Reefer Madness (AKA “Tell Your Children”, “The Burning Question”, “Dope Addict”, “Doped Youth” and “Love Madness”) Directed by Louis J. Gasnier
Written by Arthur Hoerl from an original story by Lawrence Meade
1936/USA
George A. Hirliman Productions
First viewing
[box] Bureau Official: Here is an example: A fifteen-year-old lad apprehended in the act of staging a holdup – fifteen years old and a marijuana addict. Here is a most tragic case.
Dr. Carroll: Yes. I remember. Just a young boy… under the influence of drugs… who killed his entire family with an axe.[/box]
The second in my series of roadshow attractions from 1936 and another exploitation film that masquerades under the guise of raising public awareness on the perils of the evil weed.
In this one, Mary, Bill, and Jimmy are happy well-adjusted teenagers until Jimmy accepts Jack’s invitation to a party. One by one they are picked off by innocently accepting cigarettes offered by their friends … cigarettes that immediately start them laughing maniacally. After the victims become hopeless addicts, the inevitable slide to attempted rape, hit-and-run driving, murder, frame-up, and suicide begins.
This one is not quite so salacious as Marihuana but was surely scandalous for its time. The acting is priceless. This film gained cult status in the 70’s when NORML showed it as a midnight movie to raise funds for its marijuana legalization efforts.
Marihuana (AKA “Marihuana, the Devil’s Weed”; “Marihuana, the Weed with Roots in Hell!”) Directed by Dwain Esper
Written by Hildegarde Stadie
1936/USA
Roadshow Attractions
First viewing
[box] Teenaged boy: [pouring a drink] This is gonna be a slippery drink for sliding girls.[/box]
Unhampered by the Hayes Code, the filmmakers disguise a lot of naughty goings on (nude bathing!) in a supposedly anti-drug tract.
This tells the tragic story of Burma, as she falls, courtesy of a funny-looking cigarette, from sulky teenager to heartless heroin pusher. Meanwhile, we get wild dancing at a beer joint, disrobing at a weenie roast, and gangland violence. Twenty-something 30’s “teenagers” look and act strangely similar to twenty-something 50’s “teenagers”.
Except for Burma’s hilarious performance in the finale, this was not as funny as I had hoped. Then again, I was not stoned at the time. I have high hopes for Reefer Madness, which I will review later today.
The Texas Rangers Directed by King Vidor
Screenplay by Louis Stevens; story by King Vidor and Elizabeth Hill
1936/USA
Paramount Pictures
First viewing
[box] Wahoo Jones: Looks like you got me, Sam, but I’ll lay my cards on the table. I’ll shoot straight.
Sam McGee: [shooting Wahoo under the table] So will I.[/box]
This is an entertaining western from an “A” team at Paramount.
Jim Hawkins (Fred MacMurray), ‘Wahoo’ Jones (Jack Oakie), and Sam McGee (Lloyd Nolan) are a gang of friends who run a con setting up stage-coach robberies. Jim and Wahoo get split off from Sam and head off to Texas to find him. There they discover that their old con won’t work due to the vigilance of the Texas Rangers. Figuring they can’t beat ’em, Jim and Wahoo join up. They figure they may get inside info that will allow them to pull off some jobs. But as time goes on, they begin to make friends within the force. Will they be able to switch sides when opportunity calls? With Jean Parker as the love interest.
I thought this was an OK way to spend an afternoon. I always enjoy Jack Oakie – his turn as Napolini is one of my favorite parts of The Great Dictator – and he is good here.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind Directed by Stephen Spielberg
Written by Stephen Spielberg
1977/USA
Columbia Pictures Corporation/EMI Films/Julia Phillips and Michael Phillips Productions
Repeat viewing
#618 of 1001 Films You Must See Before You Die
IMDb users say 7.7/10; I say 9.5/10
[box] Barry Guiler: You can come and play now.[/box]
What better way to get back into the swing of my “must-see” movie viewing than with this practically perfect science fiction/fantasy? This would have received full points from me if the aliens had been left a mystery at the end.
I have always preferred this film to Star Wars, which came out the same year. The plot of Star Wars could have, and had, taken place in the Old West, medieval Japan, or a fairy-tale kingdom – anywhere, indeed, where good guys fought bad guys. Close Encounters only works as a collision of every day reality with the Unknown. The audience can identify with the befuddled everymen and share their sense of wonder.
