at Thornfield Hall, she meets the dark, cold, and abrupt master of the house, Edward Rochester. Jane and her employer grow close in friendship and she soon finds herself falling in love with him. Happiness seems to have found Jane at last, but could Rochester's terrible secret be about to destroy it forever?
The Philadelphia Story · 1940The Philadelphia Story
★ 7.61940
MovieComedyRomance
When a rich woman's ex-husband and a tabloid-type reporter turn up just before her planned remarriage, she begins to learn the truth about herself.
The Man Who Knew Too Much · 1956The Man Who Knew Too Much
★ 7.41956
MovieThrillerMystery
An American doctor and his wife, a former singing star, witness a murder while vacationing in Morocco, and are drawn into a twisting plot of international intrigue when their young son is kidnapped.
Confidence Girl · 1952Confidence Girl
★ 5.81952
MovieDramaThriller
After successfully swindling thousands of dollars from hapless victims, conflicted con artist Mary (Hillary Brooke) decides to go straight, but her greedy boyfriend and partner, Roger (Tom Conway), convinces her to pull off one final scam before they get married. Written and directed by Andrew L. Stone, this classic crime film finds the police struggling to keep up with the deceptive duo's exceedingly complicated schemes.
Strange Impersonation · 1946Strange Impersonation
★ 6.11946
MovieRomanceThriller
A female research scientist conducting experiments on a new anesthetic has a very bad week. Her scheming assistant intentionally scars her face, her almost-fiancee appears to have deserted her and she finds herself being blackmailed by a women she accidentally knocked down with her car.
Strange Journey · 1946Strange Journey
★ 8.01946
MovieDramaAction
Reformed racketeer "Lucky" Leeds flees from the police when he thinks they are about to arrest him for a murder he didn't commit. He and his wife Patti fly to his privately-owned remote island and have to crash land. Also on the island is a group of shipwrecked people, including a German professor, his daughter, an English journalist, a wealthy widow, a sailor and a Nazi Agent.
Invaders from Mars · 1953Invaders from Mars
★ 5.91953
MovieScience FictionHorror
A boy tries to stop aliens that have taken over his town and are brainwashing its inhabitants.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde · 1941Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
★ 6.51941
MovieDramaHorror
Dr. Jekyll believes good and evil exist in everyone and creates a potion that allows his evil side, Mr. Hyde, to come to the fore. He faces horrible consequences when he lets his dark side run amok.
Movies
Jane Eyre · 1943Jane Eyre
★ 6.91943
MovieDramaRomance
After a bleak childhood, Jane Eyre goes out into the world to become a governess. As she lives happily in her new position at Thornfield Hall, she meets the dark, cold, and abrupt master of the house, Edward Rochester. Jane and her employer grow close in friendship and she soon finds herself falling in love with him. Happiness seems to have found Jane at last, but could Rochester's terrible secret be about to destroy it forever?
The Philadelphia Story · 1940The Philadelphia Story
★ 7.61940
MovieComedyRomance
When a rich woman's ex-husband and a tabloid-type reporter turn up just before her planned remarriage, she begins to learn the truth about herself.
The Man Who Knew Too Much · 1956The Man Who Knew Too Much
★ 7.41956
MovieThrillerMystery
An American doctor and his wife, a former singing star, witness a murder while vacationing in Morocco, and are drawn into a twisting plot of international intrigue when their young son is kidnapped.
Confidence Girl · 1952Confidence Girl
★ 5.81952
MovieDramaThriller
After successfully swindling thousands of dollars from hapless victims, conflicted con artist Mary (Hillary Brooke) decides to go straight, but her greedy boyfriend and partner, Roger (Tom Conway), convinces her to pull off one final scam before they get married. Written and directed by Andrew L. Stone, this classic crime film finds the police struggling to keep up with the deceptive duo's exceedingly complicated schemes.
Strange Impersonation · 1946Strange Impersonation
★ 6.11946
MovieRomanceThriller
A female research scientist conducting experiments on a new anesthetic has a very bad week. Her scheming assistant intentionally scars her face, her almost-fiancee appears to have deserted her and she finds herself being blackmailed by a women she accidentally knocked down with her car.
Strange Journey · 1946Strange Journey
★ 8.01946
MovieDramaAction
Reformed racketeer "Lucky" Leeds flees from the police when he thinks they are about to arrest him for a murder he didn't commit. He and his wife Patti fly to his privately-owned remote island and have to crash land. Also on the island is a group of shipwrecked people, including a German professor, his daughter, an English journalist, a wealthy widow, a sailor and a Nazi Agent.
