Search Movie Plot Summaries & Endings Explained

Animation · Whimsical tone · Mixed ending

The Beach Nut (1944)

A crowd gathers at the beach to witness vacationer Wally Walrus thrashing Woody Woodpecker. Wally explains, in flashback, why he is trying to rid himself of Woody.

Read the plot summary

Comedy · Light tone · Happy ending

Tricky Dicks (1953)

The trio of bumbling policemen, the stooges, pursue a murderer, interrogating an Italian organ grinder and several other suspects with their slap‑slap comedy. Their investigation erupts into a chaotic gunfight that nearly destroys the police station, after which they finally capture the killer.

Read the plot summary

Thriller · Tense tone · Bittersweet ending

Crack-Up (1946)

Could I KILL … and not remember? Art curator George Steele experiences a train wreck…which never happened. Is he cracking up, or the victim of a plot?

Read the plot summary

Animation · Light tone · Happy ending

The Trial of Donald Duck (1948)

While caught in the rain eating his lunch, Donald dashes into the upscale Chez Pierre for a coffee. He receives only a tiny sip, yet the check totals $35.99. With just a nickel, he can’t pay, so Pierre drags him to court. The judge orders Donald to either hand over $10 or spend ten days washing dishes.

Read the plot summary

Drama · Dark tone · Bittersweet ending

Damaged Lives (1933)

His life of debauchery brought disease to his wife! An extramarital affair leads to a young couple contracting venereal disease.

Read the plot summary

Drama · Dark tone · Sad ending

Eros + Massacre (1969)

An account of the final days of radical feminist Noe Ito and her lover Sakae Osugu.

Read the plot summary

Comedy · Light tone · Happy ending

Sua Eccellenza si fermò a mangiare (1961)

A petty thief pretends he is Mussolini’s personal physician, wins the confidence of a family, and succeeds in stealing their gold cutlery.

Read the plot summary

Western · Tense tone · Happy ending

Tribute to a Bad Man (1956)

Set against a rugged desert backdrop, the story follows Jeremy Rodock, a hard‑nosed horse rancher who deals swiftly with rustlers, hanging them at a glance. Newcomer Steve Miller, arriving from Pennsylvania, struggles to adjust to Rodock’s rough methods, yet is instantly attracted to Rodock’s Greek girlfriend, Jocasta.

Read the plot summary

Horror · Dark tone · Bleak ending

This Night I’ll Possess Your Corpse (1967)

Shot in vivid Eastmancolor, the film follows the infamous Coffin Joe, a macabre undertaker who returns to the town to resume his obsessive search for the ideal woman. He launches an even more savage reign of terror, with his loyal, hunchbacked assistant lurking at his side, amplifying the grisly nightmare.

Read the plot summary

Comedy · Light tone · Happy ending

Lost in a Harem (1944)

Were You Ever In a Harem? WOW! Two bumbling magicians help a Middle Eastern prince regain his rightful throne from his despotic uncle.

Read the plot summary

Western · Tense tone · Bittersweet ending

Mohawk (1956)

In a distant frontier outpost, an artist stationed with the army finds his heart divided among three women: the storekeeper’s daughter, his newly arrived eastern fiancée, and the chief’s daughter. When a resentful settler manipulates tensions, he pits the soldiers against the Native warriors, thrusting the artist into a perilous struggle between love and war.

Read the plot summary

Drama · Happy ending

Eneide (1971)

A 7 part adaptation of the epic tale of Aeneas, written by Virgil as the Roman sequel to Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey.

Read the plot summary

Romance · Bittersweet tone · Bittersweet ending

Look for the Silver Lining (1949)

After beginning in her parents’ vaudeville act, Marilyn Miller catches the eye of dance star Jack Donahue, who mentors her. Recognizing her talent, he helps launch her Broadway career, where she becomes a hit and falls for songwriter Frank Carter. Their romance is tested when he proposes marriage just before being shipped overseas for World War I.

Read the plot summary

Crime · Tense tone · Bleak ending

The Spider and the Fly (1949)

Set in pre‑World War I Paris, the thriller follows safe‑cracker Philippe de Ledocq (Guy Rolfe), who constantly evades capture, the relentless police chief Maubert (Eric Portman) determined to lock him up, and Madeleine (Nadia Gray), loved by both. After Maubert finally seizes Ledocq, the government frees him to infiltrate the German embassy and expose the Kaiser’s secret agents, pulling Madeleine into the danger. The film anticipates the 1960s series It Takes a Thief.

