After Tomorrow (1932)

Movies were only with sound for 5 years when Frank Borzage's underrated After Tomorrow came out. This may be one of my favorite movies I've seen from 1932. Really impressed me.

This movie features a standout performance by Josephine Hull, who only made a handful of pictures including Harvey with Jimmy Stewart nearly 20 years later. She's younger in this movie, but still very motherly, and quite an overbearing mother in fact.  She plays Mrs. Piper, mother to Peter Piper (Charles Farrell) and says things like, "in every man lurks a beast that can be aroused." Hey, that was pretty steamy stuff to say back then in the pre-code era.

Petey wants to get married to Sidney (Marian Nixon). But they're dirt-poor, and pinching every penny they have left. After all, this is the Depression (set in New York). Mother loves her boy so much that she tries to break up the marriage. Minna Gombell plays a much more verbally abusive mother to Sidney. And soon there is little doubt that the marriage will ever take place, even after a very funny impromptu rehearsal sequence.

Heat Lightning (1934) directed by Mervyn LeRoy

Last month a local revival theater (The Patio Theater) held a special screening of 1934's Heat Lightning, directed by Mervyn LeRoy. It was a 35mm print from the Library of Congress, and a special guest was in attendance: Margaret Talbot, daughter of Lyle Talbot, one of the stars of Heat Lightning. She wrote a book about her father The Entertainer: Movies, Magic and My Father's Twentieth Century and was there to sign copies and to introduce the film and do a Q&A afterward.

Heat Lightning takes place in the hot Mojave Desert. At the start of the film, an older couple's car breaks down and stops at a diner / auto garage / motel. The wife is played by Jane Darwell (The Grapes of Wrath). We are introduced to the waitress (Ann Dvorak) and then the mechanic (Aline MacMahon).

The husband has a few choice remarks about women as mechanics, but Aline MacMahon is tough and teaches him a lesson or two when she's able to get them back on the road in no time.

Later we find out that the two are sisters, and the story becomes more interesting. Aline's a little older, and a bit overprotective of Ann, who wants to go out and have fun with a suitor that Aline disapproves of.

Though the movie feels like an ensemble, for the most part the focal point is Aline's character (and she is clearly the lead in a standout performance). I was really impressed with her performance and this film overall. I can't think of another movie with her in the lead; she's always in supporting roles.

Other characters come to the diner, for food, gas or car repair. Frank McHugh provides some comedy relief (the movie is mostly a drama) as a chauffeur to two divorcees: Glenda "Torchy Blane" Farrell and Ruth Donnelly. And there's a great night sequence where a Mexican family plays a lovely song while "heat lightning" lights up the night sky above the Yucca trees.

As I mentioned before, this movie belongs to Aline MacMahon's character, and you really get to know her in this film. Preston Foster and Lyle Talbot play a couple of criminals on the lam who think they can stay at the motel. But Aline shows them a thing or two. You have to see the movie to find out what happens.

There are a number of flirtatious remarks and and some sex scenes that were characteristic of a pre-code film (this was one of the last pre-code movies).  One scene involves Glenda Farrell taking a bath in a small little tub in the back of the motel.

Highly recommended.

A Free Soul (1931)

Clark Gable plays a mobster who falls for his lawyer's daughter (Norma Shearer). She falls for him too, finding him more exciting than her current beau (Leslie Howard).  Lionel Barrymore plays her father, an alcoholic, who isn't happy about his daughter mixed up with Gable. Her family doesn't approve either, and won't even let her back in the house when the affair goes on too long. Shearer enjoys the thrill of the romance, even after she's almost killed by rival mobsters shooting at Gable in his car. Gable is great in this movie, and is one of his last "supporting" roles.

Lionel Barrymore won the Oscar for Best Actor in a great performance as the alcoholic lawyer who tries to go sober but struggles to do so. In one scene, he gets so drunk that he wanders off on a freight train and gets lost. In another scene, someone jokingly slaps him on the back and he reacts by saying, "Who's that - John L. Sullivan?" I had to look that person up to know who he was talking about; Sullivan was a boxer who was famous around the early 1900s.

The movie has a surprise twist near the end.

