Merrily We Live (1938), The Man Who Played God (1932), Machine Gun Preacher (2011), Daddy Long Legs (1955), Christmas Angel (2009), Silver Dollar (1933), She Couldn't Say No (1954), You for Me (1952) ... Let's take a look at the ranked list of the best Philanthropy movies.
Storyline: Dizzy society matron Emily Kilbourne has a habit of hiring ex-cons and hobos as servants. Her latest find is a handsome "tramp" who shows up at her doorstep and soon ends up in a chauffeur's uniform. He also catches the eye of her pretty Geraldine.—Daniel Bubbeo <dbubbeo@cmp.com>
Plot Keywords: matron, ex-convict, chauffeur, butler, tramp, daughter, hysterical ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Montgomery Royle is a famed pianist whose student, the much younger Grace Blair, believes herself to be in love with him. When an explosion destroys Royle's hearing, he is bitter at the loss of his art and profession. His sister Florence persuades him to learn lip-reading as a way to break out of the isolation of deafness. Royle discovers a new meaning to his life when he uses his new lip-reading knowledge to help others. But the new skill has serious ramifications for his relationship with Grace.—Jim Beaver <jumblejim@prodigy.net>
Plot Keywords: pianist, fiancée, friend, love interest, sister, confident, emotional ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, addicted gang biker Sam Childers is released from prison and learns that his wife Lynn is no longer a stripper but has converted to Christianity. One night, Sam and his best friend Donnie give a ride to a hitchhiker who threatens Donnie with a pocketknife; however Sam reacts and turns the tables on the stranger. Sam is affected by the incident and is convinced by Lynn and his mother Daisy to join their church, and he is baptized. Sam finds a straight job in construction. When he meets a preacher from Africa, he decides to visit the continent. Sam travels to Northern Uganda and South Sudan many times and builds an orphanage for the victims of the cruel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). Further, he fights whenever necessary and becomes a legend known as The Machine Gun Preacher.
Plot Keywords: orphan, militant, wife, shocking, inspiring, emotional, sudan ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: On a trip to France, millionaire Jervis Pendleton sees an 18 year old girl in an orphanage. Enchanted with her, but mindful of the difference in their ages, he sponsors her to college in New England. She writes him letters, which he doesn't read. After 3 years, he goes to visit her at a dance, not telling her that he is her benefactor. They fall in love, but the usual movie-type difficulties get in the way before they can get together at the end.—John Oswalt <jao@jao.com>
Plot Keywords: millionaire, orphan, secretary, lighthearted, cheery, winsome, france ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Ashley has been on her own all her life. She feels even more alone this Christmas as she searches fruitlessly for a job. The seasonal cheer around her only rubs salt in her wounds as she scrapes by to support herself and her dog, Dash. But her neighbor Nick offers her a job as his assistant in the best work: helping others. There's one catch that Ashley must honor though: she can't tell anyone that her new boss is a sort of Secret Santa, helping others anonymously. Through her new job, Ashley meets Will, a writer for a business magazine who uncovers what Ashley is doing--and, more importantly, Nick's involvement. As Ashley and Nick help people in need, Ashley tries to protect Nick's secret, and her own heart, while Will must weigh the consequences of what he does.—SWP
Plot Keywords: single woman, lonely woman, cheery, heartwarming, inspiring, uplifting, city ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Yates and Sarah Martin are barely getting by in a Colorado boom town grocery store. Sudden wealth leads to greater prosperity and political power. In Denver Yates buys a mansion and builds an opera house. He leaves Sarah for glamorous Lily and, when he makes it to Washington as Senator, marries her. When the gold standard is introduced, he's ruined.—Ed Stephan <stephan@cc.wwu.edu>
Plot Keywords: politician, wife, mine owner, mistress, ulysses s. grant, engaging, spirited ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: As usual with most of the RKO films from this era "presented" by RKO-owner Howard Hughes, the PCA number is usually 500-1000 digits lower than the one from other studios being released at the time, indicating it was released a year or more after it was completed. This one finds heiress Corby Lane (Jean Simmons) coming to a small Arkansas town to play Santa Claus because, when she was a small child traveling with her impoverished father, the townspeople saved her life by donating money needed for medical treatment. She meets and falls in love with "Doc" Sellers (Robert Mitchum), an easy-going doctor who enjoys fishing and the unhurried pace of the town. Corby's gesture of handing out money and lavish gifts to the citizens backfires when, after it has been publicized, the town becomes the destination of every wayward traveler and fortune seeker.—Les Adams <longhorn1939@suddenlink.net>
Plot Keywords: heiress, doctor, love interest, beautiful woman, townsperson, amusing, lighthearted ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Katie McDermad, who comes from a working class household, is a dedicated surgical nurse, who loves her profession but not the low pay. Her emotions often get the better of her. Jeff Chadwick is a surgeon and researcher who works in the same hospital. The nurses in general consider him the greatest catch of the doctors, that is if he had any interest in a social life, as he spends all his time and money dedicated to his work. Katie's temper makes an inopportune appearance in the operating room when she is asked to work late after an already long shift to assist in the non-medical emergency surgery of Tony Brown, who got shot accidentally in the derrière while on a hunting trip. The emergency part of the surgery is that wealthy Tony is the major benefactor to the hospital to the tune of $100,000 per year, he who demanded immediate and quick attention to his injury. Katie's behavior in the operating room costs her her job on Tony's behest, and costs the hospital Tony's annual $100,000 endowment. Knowing that playboy Tony is easily swayed by a beautiful woman and as his research is dependent on Tony's endowment, Jeff, who can see that Katie is indeed beautiful, asks her to use her feminine wiles both for her own benefit to get reinstated, and to get the hospital back Tony's annual endowment. Tony is smitten with Katie, even after finding out who she is. Although she is able to get her job back, Katie learns that the endowment is not quite so easy as Tony has other competing financial interests, most specifically what looks to be a hefty divorce settlement to who he hopes will soon be his ex-wife, Lucille. As Jeff continues to push Katie into a relationship with Tony for the sake of the endowment, Katie in turn starts to fall for Tony. But Jeff also comes to the realization that he too is falling for Katie. Add to the equation the actions of Lucille to get a larger piece of the pie, of Katie's very pregnant sister Ann, and of Ann's wannabe businessman husband Frank, and the romantic triangle gets more and more complicated.—Huggo
Plot Keywords: wealthy man, nurse, doctor, boyfriend, amusing, playful, heartwarming ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: An aged philanthropist reunites with the pregnant daughter of his close friends who tragically died in an accident that he feels responsible for causing. His inner demons have driven him to abuse drugs which causes the reunion to become strained between the daughter and her husband. His story is told through flashbacks to the day of the tragic accident.
Plot Keywords: husband, wife, couple, philanthropist, eccentric, mother, pregnant wife ...
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