Search Movie Plot Summaries & Endings Explained

Comedy · Hopeful tone · Happy ending

Sorrowful Jones (1949)

Funnier than “The Paleface,” this comedy follows a young girl who becomes a pawn in a bet and is left in the care of the notoriously cheap Sorrowful Jones. When her father fails to return, Sorrowful discovers that looking after a child clashes with his free‑wheeling lifestyle. Meanwhile he must evade crooked gangsters and dabble in horse‑theft.

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Thriller · Tense tone · Bleak ending

Le Corbeau (1943)

Remy Germain, a respected doctor in a French town, becomes the target of a vicious smear campaign when anonymous letters signed ‘Le Corbeau’ accuse him of an affair and illegal abortions. The mysterious writer soon widens the attack, sending similar accusations to officials and revealing the hidden vices of the whole community.

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Drama · Dark tone · Happy ending

The Witches (1966)

After a nervous breakdown, Gwen accepts a position as head teacher in the quiet village of Haddaby, hoping the tranquil setting will aid her recovery. However, beneath the countryside she gradually discovers that the townspeople belong to a malevolent satanic cult capable of unleashing evil and death on anyone who opposes them.

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Action · Light tone · Happy ending

That Man from Rio (1964)

When French soldier Adrien Dufourquet takes an eight‑day leave to see his fiancée Agnès, he learns that her late father’s colleague, museum curator Professor Catalan, has been kidnapped by Amazon tribesmen who have also stolen a priceless statue. Adrien and Agnès pursue the kidnappers to Brazil, where they discover the statue is the key to a hidden Amazonian treasure.

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Western · Light tone · Happy ending

Lady in a Jam (1942)

When an eccentric heiress, a patient of a psychiatrist, becomes obsessed with locating gold in her late grandfather’s abandoned western mine, she sets off on a cross‑country quest. Unable to dissuade her, the psychiatrist reluctantly follows, confronting the unpredictable adventure alongside her.

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Western · Tense tone · Bittersweet ending

Fort Defiance (1951)

Set just after the Civil War, Ben Shelby hunts Johnny Tallon, blaming him for the battle that left Shelby the sole survivor. Unaware Tallon lives, another man seeks Tallon's blind brother. When Indians ambush them, Shelby and Tallon must cooperate, postponing their inevitable showdown.

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Comedy · Light tone · Happy ending

Oily to Bed, Oily to Rise (1939)

The Stooges play three hapless tramps who nearly ruin a farmer’s (Richard Fiske) firewood pile before stepping in to help Widow Jenkins (Eva McKenzie), recently swindled out of her land by a trio of crooks (Dick Curtis, Eddie Laughton, James Craig). Their attempt to repair her well erupts into an oil geyser, but they recover the deed and win the right to marry the now‑wealthy widow’s daughters. Moe urges Curly to wish for quintuplets, prompting Curly’s quip, “We’ll honeymoon in Canada!” as a nod to the famous Dionne quintuplets.

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Mystery · Tense tone · Happy ending

The Maze (1953)

A Scottishman abruptly ends his engagement to the beautiful Kitty and retreats to his uncle’s remote highland castle. Weeks later Kitty and her aunt arrive, only to find the man mysteriously aged. Unexplained phenomena begin to unfold within the dense hedgerow maze that surrounds the castle.

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Romance · Tense tone · Bittersweet ending

Mogambo (1953)

Set against the untamed Kenyan jungle, hunter Victor Marswell becomes entangled in a passionate love triangle. He is torn between the alluring American socialite Eloise Kelly and Linda, the unfaithful wife of anthropologist Donald Nordley, as desire and danger flare in the wild.

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Animation · Whimsical tone · Happy ending

Harold and the Purple Crayon (1959)

This is the ingeniously imaginative story of a small boy who, with his magic crayon, draws himself in and out of a series of adventures.

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Drama · Tense tone · Mixed ending

Second Chance (1953)

For the First Time - 3D with Important Stars! A prize-fighting boxer with a lethal right punch falls for a gangster’s moll on the run in Mexico.

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Drama · Melancholic tone · Bittersweet ending

Ship of Fools (1965)

A diverse group of passengers—including an explorer, a mistress, a vagrant, a loafer, an artist and a tramp—share a table with the captain aboard a ship bound for Europe in the 1930s. The German crew, led by Dr. Schumann, who falls for the mysterious La Condesa, observes this social microcosm. Young American Jenny travels with her lover David and is both fascinated and bewildered by the eclectic fellow travelers.