Directed by Clarence Brown. Highly Recommended

This was the first movie I watched on Warner Archive Instant, a new streaming service that is like Netflix, but features only Warner Archive titles. It's in a "beta" testing phase right now, and I was able to watch it for free. Once the service kicks off, I would be interested in subscribing - there are some great titles available!

Other blog reviews about this movie:
Booze Movies (review of A Free Soul)

Cecil B. DeMille's This Day and Age (1933)

The poster for This Day and Age calls it "The FIRST Great Spectacle of Modern Times", which is interesting because nowadays the film is largely forgotten. It wasn't nominated for any Academy Awards at the time either. But I think the film is one that a modern audience would really find compelling.

The film is about a group of civics-minded high-school students who take the law into their own hands when they track down a gangster nightclub owner named Garrett (played by Charles Bickford) after he kills several of their friends and gets away with it.

The students are played by actors I'm not very familiar with such as Richard Cromwell and Judith Allen. At times I got confused as to who's who due to all of the supporting characters that come and go throughout the film.

One character I remember well is the Jewish tailor Herman, who has a shop right across the street from the high school. He is really friendly and knows almost all the kids in the school. It's a shame when the character's shop is bombed and he becomes a target of Garrett's ruthless gang.

Highlights of the film:

There are a number of creative camera shots; one in particular is during a funeral sequence after a casket is lowered into the deep grave. We then see the lowered casket's point-of-view looking up at the diggers who are shoveling the dirt into the grave, and dirt falls right on the camera.

In one risque sequence reminding us of the pre-code era, one of the pretty female students has to pretend to seduce one of the gangsters in order to stall him, and one of the gangster's remarks is "I like my olives green".

I liked seeing the diverse high school; black students are seen with white students on the campus and walking the halls. A black student has an important role in the film when he helps the students kidnap Garrett at a shoe shine.

When Garrett is captured, he's taken to a secret hideout where hundreds of students put him at the center of a kangaroo court. The students lower him into a pit of rats to try to get him to confess to the murders he was responsible for. This is followed by a scene where the throng of students hail him off to the local judge, walking through the streets at night singing song such as "The Bear Went Over the Mountain" and "Glory Glory Hallelujah". This ending seemed to go on a little long.

Overall though, it is a film worth seeing, and I found it thought provoking. Directed by Cecil B. DeMille.

More photos and more info about this film can be found here at the blog Take 39 Steps and Knock

Moonlight and Pretzels (1933)

Karl Freund, the legendary cinematographer (Metropolis), tried his hand at a musical with this 1933 feature, which is Busby Berkeley-esque.  The story begins in a small town with an aspiring songwriter (Roger Pryor) who writes a love song for his crush, a record store clerk (Mary Brian). He sells the song, and it becomes a huge hit. Roger then moves away from his small town and heads to Broadway, seemingly forgetting his roots - and his crush back home. I liked the scenes where she comes to audition for his new show (titled "Moonlight and Pretzels") and tries to rekindle his memory of her. Much of the rest of the film deals with the production and financial aspect of the show, which I didn't find that interesting, and the humor is lost in the second half. The movie ends with a big finale from Roger's show dealing with the Great Depression. You can watch it here:

Little Man, What Now? (1934)

An interesting episodic film from the early 1930s. Margaret Sullivan and Douglass Montgomery are a young couple in Weimar Germany. Margaret's expecting. Times are hard. Hitler is never mentioned by name, but there are scenes where we see people gathering for rallies.

Throughout the the film the two move from place to place and interact with some interesting characters who only appear in one or two scenes. These supporting characters (played by some great 1930s character actors) are either villainous or angelic, the latter helping them in desperate moments. An alternate title for this film might be "A Series of Unfortunate Events" (I made that up). I couldn't help cheering the couple on throughout; the are good decent people, and make such a cute, lovable couple.

There is one unforgettable moment in a department store with Douglass Montgomery and a character who is playing a famous actor. At the end, the baby is born (this is not a spoiler), and one character says to the newborn "Little man, what now?" (hence the title) which is an interesting thought, back then in 1934 and even today in 2011 with our hindsight. I left the theater thinking about what kind of life that child would have had; today he'd be almost 80 years old.

Directed by Frank Borzage.
Highly recommended.

