The Cuckoos (1930)

Posted on January 5, 2022 | Leave a comment

The Cuckoos
Directed by Paul Sloane
Written by Cyrus Wood based on a musical play by Guy Bolton, Harry Ruby and Bert Kalmar
1931/US
RKO Radio Pictures
IMDb page
First viewing/Amazon Prime rental

Flapper: You’re Americans, aren’t you?
Professor Cunningham: Yes, yes, but we can’t lend you any money.

Back for another dose of Wheeler and Woolsey tom-foolery.

Sparrow (Bert Wheeler) and Professor Cunningham (Robert Woolsey) are fake fortune tellers who have somehow wound up in Mexico near a gypsy camp.  The camp is run by an expert knife thrower who covets young American Anita (Dorothy Lee) who has lived with the gypsies since she was four.  Sparrow and Anita instantly fall in love when they meet and the knife thrower is out for vengeance.

At the same time, a wealthy lady is trying to break up a romance between her niece and clean-cut American Billy and force her to marry a baron.   The lady has her niece kidnapped and Anita also is dragged back to the camp.  Fun and frolic ensue.There’s more music and musical numbers than usual. The best is Wheeler and Lee’s “I Love You So Much” duet. The aviator/niece subplot slows down the proceedings but the aunt is pretty funny and has a good number with Woolsey.  Not the duo’s best perhaps, but there are several laugh out loud moments.

 

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Posted in 1930, Pre-Code Reviews

M

Posted on January 3, 2022 | 2 comments

M
Directed by Fritz Lang
Written by Thea von Harbou and Fritz Lang
1931/Germany
Nero Film Ag
IMDb page
Repeat viewing/Criterion Channel
One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

Beggar’s Union Member: Stop snoring! You’ll wake up the lice.

Masterpiece. Full stop.

Odd little man Hans Beckert (Peter Lorre) blends easily into a crowd.  This is how he has managed to terrorize a city with a series of child murders.  He lures little girls into his powers by offering them sweets and gifts.  Mothers all over the city are terrified to allow their children to walk the streets alone.  The police are baffled.

Because they have no better ideas, the police repeatedly raid criminal enterprises throughout the town and round up the usual suspects.  This is putting quite a damper on business and the criminals decide to pursue the killer themselves, using inconspicuous members of the Beggar’s Union as spies.

Finally the criminals manage to corner Hans in an office building storage unit and drag him to their hide out for a trial.  Hans would rather be caught by the police, thank you very much.

This more than stands the test of time and people will probably still be watching with equal awe 100 years from now. Everything works: the script, the pre-noir cinematography, the social commentary.  Peter Lorre leaves an indelible impression in surprisingly little screen time. The definition of a movie you must see before you die.

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Posted in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, 1931

People on Sunday (1930)

Posted on January 2, 2022 | 8 comments

People on Sunday (Menschen am Sonntag)
Directed by Robert Siodmak and Edgar G. Ulmer
Written by Billy Wilder from reportage of Curt Siodmak
1930/Germany
Film Studio 1929/Film Studio Berlin
IMDb page
First viewing/Criterion Channel

Millions long for immortality who don’t know what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon. — Susan Ertz

Future Hollywood greats teamed up to make this silent film about young people enjoying a day of leisure in the fading glow of pre-Hitler Berlin.

Two friends, Edwin and Wolf, want to take a break from the everyday grind and decide to pick up a couple of girls for a day of fun.  Lothario Wolf picks up Cristl, who invites her best friend Brigitte to make up a foursome.  But Wolf decides he likes Brigitte best and seduces her.

As they tire of the two girls, the men starting flirting with new ones.  The girls not only don’t get the boyfriends they are looking for, they are left to pay for a paddle boat the two ingrates rented.  Monday morning dawns and all Berlin waits for Sunday to come around again.

This is a charming film made with amateur actors.  The amateur acting does not slow down the proceedings at all, perhaps because they don’t need to speak.  Aside from the main plot, we get delightful portraits of happy Berliners and the city they live in.

 

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Posted in 1930

Lovin’ the Ladies (1930)

Posted on December 31, 2021 | 2 comments

Lovin’ the Ladies
Directed by Melville W. Brown
Written by J. Walter Rubin from a play by William Le Baron
1930/US
RKO Radio Pictures
IMDb page
First viewing/Amazon Prime rental

There are many harsh lessons to be learned from the gambling experience, but the harshest one of all is the difference between having Fun and being Smart. — Hunter S. Thompson

Sometimes watching a silly drawing room comedy is just what the doctor ordered.

New York City is one big party for the young and wealthy. After a conversation about the fickleness of love, Jimmy Farnsworth bets his equally wealthy friends that he can get any two people engaged within a month. It just so happens that electrician Peter Darby (Richard Dix) has been called in to fix something. Darby is self-educated, making him the smartest man in the room. He agrees, on the condition that he will receive half the $5,000 bet.