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Drama · Bleak tone · Bleak ending

On the Night of the Fire (1939)

A Cast of Inspired Players in Award Winning Performances! A barber gives in to temptation and steals some money, leading to blackmail and murder.

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Drama · Dark tone · Happy ending

Johnny Belinda (1948)

There was temptation in her helpless silence…and then torment A small-town doctor helps a deaf-mute farm girl learn to communicate.

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Romance · Bittersweet tone · Bittersweet ending

The Valley of Decision (1945)

Mary Rafferty, raised in a modest steel‑mill family in 19th‑century Pittsburgh, defies her relatives’ wishes by taking a job as a maid for the affluent Scott family, owners of the local mill. While working there she captures the eye of the handsome heir Paul Scott. Their budding romance is tangled by Paul’s prior engagement and a fierce strike that erupts among the mill workers, threatening both love and livelihoods.

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Comedy · Light tone · Happy ending

It Started with a Kiss (1959)

During a leave in New York, a serviceman impulsively marries a chorus girl and later wins a bright red convertible in a charity raffle. The honeymoon quickly unravels when both his new wife and the prized car prove to be more trouble than romance, leading to a chaotic climax set against the passionate backdrop of Spain.

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Western · Dark tone · Bittersweet ending

Duel at Diablo (1966)

Former enemies now must cooperate in the dead‑end canyon of Diablo. In Apache lands a supply column of the Army pushes toward the next fort, an ex‑scout hunts the murderer of his Native wife, and a dissatisfied housewife abandons her husband to rejoin the tribe of her Apache lover.

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Drama · Tense tone · Bittersweet ending

Atomic Train (1999)

A runaway train hauling a Russian atomic weapon races toward catastrophe, leaving minutes to prevent disaster. Renegade NTSB investigator John Seger is the only one who can halt the speeding locomotive before the deadly cargo detonates, as the clock ticks down and the nation faces an unprecedented threat.

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Drama · Melancholic tone · Bittersweet ending

The Proud and Profane (1956)

In this romantic drama, Red Cross volunteer Lee Ashley travels to the South Pacific island of New Caledonia to uncover the circumstances of her husband Howard’s death in the Battle of Guadalcanal. While investigating, she becomes entangled with the tough, charismatic Marine Lt. Col. Colin Buck, only to face hardship and tragedy as she discovers the painful truths of Buck’s life back home.

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Romance · Light tone · Happy ending

Marriage on the Rocks (1965)

Ad‑agency president Dan Edwards travels to Mexico for his nineteenth wedding anniversary, but a mix‑up finalizes his divorce by mistake. In a further blunder, his wife Valerie ends up marrying Dan’s best friend Ernie Brewer due to mistaken paperwork. Chaos and comedy follow as the trio tries to untangle the legal fiasco.

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Comedy · Light tone · Happy ending

Any Wednesday (1966)

Ellen Gordon, the mistress of a powerful New York executive, unexpectedly falls for his young associate after the associate is mistakenly sent to the apartment where Ellen and the executive meet each Wednesday. Their budding affair becomes tangled when the executive’s wife arrives, intent on redecorating the same flat, adding further complications.

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Comedy · Whimsical tone · Happy ending

Time Out for Lessons (1939)

Alfalfa spends the film day‑dreaming that he is the star football player of a college team, visualizing glory after a lively pep rally. When his grades slip and he fails to meet academic standards, he is suspended from play, disappointing his teammates and shattering his fantasy.

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Western · Tense tone · Ambiguous ending

The Outrage (1964)

A con artist, a preacher and a prospector gather at an abandoned railway station to analyze the recent trial of outlaw Juan Carrasco, convicted of murdering a man and raping his wife. As they recount the case, they confront contradictory testimonies, each new version raising unsettling questions about whether the act stemmed from violence or love.

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Comedy · Light tone · Bittersweet ending

Aunt Clara (1954)

When a wealthy patriarch passes away, his eclectic Aunt Clara inherits his varied empire—a brothel, a gambling den, a greyhound‑racing track and a seedy bar. Determined to reform the sordid businesses, she sets out to clean them up, only to walk into a police raid on the crooked gambling hall, sparking a cascade of unexpected complications.

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Horror · Dark tone · Bittersweet ending

The Monkey’s Paw (1933)

A mother wishes for the return of her dead son, a wish that is granted by the severed paw of a dead monkey.

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Drama · Dark tone · Happy ending

Lizzie (1957)

Which girl was she? A psychiatrist treats a woman of three faces: neurotic Elizabeth, wanton Lizzie, and charming Beth.

