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Theatrical release poster Directed by Edmund Goulding, Nightmare Alley (1947) tells the story of Stanton "Stan" Carlisle (Tyrone Power), an ambitious and amoral carnival barker who engages in every imaginable deceit necessary to get ahead. Fascinated by everything there, particularly a grotesque geek, Stan works with Zeena (Joan Blondell), a phony psychic who performs a mind-reading act with her alcoholic husband Pete (Ian Keith). Sparking a romance with Zeena, Stan tries to convince her to develop a new mind-reading routine with him, using a secret code that once made Pete and her a top vaudeville act. Zeena declines, only to reconsider after Pete is killed when he drinks a quart of wood alcohol accidentally given to him by Stan. Mean whi le , the carnies discover that Stan has been secretly involved with Molly (Coleen Gray), a naïve young girl who specializes in a sideshow attraction in which she appears to be infused with thousands of bolts of electricity. Aft...

Theatrical release poster Directed by Busby Berkeley, Footlight Para de (1933) follows Chester Kent (James Cagney), a fast-talking, fast-moving Broadway director who finds himself out of a job with the advent of sound pictures. In his search for new ideas, Kent comes up with the novel notion of creating and producing "prologues", short live musical numbers performed in movie houses before the main feature.   He finds instant success, but his job is made harder when he learns not only that a rival company has been stealing his best ideas, most likely with the help of someone inside his own company. Kent is so overwhelmed by all the chaos that he doesn't even realize that his loyal secretary, Nan Prescott (Joan Blondell) is madly in love with him. Instead, to her disgust, he has fallen for her gold-digging roommate appropriately called Vivian Rich (Claire Dodd).   When an important theater chain owner agrees to sign an exclusive contract with Ken...