Invaders from Mars · 1953Invaders from Mars
★ 5.91953
MovieScience FictionHorror
A boy tries to stop aliens that have taken over his town and are brainwashing its inhabitants.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde · 1941Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
★ 6.51941
MovieDramaHorror
Dr. Jekyll believes good and evil exist in everyone and creates a potion that allows his evil side, Mr. Hyde, to come to the fore. He faces horrible consequences when he lets his dark side run amok.
The Lady Wants Mink · 1953The Lady Wants Mink
★ 8.01953
MovieComedy
A woman raises mink to get the coat she's always wanted.
Wake Island · 1942Wake Island
★ 5.91942
MovieWarAction
In late 1941, with no hope of relief or re-supply, a small band of United States Marines tries to keep the Japanese Navy from capturing their island base.
Ministry of Fear · 1944Ministry of Fear
★ 6.91944
MovieCrimeMystery
Stephen Neale is released into WWII England after two years in an asylum, but it doesn't seem so sane outside either. On his way back to London to rejoin civilization, he stumbles across a murderous spy ring and doesn't quite know to whom to turn.
The Woman in Green · 1945The Woman in Green
★ 6.51945
MovieMysteryCrime
Sherlock Holmes investigates when young women around London turn up murdered, each with a finger severed. Scotland Yard suspects a madman, but Holmes believes the killings to be part of a diabolical plot.
The Crime Doctor's Courage · 1945The Crime Doctor's Courage
★ 6.01945
MovieMystery
A criminal psychiatrist investigates the murder of a two-time widower.
The Strange Woman · 1946The Strange Woman
★ 6.21946
MovieDramaThriller
In early 19th century New England, an unscrupulous woman uses her beauty and wits to seduce, deceive and control the men around her.
Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror · 1942Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror
★ 6.51942
MovieCrimeMystery
England, at the start of World War Two. Mysterious wireless broadcasts, apparently from Nazi Germany are heard over the BBC. They warn of acts of terror in England, just before they take place. Baffled, the Defense Committee call in Sherlock Holmes.
Monsieur Beaucaire · 1946Monsieur Beaucaire
★ 5.71946
MovieComedyRomance
A bumbling barber in the court of King Louis XV becomes engaged in political intrigue when he masquerades as a dashing nobleman engaged to the princess of Spain.
Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd · 1952Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd
★ 6.01952
MovieComedyAdventure
Two hapless waiters in a tavern on the Spanish Main play cupid between aristocratic Lady Jane and tavern co-worker Bruce Martindale, but the two bumpkins mix-up a love letter with Captain Kidd's treasure map of Skull Island, leading to them being kidnapped and taken off to the notorious pirate's island.
The Enchanted Cottage · 1945The Enchanted Cottage
★ 7.41945
MovieDramaFantasy
A homely maid and a scarred ex-GI meet at the cottage where she works and where he was to spend his honeymoon prior to his accident. The two develop a bond and agree to marry, more out of loneliness than love. The romantic spirit of the cottage, however, overtakes them. They soon begin to look beautiful to each other, but no one else.
Road to Utopia · 1946Road to Utopia
★ 6.71946
MovieAdventureComedy
While on a ship to Skagway, Alaska, Duke and Chester find a map to a secret gold mine, which had been 'stolen' by thugs. In Alaska to recover her father's map, Sal Van Hoyden falls in with Ace Larson, who secretly wants to steal the gold mine for himself. Duke, Chester, the thugs, Ace and his henchman chase each other all over the countryside—for the map.
Lost Continent · 1951Lost Continent
★ 3.61951
MovieScience FictionAdventure
When an experimental atomic rocket crashes somewhere off-radar, its three developing scientists are joined by three Air Force men in tracking it down to a small Pacific island, where it apparently has landed on the plateau of the island's steep-walled, taboo mountain.
Two-Faced Woman · 1941Two-Faced Woman
★ 6.41941
MovieComedyRomance
A woman pretends to be her own twin sister to win back her straying husband.
The Gentleman Misbehaves · 1946The Gentleman Misbehaves
★ 8.01946
MovieComedyMusic
After his first attempt to obtain cash fails, a Broadway producer turns to a gambler to raise money for his show.
