Alice's Playhouse
In Alice's Playhouse you will discover an exceptional collection of feature films adapted from some of the most celebrated plays ever written. Often featuring towering performances, outstanding direction and exceptional writing, this collection is a superb archive of contemporary drama masterfully transferred to the silver screen.
Filmizations of The Bard's work may be scrolled via the 'Shakespeare' sub-feature in green on the left, along with other notable playwrights who have been adapted for celluloid.
For adaptations of novels and short stories, check the 'Special Interest' link and click on 'Based on...'
Right: Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh relax during the filming of Tennessee Williams' masterpiece, 'A Streetcar Named Desire'.
At War with the Army (1950)
5.8/10
Director: Hal Walker
Starring: Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Polly Bergen
In this, their first starring feature, Dean Martin plays a sergeant in girl trouble who tries to get Private First Class Jerry Lewis to help him out.... Read more
Harvey (1950)
8/10
Director: Henry Koster
Starring: James Stewart, Josephine Hull, Victoria Horn
This beloved comedy stars James Stewart as a good-hearted inebriate whose constant companion is a six foot, invisible rabbit named Harvey that only he... Read more
The Hasty Heart (1949)
7.4/10
Director: Vincent Sherman
Starring: Ronald Reagan, Patricia Neal, Richard Todd
In Burma on the penultimate day of World War II, Cameron Highlander Lachlan 'Lachie' MacLachlan is seriously wounded and transported to a local milita... Read more
The Quiet Duel (1949)
7.5/10
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Starring: Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Kenjiro Uemura, Miki Sanjo, Chieko Nakakita
Toshiro Mifune's second film with director Akira Kurosawa casts him in the role of a young war-time doctor, who accidentally contracts syphillis while... Read more
Hamlet (Olivier) ( Blu-ray ) (1948)
7.8/10
Director: Laurence Olivier
Starring: Eileen Herlie, Laurence Olivier, Basil Sydney
A brilliant adaptation of Shakespeare's play about the Danish prince 'who just couldn't make up his mind'. Hauntingly photographed in Elsinore, Denmar... Read more
State of the Union (1948)
7.4/10
Director: Frank Capra
Starring: Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Van Johnson, Angela Lansbury, Adolphe Menjou
Based on a hit Broadway play, this insightful Frank Capra film stars Spencer Tracy as a would-be presidential candidate and Katharine Hepburn as his e... Read more
The Time Of Your Life (1948)
6.4/10
Director: H C Potter
Starring: James Cagney, William Bendix, Jeanne Cagney, Broderick Crawford, Ward Bond
After turning down several other Hollywood producers, playwright William Saroyan sold the film rights of his whimsical Pulitzer Prize-winning play to... Read more
Hamlet (Olivier) (1948)
7.8/10
Director: Laurence Olivier
Starring: Laurence Olivier, Eileen Herlie, Basil Sydney
A brilliant adaptation of Shakespeare's play about the Danish prince 'who just couldn't make up his mind'. Hauntingly photographed in Elsinore, Denmar... Read more
Key Largo (1948)
7.9/10
Director: John Huston
Starring: Lauren Bacall, Humphrey Bogart, Edward G Robinson, Jay Silverheels, Lionel Barry...
Gangster Edward G. Robinson takes the inhabitants of a Florida coast hotel hostage as a storm sweeps in, and engages in a battle of wills with world-w... Read more
Macbeth (Welles) (1948)
6.6/10
Director: Orson Welles
Starring: Orson Welles, Jeanette Nolan, Dan O'Herlihy
This adaptation of the Bard was shot in 23 days on a western backlot at Republic Studios and is pure cinema: moodily magnificent photography reinforce... Read more