Around the World in 80 Minutes (1931) with Douglas Fairbainks

What it's about
Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. and a crew of three—photographers Harry Sharp and Chuck Lewis and co-director Victor Fleming—journey around the world and report on various cultural curiosities and the humor they find in everyday life overseas. (From TCM.com)

My Take:
I love this movie! It's narrated by our "tour guide", Mr. Fairbanks himself, who addresses the camera throughout. We travel with him to Japan, China, India, Siam (Thailand today), and India among other countries, mostly in Asia. This film must have been incredible to watch on the big screen in 1931 when there were no TVs: we see some awesome landscape views, mixed in with humorous bits featuring Fairbanks, in a similar fashion to the popular TV travel show Globetrekker. In one scene, Fairbanks pretends like he's being chased by a wild leopard (but it's all trick photography). In another scene, he plays golf on a giant map of the world; when his ball lands on an island, he "jumps" over the ocean so he doesn't "fall into it". Plus he cracks alot of jokes throughout and I found myself laughing hysterically.

The crew travels mostly through Asia, but there is funny gag at the end where they hop on a flying carpet and manage to see other countries and cities in America, giving the illusion they're literally traveling "around the world". At one point the carpet flies over Chicago and there are some bullets fired at it. Har har. There are one or two other Chicago/mobster jokes in the film too (that cracked up our audience)

I don't think this type of full-length travel film was common back in the early 30s. This is a one of a kind film. You can tell that Fairbanks had fun making this film. The total running time is about 80 minutes (hence, Around the world in 80 minutes) A follow-up film might have been cool with Mr. Fairbanks hosting again, perhaps with a trip to Europe, which would have been fun. Highly recommended!

Freaks (1931)

I first watched this movie in 1994 and it really wasn't easy to watch. It has one of the best endings ever.

Another review from Four Star Films here

Midnight Mary (1933) starring Loretta Young

From 1933, MGM: Loretta Young stars in this thrilling story of a woman on trial - who may or may not be guilty of murder.

We first see Mary (Loretta) in court. As the jury deliberates, she finds a relaxing place to wait: in the office of the court stenographer. He's an older man, and tells her he's been doing this for almost 40 years. She is stunned. "The same job"? she asks him. He tells her he hopes the jury comes back soon because he'd like to make his grandaughter's birthday party later that afternoon. His office is filled with books, and Mary looks around at all the years on the spines and remembers her life.

The rest of the movie is told in flashback. We see Mary as a young orphan girl (Loretta is convincing as a 9 year old). As she gets older she and her best friend (Joan Blondell) start hanging out with the wrong crowd. The boys they hang out with become gangsters, and she descends deeper into a dangerous life. One day she meets a handsome playboy bachelor (Franchot Tone) who falls head over heels for her at a party. He turns out to be a millionaire publisher and offers her anything in the world, including a job as a secretary.

She tries to "go straight", but she just can't escape her past.

We don't want to see Franchot get mixed up with the gangsters, and neither does Mary, a testatment to her character. I won't tell you any more. You just have to see this movie. It's a great story, well written and paced. Directed by William Wellman.

Judy wrote an impressive review of this film at her blog Movie Clasics, and you can read the review here. Another great review can be found here at the blog MONDO 70, and here at Curious Mel.

It's available on DVD part of the Forbidden Hollywood Collection: Volume 3

Three Wise Girls (1933) with Jean Harlow

The movie begins with Jean Harlow working unhappily as a soda jerk behind the counter.  In one scene, we see Jean whipping up an ice cream sundae after a kid comes in and orders one. I love how the camera focuses in on the dish so we see the ice cream up close.


She's bored in her small town, so she and her friend Dot find an apartment in the big city. Jean meets an old friend (Mae Clark) and makes a few new ones, including dapper millionaire played by Walter Byron, who becomes smitten with her, yet holds a secret.

The movie's tone is often serious, even though Jean is funny at times with a number of her wisecracks. It leans more romantic-drama than romantic-comedy, since several of the characters are driven to some emotional extremes that wouldn't be very funny in real life.

For example, tension builds when Mae Clark's beau (Jameson Thomas) starts making passes at Jean, who has become a fashion model. Meanwhile, Walter continues to pursue Jean throughout the film, but when his secret is revealed, she is faced with having to make several uncomfortable decisions.