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Drama · Bittersweet tone · Bittersweet ending

Smilin’ Through (1932)

After Moonyeen is murdered on the day Sir John Carteret is to wed her, he retreats into decades of isolation, clinging to her memory. When he discovers his late beloved’s orphaned niece Kathleen, he adopts her. As Kathleen matures, she falls for the son of Moonyeen’s killer, forcing Carteret into a painful clash between love and the past.

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Comedy · Light tone · Happy ending

Laugh and Get Rich (1931)

A breezy summer comedy tracks a bumbling inventor and his stoic wife who are convinced an oil‑well investment has made them rich overnight. Their celebratory plans quickly tumble into a series of comic mishaps as the truth of their sudden wealth is put to the test.

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War · Tense tone · Bittersweet ending

The Young and the Brave (1963)

Heroism knows no age. Set during the Korean War, four American Army POWs escape behind enemy lines and fight to reach friendly units in the South. Their perilous trek is aided by a young Korean boy and his adopted dog, Lobo, a U.S.-trained German Shepherd. Together they navigate hostile terrain and the constant threat of capture.

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Adventure · Light tone · Happy ending

Stowaway (1936)

Chin‑Ching, a young Chinese girl who sings and speaks Mandarin, gets lost in Shanghai and is taken in by American playboy Tommy Randall. She falls asleep in his car, which later ends up on a ship bound for America. Onboard, fellow passenger Susan Parker marries Randall so that Chin‑Ching can have a family.

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Crime · Light tone · Mixed ending

A Nice Little Bank That Should Be Robbed (1958)

They did everything wrong - but it worked! Two bunglers (Tom Ewell, Mickey Rooney) rob a bank and buy a racehorse, then try to rob another bank.

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Romance · Light tone · Happy ending

The Tender Trap (1955)

What every girl sets for every man A young actress flirts demurely with a swinging Manhattan bachelor who thinks he has it made.

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Animation · Whimsical tone · Happy ending

Brave Little Tailor (1938)

Mickey Mouse, a humble tailor, is summoned by the king to rid the kingdom of a menacing giant. After the giant’s threat spreads, villagers misinterpret Mickey’s brag about slaying seven flies with a single blow as a claim he can defeat the giant. Pressured by the mistaken belief, Mickey must actually face the massive creature, using his wits and courage to confront the giant in a daring showdown.

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Crime · Dark tone · Bleak ending

La Chienne (1931)

Cashier Maurice Legrand, trapped in a miserable marriage to the domineering Adele, unexpectedly encounters Lucienne—known as Lulu—and takes her as his lover, believing he has finally found love. In truth, Lulu is a prostitute devoted to her pimp Dede, and she only tolerates Legrand to provide the money Dede demands.

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Drama · Bittersweet tone · Bittersweet ending

Bright Leaf (1950)

He had to fight for everything he owned … except this woman’s lips ! Two tobacco growers battle for control of the cigarette market.

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Comedy · Whimsical tone · Happy ending

Mickey’s Circus (1936)

Mickey is the ringmaster of an orphan circus, and Donald performs a trained sea‑lion act while juggling. A mischievous baby sea lion keeps stealing fish and the show, sparking a frantic battle. Donald and Mickey then stumble into an unrehearsed high‑wire routine that goes haywire when an orphan electrifies the wire, culminating in a daring high‑dive into the seals’ tank.

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Western · Tense tone · Happy ending

Legion of the Lawless (1940)

MASKED TERROR FOLLOWS THE WESTWARD TRAIL OF THE IRON HORSE! Residents of a small frontier town take up arms when vigilantes try to block a railroad right-of-way.

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Horror · Dark tone · Ambiguous ending

Atom Age Vampire (1960)

After a car crash leaves a rising singer horribly disfigured, a brilliant scientist creates an experimental serum that can restore her beauty. As he administers the treatment, he becomes infatuated with her. When the serum begins to lose its effect, he resorts to murdering other women to maintain the singer’s restored appearance, no matter the cost.

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Adventure · Hopeful tone · Happy ending

Captain Fracasse (1961)

Baron Philippe de Baron joins Herod’s troupe. Enchanted by ingénue Isabella, he replaces their poet and becomes Captain Sunder. Though she loves him, Isabella doubts marriage would fit his status. After Philippe defeats the Duke of Vallombrosa, who coveted Isabella, actors storm the duke’s castle and free her. Sunder and Isabella unite, watched by Herod and Scapin.

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Drama · Hopeful tone · Happy ending

The Homestretch (1947)

Thundering THRILLS! A young couple’s marriage is threatened by the husband’s love of horses and the racetrack circuit.

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