Jimmy selects wallflower/intellect Betty as the other half of his dream pair. Unfortunately for Jimmy, neither of his players is exactly cooperative. Much mayhem and misunderstanding ensue.

I had a really good time watching this. Kept me laughing – sometimes at just how ridiculous it is.

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Posted in 1930, Pre-Code Reviews

2021 In Review and New to Me Favorites

Posted on December 31, 2021 | 2 comments

I can’t lie, 2021 was a hard year with my husband’s second heart attack and my brother’s stroke.  My viewing for this year began in mid-1973 and ended in mid-1978 before taking a long leap backward into pre-Code films.  I have no idea when I will get back to the 1970s.  Whenever the urge strikes I suppose.  It’s easy and comforting to watch these old films.  I watched around 189 films during the year.

I saw many great films.  Since I’ve been seeking out classic movies for a long time, many of the best were re-watches.  Still there were many gems that were new to me. I have pondered why there are not more Hollywood films on these lists.   My explanation is that I was going out to the movie theater a lot at that time so I had already seen the best Hollywood films from these years.  This is in chronological order until we get into a couple of films from the 20’s

The Wicker Man (1973) – directed by Robin Hardy

Scenes from a Marriage (1974) – directed by Ingmar Bergman

Swept Away (1974) – directed by Lina Wertmuller

Alice in the Cities (1974) – directed by Wim Wenders

Barry Lyndon (1975) – directed by Stanley Kubrick

Mother Kusters Goes to Heaven  (1975) – directed by Ranier Werner Fassbinder

The Story of Adele H. (1975) – directed by Francois Truffaut

Cria Cuervos  (1975) – directed by Victor Erice

KIngs of the Road (1976) – directed by Wim Wenders

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976)- directed by John Cassavetes

A Special Day (1977) – directed by Ettore Scola

Eraserhead (1977) – directed by David Lynch

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) – directed by Philip Kaufman

Lucky Star (1929) – directed by Frank Borzage

Wings (1927) – William Wellman

7th Heaven (1927) – directed by Frank Borzage

I’m behind on my review writing.  Since watching Lovin’ the Ladies, I have watched People on Sunday (1930); M (1931); The Cuckoos (1930); Madam Satan (1930); and The Public Enemy (1931).

Wishing one and all a 2022 filled with peace, love, understanding, health, happiness, and prosperity.

 

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Posted in Top Ten Lists

The Front Page (1931)

Posted on December 30, 2021 | 2 comments

The Front Page
Directed by Lewis Milestone
Written by Bartlett Cormack from a play by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur
1931/US
The Caddo Company (Lewis Milestone’s production)
IMDb page
Repeat viewing/YouTube

Walter Burns: We’ll kick over the whole city hall like an apple cart. We’ll get the Mayor and Hartman against the wall. We’ll put one administration out and another one in. Why, this isn’t a newspaper story, it’s a career! And you stand there belly-achin’ about some girl.

 

The oh-so-versatile Lewis Milestone gives us a rapid-fire comedy almost the equal of Howard Hawks’s remake.

In this version of the story, Walter Burns (Adolphe Menjou) is a ruthless crusading newspaper editor and Hildy Johnson (Pat O’Brien) is his ace reporter who wants to quit the business and marry a nice girl.

The story takes place on one day and night in a newsroom where reporters are waiting to cover the execution of Earl Williams.  Williams is an anarchist and the sheriff and Mayor know his execution will give them a boost in the upcoming election.  The reporters are up to their usual cynical doings while they wait.

But eventually Williams escapes and is hidden by Hildy.  Now he’s interested and it is relatively easy for Walter to manipulate him into staying and covering the big story.  His fiancee and future mother-in-law are not amused.

The wisecracks and gags get more pointed as the plot progresses.  With so many great 30’s character actors including Edward Everett Horton, Frank McHugh, and Slim Summerville and with Mae Clarke as the only person that believes in Williams’s innocence.

It’s amazing how little of the story needed to be changed when Hildy’s sex was changed. If you like His Girl Friday (1940), you will probably enjoy this.

The Front Page was nominated for Oscars in the categories of Best Picture; Best Actor (Menjou) and Best Director

 

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Posted in Pre-Code Reviews

Sin Takes a Holiday (1930)

Posted on December 29, 2021 | Leave a comment

Sin Takes a Holiday
Directed by Paul L. Stein
Written by Horace Jackson; story by Robert Milton and Dorothy Cairns
1930/US
Pathe Exchange
IMDb page
First viewing/YouTube

Reggie Durant: It’s curious how attractive a girl can be on a honeymoon – without a husband.

Entertaining if slight pre-Code love triangle.