Waiting to see what will happen to these characters is what makes this film so enjoyable, but I won't give anything away. Will she quit her high-paying job as a fashion model? And what will she do, move back to the small town where she came from and hates? You'll just have to see the movie.

Marie Prevost's Dot provides comic relief as her flirty best friend, and she eventually falls for Walter's chauffeur (Andy Devine). They make a cute couple.

I highly recommend this one if you can catch it on TCM; it's not on DVD.

The Baroness Von Vintage, another fan of this film, reminds me that the three female leads are "wise" in the sense of being sassy, irreverent, and cheeky. Though there are three of them, Jean Harlow's character is the main focus throughout.

Directed by William Beaudine

Read a review from She Blogged By Night

I wonder if the movie "Three Smart Girls" took it's title from this film. 

Heroes for Sale (1933)

Richard Barthelmess plays Tom, a returning WWI veteran who experiences a series of unfortunate events - including a prison term - as he adjusts to civilian life. Without giving it all away, one of his struggles involves an addiction to morphine. How the character overcomes the addiction - and what he decides to do with his life - becomes fascinating storytelling that will leave you captivated from start to finish. The film is only 71 minutes, but it feels like 2 hours.

Tom finds his way to Chicago in the mid 1920s. He meets some interesting characters in a family-run soup kitchen (Charles Grapewin is the father; playing his daughter is the wonderful Aline MacMahon, who falls love with Tom from a distance). They are so much fun to watch. Loretta Young brings some romance to the story, and she is so lovely in this; there's a tender and humourous love-at-first sight moment.

Throughout the film are scenes that were considered heavily political for its time, including a scene of an angry mob and several Red Squad sequences. One character espouses a number of communist sympathies, yet over time he evolves, which is interesting to watch. It's as if the character was written to represent various political extremes under certain circumstances.

This movie reminded me of The Best years of Our Lives, the widely acclaimed film that defined the experience of returning American vets after WWII. Heroes For Sale has similar themes, and is one of the few films dealing with returning WW1 vets. References to newly elected president Roosevelt, lots of authentic signs and billboards: "Keep Moving: No Work Here". This is the kind of film that has the stories that your grandparents or great grandparents might tell you if they were in America during this time.

Directed by William Wellman. Highly recommended. Available on DVD in the box set series, "Forbidden Hollywood Volume 3". For another perspective, the blog Movie Classics has a great review of this film here.

Three On A Match (1932) Early Bogart and Bette Davis

Rupert over at the blog Classic Movies Digest posted about this movie a few months ago, and I finally got around to watching it yesterday. It's so good!



Early performances by none other than Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart in supporting roles. (In fact, it's Bogart's first gangster role)

A pre-code film (it's part of the DVD collection "Forbidden Hollywood: Volume 2"), it's been called a "hard-core" pre-code due to the number of scenes that feature infidelity, child neglect, drug abuse, kidnapping (a touchy subject - 1932 was the year of the Lindberg kidnapping) and other debauchery (one character is sent to reform school right out of high school).

The capsule below sums it up in a nutshell:



The film really belongs to the wonderful Ann Dvorak and Joan Blondell, and I can't forget to mention how good Warren William is in this as well as a lawyer who has relationships with both of them during the course of the film. Trust me, you just have to see this film. Rupert's review really says it best, so I won't say any more other than it is an unpredictable story.

This film has some fine performances by child actors, including Virginia Davis (1918-2009) who plays Joan Blondell's character as a young girl. She gets into all sorts of mischief at school; in one scene Virginia's character and a group of boys play hooky and go smoking.

Virginia Davis is considered a Disney legend, as she played "Alice" in Walt Disney's early "Alice's Wonderland" short films from the 1920s. She passed away last year at the age of 90.

The biggest scene-stealer in the film is the adorable Buster Phelps who plays Ann Dvorak's son. You'll fall in love with him in this. There's a fun scene on the beach with him playing ball with Joan and Bette, all decked out in cute beach wear (see pic below).

Buster Phelps (1926-1983) appeared in about 3 dozen films during the 1930s and 1940s.

The film is available on DVD and can be seen on TCM from time to time.



Here's another review from A Person In The Dark.  And another post from Four Star Films.

