Alexander Hamilton

More than a decade after wowing audiences on the Great White Way with his portrayal of the nation's original Treasury secretary in the eponymous play he coauthored with Mary Hamlin, Mr. George Arliss reprised the role for his home studio, Warner Bros. Much like its much-lauded latter-day stage sensation, Hamlin and Arliss' Hamilton does not skimp on sophistication. Adding spark and spice to the proceedings is a generous dollop of seduction and scandal as Hamilton's fierce desire to place the nation on sound financial footing lands him in the crosshairs of a conspiracy that threatens his marriage and his honor. Arliss artfully keeps heart and soul at the center despite his added years, while Doris Kenyon and June Collyer complete the triangle as Hamilton's beloved Betsy and the tempting Mrs. Reynolds.