Written by H.G. Wells. The opening credits are very nearly illegible due to the blocky, shadowed, 3D-looking text they chose. I can tell they were trying to be fancy & impressive – but it fails the legibility test. Such a shame – and what a waste of the letter artist’s time! This movie starts out […]
The first of six movies Jean Harlow & Clark Gable made together. (It’s still early, though – so neither is the “star” in it.) Ralph Bellamy’s first movie role. Story & dialogue written by Frances Marion. Directed by George Hill (Marion’s husband, at the time). Wallace Beery plays Slaughterhouse (for real – that’s what they […]
Directed by David Burton. Rod (Gene Raymond) is engaged to Abby Kane, a night club singer. His family is not wild about this idea, because clearly she doesn’t have the proper amount of social class & good breeding. This is not one of Lombard’s bawdier roles, so after the family meets her, I am surprised […]
Directed by…the director of THE MALTESE FALCON! Starring…the cast of THE MALTESE FALCON! (i.e. – John Huston, and Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, & Sydney Greenstreet, respectively.) Rick (because what else would Humphrey Bogart be called in a movie from 1942) Leland has been dishonorably discharged from the United States Army. We don’t know why – […]
Directed by Sidney Franklin. Sir John Carteret (a greyed-up Leslie Howard) has been living in solitary darkness for 30 years, since the great love of his life, Moonyeen, passed away when they were 19. His plans for continued solitude are disrupted when his buddy Owen (O.P. Heggie) informs him that Moonyeen’s sister & sister’s husband […]
Directed by Robert Florey. Warren William plays a hotshot, richling bookie named “Odds” Owen. One day “Odds” decides his team is going to trade sports gambling for the insurance business – because the methods by which both industries are governed are largely the same – making predictions based on percentages. Soon, the news articles start […]
Directed by William K. Howard. Screenplay by Walter DeLeon & Francis Martin and Don Hartman & Frank Butler, based on a story by Philip MacDonald and adapted from a novel by Louis Lucien Rogger. (…Jesus Christ.) Gowns by Travis Banton (of course). Carole Lombard plays Princess Olga, a Swedish royal sailing for Hollywood to begin […]
Auld Lang Syne plays over the opening credits. So far, I like this! Directed by Vincent Sherman. “Thursday, May 22, 1924” reads the paper (The Birchfield Beacon) in the opening shot. Katherine Marlowe (Bette Davis), a prize novelist, is returning home for a lecture! Katherine (or “Kit” as she is called by her forever BFF […]
James Stewart’s first Western. Directed by George Marshall. Love the fonts used in the credits – the Western-style & the script are mixed perfectly! This town’s name is “Bottleneck”? First of all – no wonder this is a disreputable place. Second of all – what a crappy name for a town! If you had any […]
Directed by Walter Lang. Kay Colby (Carole Lombard) is engaged to Bill Wadsworth (Cesar Romero) – but this other guy, Scott Miller (Preston Foster), fancies himself in love with Kay…so he buys the company Wadsworth works for & sends the man on a two-year business assignment to Japan. Seems like a rational way of managing personal […]
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