Reaching for the Moon (1930)

A funny pre-code screwball comedy about high society, starring Douglas Fairbanks. One of the best scenes features some witty banter between June MacCloy and Jack Mulhall at a party.

At the same party, Bebe Daniels takes a liking to Fairbanks, a Wall Street millionaire, and even tracks him down at work one day.

Mulhall (playing Fairbanks' assistant) arranges a date between them, which results in Fairbanks boarding a cruise ship to woo her, not without the help of his valet, Edward Everett Horton, who hilariously teaches him a thing or two about romance.

While trying to enjoy himself at sea, the stock market crashes, and complicates matters.

Bing Crosby has a cameo as a singer on the ship in upbeat musical number. This was before he got really famous. It's strange to see him in such a small role like this.









Recent post on Bebe Daniels from Iconista.

Mickey's Gala Premiere (1933) - With Celebrity Appearances!

Another classic cartoon short featuring caricatures of Hollywood celebrities of the day. I just discovered this classic Disney cartoon, and had fun trying to recognize all the celebrities. Couldn't recognize some of them, though. Here's a good little synopsis of the cartoon, written by Jon Reeves (imdb.com): Mickey's film is having a premiere, and all the stars turn out at the Chinese Theatre. Among those shown: Laurel and Hardy, the Marx Brothers, Jimmy Durante, Clark Gable, Sid Grauman, Mae West. The picture, Galloping Romance (Pegleg Pete kidnaps Minnie, and Mickey gives chase on a variety of animals), starts, and everyone in the audience sways along to the music, then rolls in the aisles with laughter. After, everyone comes on stage to congratulate Mickey; Garbo smothers him with kisses. Celebrities, in order of appearance: 1. Keystone Cops (L-R: Ben Turpin, Ford Sterling, Mack Swain, Harry Langdon, Chester Conklin) Getting out of limo: 2a. Wallace Beery & Marie Dressler 2b. Lionel Barrymore (in beard as Rasputin), John Barrymore (as Prince Paul Chegodioff), Ethel Barrymore (as Czarina Alexandra) all in costume from the film they were in "Rasputin and the Empress". (Read the Wikipedia post on the film) And more trivia: John Barrymore is the grandfather of Drew Barrymore. 2c. Laurel and Hardy 2d. Marx Brothers 3. Maurice Chevalier 4. Eddie Cantor 5. Jimmy Durante 6. (L-R) Jean Harlow, Joan Crawford, Constance Bennett 7. Clockwise: Harold Llyod, Clark Gable, Adolph Menjou, Edward G. Robinson 8. Ticket Taker: Sid Grauman (of Grauman's Chinese Theater fame) People entering the theater: 9a. George Arliss 9b. Joe E Brown 9c. (crawling on floor) Charlie Chaplin 9d. William Powell 9e. Marx Brothers (over-stuffed coat) 9f. Mae West ("Come up and see me some time!") 9g. Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Clarabell Cow 10 Seated in theater, front row: Chester Morris, Gloria Swanson, George Arliss Back Row: Helen Hayes, Edward G. Robinson, William Powell 11 Jimmy Durante 12. Marie Dressler and Wallace Beery 13. Caricature of "censorship czar" Will H. Hays (of the "Hays code") 14. Eddie Cantor with Joan Crawford 15. Greta Garbo 16. Front: Marie Dressler, Wallace Beery, and Will Rogers Back: Groucho, Charlie Chaplin, Lionel Barrymore 17. Ed Wynn 18 Bert Wheeler & Robert Woolsey ("Wheeler & Woolsey" comedy duo) 19. Laurel and Hardy 20. Dracula (Bela Lugosi), Mr. Hyde (Frederic March), Frankenstien monster (Boris Karloff) 21. Buster Keaton and Joe E. Brown 22: Falling out of seats: Douglas Fairbanks and Jimmy Durante 23. Rolling in isles: Oliver Hardy, Chaplin, Groucho, Joe E. Brown, Marie Dressler 24. On stage: Will Rogers (pulling Mickey by rope) 25. Shaking hands: Marie Dressler, Joe E Brown, Jimmy Durante, Laurel and Hardy, Edward G, Eddie Cantor, Chaplin, Wallace Beery, George Arliss, William Powell, Douglas Fairbanks, Clark Gable, Fatty Arbuckle, Harold Lloyd, Lionel Barrymore. 26. Getting onstage: Greta Garbo 27. Walt Disney and 2 other men (one of them Warner Baxter-dont' know who the other guy is supposed to be), with Groucho. 28. Pluto the dog Source: 2719hyperion.com a post about classic Disney animation.

