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After the success of It Happened One Night (1934), Claudette Colbert became the biggest actress under contract to Paramount Pictures. Although the film had been made at Columbia, its popularity did not escape the attention of Paramount's executives, who decided to capitalize on Colbert's newfound fame as a comedienne. The studio commissioned screenwriter Claude Binyon to create another romantic comedy for the actress, and the result was The Gilded Lily (1935), the story of a stenographer who becomes a member of café society and must choose between a dashing English aristocrat and a common newspaper reporter. Fred MacMurray and Claudette Colbert appeared in seven pictures together. Whereas the part of the Englishman was perfectly suited for Ray Milland, there was some difficulty in casting the role of the reporter. Paramount initially wanted Franchot Tone, but MGM refused to loan him out. Cary Grant was considered, but his light cockney accent made him «not American enough» ...

Directed by Edward Dmytryk, The Caine Mutiny (1954) begins in 1944, when Ensign Willie Keith (Robert Francis) of the Naval Reserve is assigned to the dilapidated destroyer-minesweeper USS Caine , stationed at the American naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The ship is under the command of the casual Captain William De Vriess (Tom Tully), who is soon replaced by the tyrannical Lieutenant Commander Francis Philip Queeg (Humphrey Bogart). At first, Queeg's strict discipline appears to be an improvement on the Caine 's lax crew, but he quickly begins to behave erratically, displaying cowardice during a beachhead landing and drastically overreacting when strawberries go missing from the officers' mess. LEFT: Fred MacMurray, Robert Francis, Van Johnson and Humphrey Bogart. RIGHT: Humphrey Bogart as Captain Queeg in The Caine Mutiny .   As Queeg's mental condition worsens, Lieutenant Tom Keefer (Fred MacMurray) pushes the executive officer, Lieutenant Stephen Maryk (Van Jo...

Theatrical release poster Directed by Billy Wilder, Double Indemnity (1944) begins with insurance agent Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray) return ing to his office late o ne night. Bleeding from a gunshot wound, he records his murder confess ion on a dictaphone, addresing his boss and friend , Barton Keyes (Edward G. R obinson), a metic ulo us and intu itive clai ms manager. Walter then thinks back to the day w hen it all started. While making a routine call on an automo bilie insurance client, Mr. Dietrichson (Tom Powes), he meets the man 's alluring blonde wife Phyllis (B arbara Stanwyck), who greets Walter wearing only a towel. Although she seems to be sub tly seducing him , Phyllis cold ly rebuff s Walter 's ad vances a nd sends him away. So on, however, they mutual attraction dev elop s into an il licit affair. When   Phyllis asks how she could take out an accident policy on her husband's life without his knowledge, Walter deduces that she is contemplatin...