Read the plot summary

Western · Tense tone · Bittersweet ending

Guns for San Sebastian (1968)

Outlaw Leon Alastray is given sanctuary by Father John and escorted to the remote village of San Sebastián, where residents hide in the hills as Indians raid their supplies. When Father John is killed, the villagers mistake Alastray for the priest. Though he denies it, a seeming miracle convinces them, and he leads them to defend their town.

Read the plot summary

Thriller · Tense tone · Happy ending

She-Wolf of London (1946)

A young heiress discovers disturbing proof that, under the cover of night, she is compelled by an ancestral curse to stalk a nearby park and commit brutal murders. As the terror spreads, her boundless hatred fuels a deadly spiral, forcing those around her to confront the family’s dark legacy.

Read the plot summary

Drama · Tense tone · Happy ending

Immortal Sergeant (1943)

In the midst of World War II’s harsh desert campaign, a weary corporal recalls the love he left behind while confronting doubts about his ability to lead his men. As the battle rages, his internal struggle and quiet heroism illuminate a story of sacrifice and resilience.

Read the plot summary

Drama · Melancholic tone · Happy ending

Bhuvan Shome (1969)

A lonely widower, proud and a strict disciplinarian, Bhuvan Shome reflects on a life walked with steadfast determination and dull conventions. Feeling unenchanted, he longs for a break and seeks an escape through a holiday, hoping to momentarily shed his routine and discover a fleeting sense of freedom.

Read the plot summary

Drama · Dark tone

Dharmputra (1961)

Hindu-Muslim bhai-bhai! The story of two families — one Muslim and one Hindu — living together in India under British rule.

Read the plot summary

Western · Bittersweet tone · Bittersweet ending

Across the Wide Missouri (1951)

Set in the 1830s, the film follows beaver trapper Flint Mitchell and his fellow trappers as they hunt and stake claims in the then‑unexplored territories that would become Montana and Idaho. To gain access to the Blackfoot’s fertile lands, Flint marries a Blackfoot woman, only to discover she becomes far more than a gateway to profit, leading to deeper ties and unforeseen consequences.

Read the plot summary

Adventure · Tense tone · Happy ending

The Three Musketeers (1932)

Young d’Artagnan travels from Gascony to Paris dreaming of joining the Musketeers. By chance he encounters Athos, Porthos and Aramis and ends up sparring with them, but quickly earns their friendship. He joins their exploits, including a covert mission to expose Cardinal Richelieu’s plot against the Queen.

Read the plot summary

Romance · Hopeful tone · Happy ending

Wedding in Malinovka (1967)

Set during Russia’s civil war between the Bolshevik Reds and the Menshevik Whites, the village of Malinovka is threatened by a Menshevik band led by Gritsian. Betrothed couple Andrejka and Yarinka seek help from the local Bolshevik commander. The Bolsheviks devise a rescue plan that hinges on Yarinka pretending to marry Gritsian to spare the village.

Read the plot summary

Crime · Tense tone · Bittersweet ending

Cry Danger (1951)

Powell’s on the Prowl! After serving five years of a life sentence, Rocky Mulloy hopes to clear his friend who’s still in prison for the same crime.

Read the plot summary

War · Dark tone · Sad ending

China Girl (1942)

Two‑handed newsreel photographer Johnny Williams is posted to Burma and China at the outset of World II. After being captured by the Japanese, he breaks out of a concentration camp with the help of the mysterious ‘China Girl’ Miss Young. Together they trek back to Allied lines so Johnny can deliver vital intelligence gathered from his captors.

Read the plot summary

Comedy · Light tone · Happy ending

Dance with Me, Henry (1956)

A chaotic, off‑kilter comedy set in the rundown amusement park Kiddieland, where owners Bud and Lou scramble to stay afloat. Bud’s compulsive gambling lands him in the mob’s crosshairs, while Lou fights to protect his adopted children. When Bud is forced into a shady deal, Lou turns to the district attorney, only to be framed for murder.

Read the plot summary

War · Tense tone · Bittersweet ending

Above Us the Waves (1955)

During World II, the German battleship Tirpitz, hidden in a Norwegian fjord, poses the gravest danger to the Royal Navy. Conventional attacks are impossible, so a daring plan is devised: a Royal Navy commando unit will use tiny midget submarines to infiltrate the fjord and attach underwater explosives to the ship, aiming to sink it.

Read the plot summary

Whimsical tone · Happy ending

Les Bicyclettes de Belsize (1968)

Douglas Hickox's 1968 musical short stars Judy Huxtable and Anthony May. May is a cyclist who rides through Hampstead, crashes into a billboard of Huxtable as a model, and falls in love. The film has almost no dialogue, with a musical soundtrack, and Belsize Park never appears. Its title song was a hit for Mireille Mathieu and Engelbert Humperdinck.