Side Show (1931) with Winnie Lightner

Charlotte from The Five and Dime has a great post on Winnie Lightner, singer-actress from the early days of talking pictures, including "Gold Diggers of Broadway" (1929). The poster below is from movie "Side Show", which I haven't seen yet. More from Wikipedia about: "Side Show" (movie) | Winnie Lightner

The Bowery (1933) - Starring Jackie Cooper, Wallace Beery, George Raft, and Fay Wray

Just saw this at a revival today and had a good time. This week we also celebrate Jackie Cooper's 87th birthday (born September 15, 1922). Also born on the same day, the late Fay Wray (September 15, 1907, d. 2004) The title of this picture "The Bowery" reminds me of the Bowery Boys, that fun series of movies from the 40s which featured that gang of dudes from the lower east side bowery, pretty much the same neighborhood here. And because George Raft is in it, I mistakingly thought this was a gangster picture. But it's not. Surprisingly, it's a comedy-with-heart, loosely based on some real life events (NY Saloon owner Steve Brodie jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge). This movie could be considered a "sequel" of sorts to "The Champ", which starred Wallace Beery and little Jackie Cooper just two years earlier. In "The Bowery", Beery and Raft are are rivals in the community, in a never-ending battle for being the "King of the Bowery" neighborhood. Each has a "fan club" of sorts within the community. For a time they both are leaders of a fire brigade: in one humorous scene, as a building burns with people trapped inside, the two men (and their fire-fighting crew) get into a street brawl as each team tries to get the building first. This leads to a riot as the unsaved people scream from the building. Rather dark humor, and this scene disturbed some people at the screening, especially since the characters were Chinese (earlier they were referred to as "Chinks" by some of the characters.) Also politically incorrect: Beery gives young Jackie a lecture in "dames" ("Skirts is no good"), but later the big lug is smitten by penniless Fay Wray: he lets her stay in his apartment (also where orphan Jackie is also staying) and hires her as a maid. Needless to say, Jackie throws a fit. In one scene he hits Fay in the butt with his slingshot. Meanwhile George Raft's Steve Brodie character falls in love with her, complicating the rivalry further. There's a great scene on the beach (which should have been longer) with everyone having a good time. There was an intermission at the screening halfway through, and one fellow sitting next to me said how he felt the movie had no plot. Essentially so, since it's really about the egos of both Beery and Raft, and how they compete against each other in the neighborhood. It's all buildup to the big Steve Brodie "jump" scene. By the time it happens, the audience is convinced that Brodie would pull such a stunt. At the end, there's a climatic fight scene between the two men, but ends with both shaking hands, with Jackie Cooper playing mediator. It's a fun movie, lots of cultural references of the time, and it will remind you of some of the issues of that day: some of the racism, street fights, and women's temperance unions (there is a scene of protest outside a saloon).
Now here is what Wikipedia had to say (this write-up prepared me for the derogatory racial terms used by some of the characters):
"The Bowery" is a 1933 historical film about the Lower East Side of Manhattan at the turn of the century. The movie was directed by Raoul Walsh and featured Wallace Beery as saloon owner Chuck Connors, George Raft as Steve Brodie, the first man to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge and live, Jackie Cooper as a pugnacious child, Fay Wray (in the same year as King Kong) as the leading lady, and Pert Kelton (the first "Alice Kramden" on Jackie Gleason's The Honeymooners) as a bawdy dance hall singer.
The film is not exactly a festival of political correctness, but it is an absorbing presentation of the views and behaviors common at the time. Modern viewers should know that the movie opens with a close-up of a saloon window featuring a sign saying "Nigger Joe's" in large letters (the name of an actual Bowery bar from the period). At one point, Cooper's character throws a rock through a Chinatown window, knocking over a kerosene lamp and causing a lethal fire that spreads through the block. When Beery's character berates him for carelessly killing so many innocent Chinese people, Cooper's character responds, "They was just Chinks," whereupon Beery immediately softens, saying "Awww..." while affectionately mussing the boy's hair.
New York Times review from 1933---

By MORDAUNT HALL, New York Times
Published: October 5, 1933

Punctuated with the same ribald mirth, brawls, fights, noise and vulgarity that marked that reprehensible but highly successful production, "The Cock-Eyed World," there reached the Rivoli yesterday morning a picture entitled "The Bowery," the story of which owes its origin to a novel written by Michael Simmons and B. Rogow Solomon. In it Wallace Beery as Chuck Connors and George Raft as Steve Brodie are belligerent rivals.