Two Girls on Broadway · 1940Two Girls on Broadway
★ 7.01940
MovieRomance
Eddie Kerns sells his song to a Broadway producer and also lands a job dancing in the musical. He sends for his dance partner-fiancée Molly Mahoney who brings her younger sister Pat. Upon seeing Molly and Pat dance, the producer picks Pat for the show and gives Molly a job selling cigarettes. A wealthy friend of the producer named "Chat" Chatsworth also has his eye on Pat. Pat is teamed with Eddie in the specialty number as Kerns and Mahoney. Pat and Eddie soon realize that they are in love and must tell Molly. Pat balks at hurting Molly and goes out with Chat who already has five ex-wives. Remake of The Broadway Melody (1929).
Never Wave at a WAC · 1953Never Wave at a WAC
★ 5.01953
MovieComedyAdventure
A divorced socialite decides to join the Army because she hopes it will enable her to see more of her boyfriend, a Colonel. She soon encounters many difficulties with the Army lifestyle. Moreover, her ex-husband is working as a consultant with the Army, and he uses his position to disrupt her romantic plans by making her join a group of WACs who are testing new equipment.
TV Shows
Perry Mason · 1957Perry Mason
★ 7.71957
SeriesMysteryDrama
The cases of master criminal defense attorney Perry Mason and his staff who handled the most difficult of cases in the aid of the innocent.
I Love Lucy · 1951I Love Lucy
★ 7.91951
SeriesComedyFamily
Cuban Bandleader Ricky Ricardo would be happy if his wife Lucy would just be a housewife. Instead she tries constantly to perform at the Tropicana where he works, and make life comically frantic in the apartment building they share with landlords Fred and Ethel Mertz, who also happen to be their best friends.
Four Star Playhouse · 1952Four Star Playhouse
★ 6.81952
SeriesDramaComedy
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 Company; Bristol-Myers became an alternate sponsor when it became a weekly series in the fall of 1953. The original premise was that Charles Boyer, Ida Lupino, David Niven, and Dick Powell would take turns starring in episodes. However, several other performers took the lead from time to time, including Ronald Colman and Joan Fontaine.
Blake Edwards was among the writers and directors who contributed to the series. Edwards created the recurring character of illegal gambling house operator Willie Dante for Dick Powell to play on this series. The character was later revamped and spun off in his own series starring Howard Duff, then-husband of Lupino.
The pilot for Meet McGraw, starring Frank Lovejoy, aired here, as did another episode in which Lovejoy recreated his role of Chicago newspaper reporter Randy Stone, from the radio drama Nightbeat.
Lawman · 1958Lawman
★ 5.81958
SeriesWestern
Lawman is an American western television series originally telecast on ABC from 1958 to 1962 starring John Russell as Marshal Dan Troop and featuring Peter Brown as Deputy Marshal Johnny McKay. The series was set in Laramie, Wyoming during 1879 and the 1880s. Warner Bros. already had several western series on the air at the time, having launched Cheyenne with Clint Walker as early as 1955. The studio continued the trend in 1957 with the additions of Maverick with James Garner and Jack Kelly, Colt .45 with Wayde Preston, and Sugarfoot with Will Hutchins. One year later, Warner Bros. added Lawman and Bronco with Ty Hardin.
Prior to the beginning of production, Russell and Brown and producer Jules Schermer made a pact to maintain the quality of the series so that it would not be seen as "just another western." At the start of season two, Russell and Brown were joined by Peggie Castle as Lily Merrill, the owner of the Birdcage Saloon, and a love interest for Dan.
The Millionaire · 1955The Millionaire
★ 5.81955
SeriesDrama
An anthology series that explored the ways sudden and unexpected wealth changed life for better or for worse. It told the stories of people who were given one million dollars from a benefactor who insisted they never know him, with one exception.
The Whistler · 1954The Whistler
1954
SeriesSci-Fi & Fantasy
December Bride · 1954December Bride
★ 6.31954
SeriesComedy
December Bride is an American sitcom that aired on the CBS television network from 1954 to 1959, adapted from the original CBS radio network series that aired from June 1952 through September 1953.
Richard Diamond, Private Detective · 1957Richard Diamond, Private Detective
★ 6.81957
SeriesCrimeDrama
Richard Diamond, Private Detective is an American detective drama which aired on radio from 1949 to 1953, and on television from 1957 to 1960.
The Abbott and Costello Show · 1952The Abbott and Costello Show
★ 7.21952
SeriesComedy
Bud and Lou are unemployed actors living in Mr. Fields’ boarding house. Lou’s girlfriend Hillary lives across the hall. Many situations arise leading to slapstick and puns.
