Tag Archives: 1930s

The Prince and the Pauper
Directed by William Keighley
Written by Laird Doyle based on the novel by Mark Twain
1937/USA
First National Pictures/Warner Bros
Repeat viewing

[box] Prince Edward Tudor: Soldier of fortune. Strange profession.

Miles Hendon: Well, of the three of them for a gentleman without means I think it’s the most amusing. Cheating at cards means associating with dull people. Preaching the gospel means wearing one of those funny hats.[/box]

Despite its stellar cast, this dress rehearsal for The Adventures of Robin Hood goes on too long.

In an alternative reality, Henry VIII of England is on his death bed.  Edward, the spoiled Prince of Wales, enjoys playing with Elizabeth and Lady Jane Grey and terrorizing the servants.  One day, he takes a walk in the palace grounds and discovers urchin Tom Canty being beaten by the guards.  He takes a liking to the lad and brings him inside.  They notice their uncanny resemblance to each other and, on a lark, switch clothes.  Edward goes out in Tom’s rags to fetch his dog and is nabbed by the guard who promptly eject him.

Edward is rescued from another beating at the hands of Tom’s father (Barton MacLane) by intrepid soldier of fortune Miles Hendon (Errol Flynn) and the two become friends. Meanwhile, Henry VIII dies with the imposter still in the castle.  Evil Earl of Hertford (Claude Rains) discovers the boy’s identity.  He uses the situation to get himself named High Protector, something that never would have been allowed by the real Edward who hates him, and sets out to eliminate the true King.  Can the boys be restored to their stations before Tom is crowned King?  With the Mauch Twins as Tom and Edward and Alan Hale as the Captain of the Guard.

This movie does not have nearly enough Errol Flynn, who does not appear until midway through the story.  The screen lights up when either he or Rains is on it then reverts to torpor during the many long scenes with the twins.  The coronation scene is particularly tedious.  The twins are actually not so bad — it is their material that could use some work. The film does boast a fine score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold and lavish art direction by Robert M. Haas.

Trailer

San Quentin
Directed by Lloyd Bacon
Written by Peter Miller, Humphrey Cobb et al
1937/USA
First National Pictures/Warner Bros.
First viewing

[box] Tagline: Out Of The “Pen” . . . Into The Jaws Of Death ! . . .[/box]

Humphrey Bogart rescues this clichéd prison drama.

Lt. Druggin (Barton Keyes) rules the San Quentin prison yard with an iron hand, sending elderly deaf men to solitary just because they can’t hear his orders.  The prison board doesn’t like his methods, so they hire ex-Army trainer Capt. Stephen Jameson (Pat O’Brien) to restore order and win the hearts of the men.  Meanwhile, Jameson falls in love with May (Ann Sheridan), then discovers hardened convict ‘Red’ Kennedy (Humphrey Bogart) is her younger brother.  Jameson takes an interest in Red and he is sent on the coveted road gang duty.  The men resent the special treatment but Red resents Jameson’s involvement with his sister even more.

I thought this was over-earnest but Humphrey Bogart is always good.  The ending is an eye-roller.  It didn’t help that the DVD commentary was one of those blow-by-blow descriptions of what we can see for ourselves.

Re-release Trailer

Double Wedding
Directed by Richard Thorpe
Written by Jo Swerling based on a play by Ferenc Molnar
1937/USA
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
First viewing

[box] Charles Lodge: Women don’t like noble, self-sacrificing men. Women are not civilized like we are. They like bloodshed. They like forceful men, like me.[/box]

I had never heard of this movie before, so it came as a delightful suprise.

Margit Agnew (Myrna Loy) is naturally bossy and has taken over her sister Irene’s life since their mother died.  Their mother selected milquetoast Waldo Beaver (John Beal) for Irene’s fiance and for four years he has been living with Margit and Irene without marrying.  Irene dreams of being an actress and she and Waldo have been working with some-time film director and bohemian painter Charles Lodge (William Powell).  Margit finds out and confronts Lodge but he does not scare easily.  Irene has become infatuated with Lodge and he uses the prospect of a marriage to see more of Margit.  With Jessie-Ralph as Margit’s free-thinking older friend and Edgar Kennedy as a bar owner.

I thought this was hilarious.  I laughed out loud many times at the dialogue and antics of the characters.  I especially enjoyed John Beal’s deadpan comedy turn. Oddly, he was a dramatic actor and I can’t find much more of him to watch.  Of course, Powell and Loy are fantastic. There’s some slapstick but mostly this relies on pure wit.  It’s in the screwball comedy vein but not too frenetic.  I don’t want to spoil more by going on but I really felt like I had discovered a gem.  Recommended.

Clip

Think Fast, Mr. Moto
Directed by Norman Foster
Written by Howard Ellis Smith and Norman Foster based on a story by J.P. Marquand
USA/1937
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
First viewing

[box] Kentaro Moto: Half the world spends its time laughing at the other half, and both are fools.[/box]

This was the first in the series of eight Mr. Moto films with Peter Lorre.  Lorre is meant to simulate a Japanese with the addition of glasses and some funny teeth but he is still 100% Lorre, complete with German accent.  In this one, Mr. Moto has his eye on a diamond smuggling gang during a Pacific crossing en route to Shanghai.  It’s well-made B fare.  With Sig Ruman as a bad guy and J. Carrol Naish as an Arab henchman.

Trailer

Black Legion
Directed by Archie Mayo
Written by Abem Finkel and William Wister Haines based on a story by Robert Lord
1937/USA
Warner Bros.
First viewing

Humphrey Bogart had one of his first leading roles in Black Legion, the story of a working man seduced by a Ku Klux Clan-style organization.

Frank Taylor (Bogart) is known as the best machine operator in the shop, at least by his friends.  The men kid Joe Dombrowski for always having his nose in a book.  When a job as foreman opens up, Frank goes shopping for a new car.  But the job goes to Joe and Frank is outraged.  Frank becomes easy prey to the Black Legion, a secret organization advocating “America for Americans” and terrorizing foreigners.  After they chase Dombrowski and his father out of town, Frank gets the coveted job. Soon, however, his life is in a tailspin and Frank discovers that it is far easier to join the Legion than to leave it. With Dick Foran as Frank’s friend Joe and Ann Sheridan as Joe’s girl.

This is a good solid Warner Brothers Depression-era social issues film.  Bogart is very good.  There are a lot of good 1937 details, such as that Frank is looking at an economical car that gets 18 miles per gallon.

Trailer