The narrative of this film, which is the first to be produced by Darryl Zanuck since he severed his connection with the Warner Brothers, is set in what the producers choose to refer to as the "Gay Nineties." Nevertheless, Mr. Brodie is presumed to take his leap from the Brooklyn Bridge, which actually was reported to have happened in 1886. Other personalities of the past include John L. Sullivan and the saloon-smashing Carrie Nation.

"The Bowery" was directed by Raoul Walsh, who was responsible for "The Cock-Eyed World." The audience which packed the theatre for the first showing of "The Bowery" was quite enthusiastic over the clashes between Chuck Connors and Steve Brodie and they also evidently enjoyed the episode wherein Carrie Nation and her colleagues use their hatches on the Connors saloon.

There are songs that range from "Tra-ra-ra-boom-de-ay" to "Auid Lang Syne" and the costumes are often clownish conceptions of those of the past. Connors appears to be partial to double-breasted coats with huge pearl buttons, and his rival, Brodie, at one time appears in a dark suit, pearl-gray derby, black shirt, a white necktie with black dots, and, if you please, white gloves. Later, after he has made his dive from the Brooklyn Bridge and money is coming his way, he is given to wearing a black cape with a white-silk lining. In the report in THE NEW YORK TIMES of July 24, 1886, the day after Brodie took the chance, he is referred to as a tall, slim newsboy, who was dressed like a gutter-snipe. All he really got out of his plunge into the East River was $200 and a few days in the Tombs prison.

This film, however, is not one in which the producers are concerned with facts. It is something to entertain the many admirers of Wallace Beery and George Raft, and incidentally those of little Jackie Cooper, who here is known as Swipes, a protégé of Connors's. Swipes is fond of reiterating what he has heard Connors say—that it is a man's world. Fay Wray portrays Lucy Calhoun, a timid young woman who is befriended by Connors. Her presence causes Swipes to pick up his belongings, which include two kittens, and go to live with Brodie.

In the rather cramped quarters of Connors's saloon John L. Sullivan, played by Raoul Walsh's brother, George, knocks out Bloody Butch, the pride of the Bowery, with his first blow. Sullivan is masked when he enters the ring, but as-soon as his opponent is down for the count his face is unmasked and there stands a fighter with a long mustache.

Connors wagers his saloon, evidently against nothing, that Brodie will not take the dive from the Brooklyn Bridge, but, after the latter has accomplished the feat, Carrie Nation and her band of women appear and it matters not to Chuck what they do to the saloon with their hatchets. Apparently Brodie is forced to make his thrilling jump because the dummy he had hoped to use to cheat Chuck is stolen from him just as he is about to go to the Brooklyn Bridge.

Whatever one may say against the coarse interludes in this production, there is no gainsaying that the sight on the span between Manhattan and Brooklyn is really funny. The crowds have come out as they would go to a picnic to view the stunt and many a bet is made on whether Brodie will live or die in the attempt. Several other episodes have been pictured in the same vein.

Mr. Beery acts in his usual robust but nevertheless effective fashion. Mr. Raft is on his mettle as Brodie and Jackie Cooper does well with his part. Fay Wray is attractive as Lucy Calhoun and Elsie Harmer is sufficiently menacing as Carrie Nation.


THE BOWERY, based on the novel by Michael Simmons and B. Rogow Solomon; directed by Raoul Walsh; a Twentieth Century production; released by United Artists. At the Rivoli.
Chuck Connors . . . . . Wallace Beery
Steve Brodie . . . . . George Raft
Swipes . . . . . Jackie Cooper
Lucy Calhoun . . . . . Fay Wray
Slick . . . . . Harold Huber
Googy . . . . . Fletcher Norton
Lumpy Hogan . . . . . John Kelly
Trixie . . . . . Pert Kelton
Jumbo . . . . . Fred Munier
Mr. Rummel . . . . . Oscar Apfel
Mr. Herman . . . . . Herman Bing
John L. Sullivan . . . . . George Walsh
Carrie Nation . . . . . Elsie Harmer
Tammany . . . . . Tammany Young

Read a 1932 article on "Master" Jackie Cooper.