Gaylord Stanton (Kenneth MacKenna) is a divorce attorney who mingles with the “in-crowd” in New York City.  He and his friends all have active love lives.  Gaylord avoids commitment by sticking to married ladies.  When his latest fling’s husband files for divorce and names him correspondent, he knows he is in grave danger of getting caught.  So he decides to marry his secretary in name only and send her off to Europe.  Sylvia Brenner (Constance Bennett) is a plain Jane (read she is gorgeous but wears business attire and little make-up).  She is also secretly in love with Gaylord.  She agrees to the arrangement in exchange for a new wardrobe and money.

Gaylord’s friend Reggie Durant (Basil Rathbone) takes an annual trip to Paris where he can indulge in affairs with a definite expiration date.  He and Sylvia meet on the voyage over.  She has now morphed into a sophisticated glamor girl and Reggie is smitten.  Eventually, he proposes.  At about this time, Sylvia is called home to prove her existence.  And that she does indeed.

It’s a real pre-Code kind of a plot with plenty of glamor, spectacular gowns, and art deco sets. My favorite part was seeing Rathbone as a love interest for a change of pace. It’s the kind of movie you surely don’t need to seek out but if the period and plot appeals, I doubt you will be disappointed.

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Posted in 1930, Pre-Code Reviews

Happy Holidays!

Posted on December 25, 2021 | 6 comments

Wheeler and Woolsey get Thelma Todd for Christmas.  Hope the day has brought you many good things!

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Since I last posted I have watched “Sin Takes a Holiday” (1930); “The Front Page” (1930); and “Lovin’ the Ladies” (1930).  Will review briefly later.  Yesterday my husband and I watched A Christmas Carol (1951) and A Christmas Story (1983).

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Posted in Pre-Code Reviews

The Docks of New York (1928)

Posted on December 22, 2021 | 2 comments

The Docks of New York
Directed by Josef von Sternberg
Written by Jules Furthman from “The Dock Walloper” by John Monk Saunders
1928/USA
Paramount Pictures
IMDb page
Repeat viewing/YouTube
One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

Bill Roberts: Are you goin’ to let me have a good time in my own quiet way, or must I take this place apart?

Von Sternberg and company turn a night on the waterfront into a beautiful, if grimy, fairy tale.

Bill Roberts (George Bancroft) is a big burly hard-drinking hard-loving stoker on a steamship. He has just one night in port in New York.  Mae (Betty Compson) is a sad and delicate beauty who makes her living in the dives on the wharf. On his way to his favorite dive, George sees Mae jump in the river and rescues her.  He drinks and fights and tries to cheer her up in the bar.

He’s not having much success in brightening her spirits so he hits on the idea of marrying her.  Will the events of the night change their lives forever or will the dawn bring only giant hangovers?

Everything about this movie is superb, starting with the acting through the beautiful cinematography filled with deep shadows and fog.  It’s an unusual love story which I highly recommend.

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Posted in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, 1928, Pre-Code Reviews

Little Caesar (1931)

Posted on December 21, 2021 | 2 comments

Little Caesar
Directed by Mervyn LeRoy
Written by Francis Edward Faragoh based on a novel by W.R. Burnett
1931/US
Warner Bros.
IMDb page
Repeat viewing/Amazon Prime rental
One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

Caesar Enrico Bandello: You can dish it out, but you got so you can’t take it no more.

Edward G. Robinson lights up the screen every time he appears in this gangland classic.

We meet Caesar Enrico Bandello (“Rico”; soon to become Little Caesar) (Robinson) as he is robbing a gas station somewhere in the sticks.  Shots ring out and it is clear he has used his constant companion so as to leave no witnesses.  His friend and sidekick Joe Massara has been his accomplice.  Rico and Joe talk things over and Rico figures he is ready for the big city and the big time.  The city attracts Joe too, but he’d rather hit the big time as a dancer, a profession Rico scorns.

Rico applies for a position in Sam Vittori’s (Stanley Fields) gang.  He is hired though Sam has been told by the Big Boy (Sidney Blackmer) to cool it with the killings and Rico is clearly trigger happy.  The first job Rico goes out on is to rob the patrons of the Peacock Club, where Joe now has a dance act with girlfriend Olga (Glenda Farrell).  Joe is forced by Rico to participate.  He is aghast when Rico blasts the Crime Commissioner.

The ruthless Rico continues to rise in the ranks of the underworld taking over Sam’s gang and setting his sites ever higher.  He wants Joe by his side, threatening to kill him and Olga, unless he complies.  But Rico is a vain hot-head who doesn’t think things through too well.  Will hubris lead to his downfall?

It’s been awhile since I last saw this.  The big draw is Robinson’s electric performance. You can’t take your eyes off him while he is on screen.  Unfortunately, he is not always on screen and those parts are kind of ordinary.  I was surprised that there is no reference to either Prohibition or bootlegging in the film.  Iconic and recommended.

Little Caesar received an Oscar nomination for Best Writing, Adapted.

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Posted in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, 1930