Read the plot summary

Thriller · Dark tone · Bittersweet ending

The Strange Door (1951)

Robert Louis Stevenson’s chilling tale of terror follows the malevolent Alain, who devises an intricate plan of revenge against his innocent younger brother Edmund. Their rivalry spirals into a grim, deadly confrontation inside Alain’s concealed dungeon, a lethal death‑trap awaiting its victims.

Read the plot summary

Crime · Tense tone · Bittersweet ending

Side Street (1949)

A desperate young expectant father impulsively steals an envelope from a corrupt attorney’s office, hoping for a modest sum. Instead he discovers $30,000. When he attempts to return the money, the situation spirals out of control, launching him into a cascade of dangerous complications.

Read the plot summary

Crime · Dark tone · Bittersweet ending

The Detective (1968)

An adult look at a police detective Police detective Joe Leland investigates the murder of a gay man.

Read the plot summary

Mystery · Tense tone · Mixed ending

Ittefaq (1969)

Taking place almost entirely over the course of one stormy night, a woman is terrified when an accused murderer escapes from a mental hospital and seeks refuge in her home.

Read the plot summary

Comedy · Light tone · Happy ending

The Kissing Bandit (1948)

A Technicolor musical extravaganza that follows Ricardo, the timid son of a notorious Mexican bandit, who dreams of a quiet Boston life. His family, however, insists he carry on his father's legacy as the flamboyant outlaw known as “The Kissing Bandit,” forcing him into a comedic clash between peace and crime.

Read the plot summary

Comedy · Hopeful tone · Happy ending

Bowery Blitzkrieg (1941)

When the East Side Kids learn that their friend Danny is caught between finishing school and pursuing a career as a boxer, they find themselves pulled into a dangerous world of gangsters. Their usual antics give way to tough choices as they try to protect Danny and keep him on the right path.

Read the plot summary

Animation · Light tone · Happy ending

Tweetie Pie (1947)

Thomas the cat discovers the tiny yellow bird Tweetie shivering in the snow while warming himself on a discarded cigar butt. His mistress quickly scoops up Tweetie and saves him from Thomas’s hungry attempts, yet the determined cat keeps returning, refusing to give up his chase.

Read the plot summary

Romance · Light tone · Happy ending

Kissin’ Cousins (1964)

An Army officer returns to his family's home in the Smoky Mountains, hoping to persuade his kin to let the military build a missile site on their land. As he joins a festive hayride filled with mountain music, he discovers a cousin who looks exactly like him, sparking confusion and comic rivalry. The encounter triggers mistaken‑identity hijinks that force the family to confront tradition and change.

Read the plot summary

Thriller · Tense tone · Happy ending

East Side Kids (1940)

A gang war rages through New York’s streets, and a crew of half‑pint racketeers mount a reckless, self‑appointed “civic‑minded” campaign against a feared crime czar. Raised on the sidewalks, a young man learns crime never pays and becomes a police officer. When his best friend is sentenced for a murder he didn’t commit, the officer dedicates himself to proving his innocence and securing his release.

Read the plot summary

Drama · Melancholic tone · Bittersweet ending

The Easiest Way (1931)

Laura Murdock, raised in a poor working‑class family, rejects the childhood sweetheart’s proposal and moves in with the wealthy, older William Brockton. She later falls for ambitious newsman Jack Madison, leaves William and waits for Jack’s return. Penniless, she returns to William, who demands she tell Jack the truth about her situation.

Read the plot summary

Drama · Tense tone · Bittersweet ending

Brainwashed (1960)

After being seized by the Nazis in 1938, Austrian intellectual Werner von Basil is subjected to brutal interrogation aimed at forcing a confession to smuggling charges. Deprived of any mental stimulation, he turns to an old chess tactics book, the sole refuge that keeps his mind sharp and his spirit resilient.

Read the plot summary

Crime · Tense tone · Happy ending

The Night Angel (1931)

In a Prague crime drama, the district attorney moves to shut a brothel operating as a café. He places the owner’s daughter in a nurse’s home while her mother remains detained. When the DA visits, a jealous doorman who loves the girl attacks him. The DA kills the assailant in self‑defence and is acquitted after the daughter delivers an emotional speech proclaiming her love for him.

Read the plot summary

Drama · Bittersweet tone · Sad ending

Up the Junction (1968)

Don’t get caught was what she wasn’t taught. A young woman trades her upper-class existence for a new life in an economically depressed suburb of London.

Read the plot summary