"All That Money Can Buy" (1941)

This little-known film is almost unclassifiable, a sui generis fantasy/film noir mashup. Also known as "The Devil and Daniel Webster" and taken from a story by Stephen Vincent Benét of the same name, it comes from the same propulsive creativity in Hollywood studio filmmaking that birthed "Citizen Kane" in the same year. James Craig is a 19th Century farmer with a streak of bad luck and failing crops. Enter the Devil himself, Walter Huston as "Mr. Scratch", who offers Craig a life and fortune too good to pass up...only--you guessed it--he has to sign over a little thing called his soul. The only person to turn to is a wily politician and lawyer, Daniel Webster (the blustery Edward Arnold), who just might outwit the evil conniver in a fantasy court of law. Each scene and frame of the entire piece is filled with artistry and masterful direction. Kudos to director William Dieterle for helming a one-of-a-kind cinematic treat. Look for that "Cat People" vixen Simone Simon as the Devil's femme fatale luring Craig to his possible doom.

"With a Song in My Heart" (1952)

A fine musical bio-pic about the life of singer Jane Froman. Who, you ask? She was an extremely popular radio and nightclub personality who sang The Great American Songbook, those indelible songs of Rodgers, Hart, Porter, Gershwin, Kern, and others. She had a lovely bell-clear contralto voice that must've played well on the airwaves. But the real reason this film was such a huge success in it's post-War release was that her story was vintage American boosterism, a rallying cry for those overcoming unsurmountable obstacles and, by gosh, doing whatever it takes to win. On her way to entertain the WWII troops in Europe, her plane crashes just shy of the Portugal coast, badly crippling her legs. She would fight operation after operation, enduring great pain for the rest of her life. But despite this big setback--and in true Hollywood fashion--the show DID go on. Susan Hayward gives a modulated warm performance lip synching to the real recordings of Froman. Yes, there's a romantic subplot involving her first loveless marriage to her manager (David Wayne) and her affair with swoon-worthy soldier Rory Calhoun, but it's the musical numbers of some fine classics like "Blue Moon", "Embraceable You", "That Old Feeling", "Get Happy", etc, that make it so watchable. Look for a star making cameo of a very young and dashing Robert Wagner as a sad G.I. with PTSD.