West Point · 1956West Point
★ 7.51956
SeriesDrama
The West Point Story is a dramatic anthology television series shown in the United States by Columbia Broadcasting System during the 1956-57 season and by ABC during the 1957-58 season.
The West Point Story, produced with the full cooperation of the United States Department of Defense and the United States Military Academy, was said to be based on actual files documenting many of the real-life dramatic occurrences at West Point over the years. Names and dates were altered in order to protect the privacy of the real people portrayed, however. The program was at first hosted by a fictional cadet, Charles C. Thompson, but this device was discontinued prior to the end of 1956.
During its second season on ABC, The West Point Story was in competition with NBC's The Californians, set in San Francisco during the gold rush of the 1850s, and with The $64,000 Question quiz series on CBS. The West Point Story was replaced on the summer schedule in 1958 by Jack Wyatt's Confession, which continued to air during the first half of the 1958-1959 season in the 10 p.m. Tuesday evening time slot.
At the time that The West Point Story was broadcast, four other military dramas aired either through syndication or on the major networks: Harbor Command, Navy Log, The Silent Service, and Men of Annapolis.
Private Secretary · 1953Private Secretary
★ 6.01953
SeriesComedy
Private Secretary is an American sitcom that aired from February 1, 1953 to September 10, 1957 on CBS, alternating with The Jack Benny Program on Sundays at 7:30pm EST. The series stars Ann Sothern as Susan Camille "Susie" MacNamara, devoted secretary to handsome talent agent Peter Sands, played by Don Porter.
Racket Squad · 1951Racket Squad
★ 6.51951
SeriesDrama
Racket Squad is an American TV crime drama series starring Reed Hadley as Captain John Braddock, a fictional detective working for the San Francisco, California Police Department.
The show aired in syndication for a season before being picked up by CBS for three seasons. The series was filmed at Hal Roach Studios in Culver City, California, and was sponsored by cigarette manufacturer Philip Morris, hence there was a pack of the sponsor's brand on Braddock's desk at the beginning and end of the episode, as well as occasional scenes of him or other characters "lighting up".
Dangerous Assignment · 1952Dangerous Assignment
★ 5.31952
Series
A U.S. government agent travels the world on undercover missions in this 1950s series. Star Brian Donlevy originated the role on radio in the '40s.
Screen Director's Playhouse · 1955Screen Director's Playhouse
★ 7.01955
SeriesComedyDrama
Presented by Eastman Kodak, this show was a series of original scripts directed by acclaimed directors and featuring well-known performers. The stories ranged from musicals to comedies and dramas.
Cavalcade of America · 1952Cavalcade of America
★ 4.61952
SeriesDrama
Cavalcade of America is an anthology drama series that was sponsored by the DuPont Company, although it occasionally presented a musical, such as an adaptation of Show Boat, and condensed biographies of popular composers. It was initially broadcast on radio from 1935 to 1953, and later on television from 1952 to 1957. Originally on CBS, the series pioneered the use of anthology drama for company audio advertising. Cavalcade of America documented historical events using stories of individual courage, initiative and achievement, often with feel-good dramatizations of the human spirit's triumph against all odds. This was consistent with DuPont's overall conservative philosophy and legacy as an American company dating back to 1802. The company's motto, "Maker of better things for better living through chemistry," was read at the beginning of each program, and the dramas emphasized humanitarian progress, particularly improvements in the lives of women, often through technological innovation.
Yancy Derringer · 1958Yancy Derringer
★ 6.21958
SeriesWestern
Yancy Derringer is an American Western series
Mr. & Mrs. North · 1952Mr. & Mrs. North
★ 5.01952
SeriesComedyCrime
Mr. & Mrs. North is an American comedy/mystery television series that aired on CBS from October 3, 1952 to May 25, 1954. The series centers on Jerry North, a mystery magazine publisher who thinks he is a good amateur detective, and his wife, Pamela, as they solve crimes in New York City.
My Little Margie · 1952My Little Margie
★ 5.01952
SeriesComedy
My Little Margie is an American situation comedy starring Gale Storm and Charles Farrell that alternated between CBS and NBC from 1952 to 1955.
The Star and the Story · 1955The Star and the Story
★ 7.51955
Series
Each show features a different star or stars in this dramatic anthology produced by the successful team by Four Star Productions, there are many young actors that went onto bigger things.
General Electric Theater · 1953General Electric Theater
★ 6.81953
SeriesComedyDrama
General Electric Theater is an American anthology series hosted by Ronald Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was sponsored by General Electric's Department of Public Relations.