Zoo In Budapest (1933)

One of my favorite movies from pre-code Hollywood. The plot centers around three people on the run, hiding out in the zoo overnight, and eventually banding together. Has action, suspense, romance, adventure, comedy (we hear a laughing elephant after he spits water out at a lion) The entire film takes place in zoo, a feat few other films can claim.  Zebras, lions, elephants, monkeys, they're all here.

The first character is Zani (Gene Raymond), who was born and raised in the zoo by his parents - now deceased - who worked there. Zani's entire life is the zoo - he knows every inch of the place, and knows all the animals by name. His big problem is that he loves animals like a PETA activist and steals fur jackets off of old ladies. After the police are called on him, he's on the run, and hides out in the zoo, planning his escape. The second character is played by Loretta Young, a beautiful young orphan girl who escapes her field trip group into the fields of the zoo, dreaming of life of freedom outside the orphanage. Needless to say, Zani falls in love with her. Finally, there's a little 7-year old boy who runs away from his parents - actually, he runs back into the zoo after closing time...he's so obsessed with the animals.

A search party forms for Zani, Loretta, and the boy. We also have another enemy: a sleazy zookeeper, appropriately named "Heinie". Worst of all, he tries to rape Loretta Young. Then, the exciting climax features an elephant, lions and tigers and a firey blaze that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Spoiler alert: Zani saves the boy's life and the boy's parents reward him and Loretta with a life on the farm. It's an awesome film. I saw it on two different occasions at a Chicago revival house; lots of people loved it. Some didn't like the action at the end, that it was too intense. As the title says, the movie takes place in Budapest, but it could easily have taken place at any zoo.

Released into theaters April 28, 1933 by Twentieth Century Fox.

Dames (1934)

Regular Busby Berkeley cast members Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler star.

It features some good songs and musical numbers, most notably "I Only Have Eyes For You", which comes at the very end.

The film takes a long time to get going.

The silly plot about a millionaire's inheritance and a theater troupe isn't very remarkable.

Not one of Busby Berkeley's best, in my opinion; not as good as "Gold Diggers of 1933" and "Footlight Parade".

About the cast:

Ruby Keeler (1910-1993) often was paired with Dick Powell in Warner Bros musicals in the 1930s. She was married to legendary singer Al Jolsen. She retired from acting in the 1940s but returned to Broadway in 1971. Her most famous roles were in "42nd Street" and "Gold Diggers of 1933".

Dick Powell (1904-1963)was a fresh-faced and energetic star in many comedies and musicals in the 1930s and 40s. Most notably in many of Busby Berkeley's films, as well as "Christmas in July" and "Bad and the Beautiful". He died of lymphoma in 1963 at the age of 58.

Joan Blondell (1906-1979) was a character actress who played wisecracking blondes in many films of the 1930s, providing comedy relief in "The Public Enemy" and "The Perfect Specimen". Her most famous role perhaps was in "The Gold Diggers of 1933" with her scene-stealing performance. She was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in "The Blue Veil" (1951) which starred Jane Wyman.

The Black Cat (1934)

A creepy film! Also a rare screen pairing of Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff (billed only as "KARLOFF" for some reason).

As the film opens, Bela is on his way to Karloff's mansion for a visit. On the train he meets a young couple and invites them to come along with him, which may be a mistake.

When we meet Karloff, we learn that is a creepy dude. First of all, he's a Satanist who reads "The Rites of Lucifer", and is preparing for a black moon ritual which may or not involve Bela and the couple, who try to escape.

Bela plays a good guy in this and wants to escape too, especially when he learns that Karloff  has been keeping  corpses in his basement, including one of his dead wife. Creepy! That's enough for anyone to want to get out of there. Bela is terrified of black cats, though and gets freaked out whenever one walks into the room, making it tough for him to leave.

According to my research, this was one of the top box office hits in 1934.