I love the delight of tiny Barry Guiler when an unseen delegation from a UFO marches through his house like a whirlwind. And I can only sympathize with Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss) and his entire family as a force no one can understand takes over his will and life.
That is why I would have preferred to have let my imagination create aliens wonderful enough to create this kind of awe. I don’t think any kind of physical representation could have done the trick. As it is, the aliens look all too much like E.T. I was amused, however, at a shot that clearly shows the resemblance between big-eyed toddler Cary Guffey as Barry and the faces of the smaller aliens.
But this is nitpicking. Until the end, I was totally engrossed in the story, which has held up admirably all these years later.
Satan Met a Lady Directed by William Dieterle
Written by Brown Holmes based on a novel by Dashiell Hammett
1936/USA
Warner Bros.
First viewing
[box] Valerie Purvis: Do you mind very much, Mr. Shane, taking off your hat in the presence of a lady with a gun?[/box]
This is an adaptation of The Maltese Falcon with all the character names changed and the quarry changed to a medieval ram’s horn stuffed with jewels. It’s all played for laughs. I will identify the cast by their Maltese Falcon names: Warren William as Sam Spade; Bette Davis as Ruth Wonderly/Bridget O’Shaughnessy; Arthur Treacher as Joel Cairo; Allison Skipworth as Kasper Gutman; Maynard Holmes as Wilbur; and Porter Hall as Miles Archer.
I thought this was pretty bad. Warren William seems to be laughing at his own little joke the entire time. The whole thing is really very silly. This is the kind of thing Bette Davis was probably fighting to stay out of at Warners.
Mary of Scotland Directed by John Ford and Leslie Godwins (uncredited)
Written by Dudley Nichols from the play by Maxwell Anderson
1936/USA
RKO Radio Pictures
First viewing
[box] Mary, Queen of Scots: I have loved as a woman loves, lost as a woman loses… My son shall sit on the throne! My son shall rule England! Still, still, I win![/box]
For some reason I just couldn’t get into this film despite its fine production values.
Katharine Hepburn plays Mary, heir to the throne of England, who returns to Scotland from France at the beginning of the film. She is immediately confronted by the hostility of the Lairds that have been ruling Scotland in her absence and Presbyterian firebrand John Knox and the emnity of Elizabeth I. Her one champion is Bothwell (Fredric March) and they fall in love. However, she is more or less forced to marry Darnley, who is second in line to the English throne, to solidify her claims. Things do not turn out well for anyone concerned. Well, maybe eventually for baby James.
This was based on a stage play and while the filmmaking is quite cinematic the dialogue remains stagebound and flowery. I thought Hepburn’s performance was uneven. She often overdid it but then would be radiant once more. I thought Florence Eldridge was perfectly awful as Elizabeth. I have to admit that the film is beautiful to look at. John Ford got a “Special Recommendation” for this at the Venice Film Festival.
For TCM clips go here: http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/208648/Mary-of-Scotland-Movie-Clip-Another-Sovereign.html
Rembrandt Directed by Alexander Korda
Written by Carl Zuckmayer, June Head, and Lajos Biró
1936/UK
London Film Productions
Repeat viewing
Rembrandt van Rijn: What is success? A soldier can reckon his success in victories, a merchant in money. But my world is insubstantial. I live in a beautiful, blinding, swirling mist.
This is a very good biography of the painter with a fine performance by Charles Laughton and beautiful costumes and art direction.
The story follows Rembrandt from about the time he lost his beloved wife Saska after his “The Night Watch” met with ridicule. We see Rembrandt struggle with poverty and a nagging mistress (Gertrude Lawrence) while he continues to pursue a vision that few share. He finds contentment toward the end of his life despite bankruptcy through the love and inspiration of former scullery maid Hendrickje (Elsa Lancaster).
Charles Laughton is convincing as Rembrandt. In the course of portraying the painter, he also has the opportunity to movingly read some selections from the Bible. But the real star for me was the production design. The settings, lighting, and costumes call to mind not only several Rembrandt masterpieces but works of other Dutch Masters such as Brueghel and Vermeer. Recommended.
The Charge of the Light Brigade Directed by Michael Curtiz
Written by Michael Jacoby and Rowland Leigh inspired by the poem by Tennyson
1936/USA
Warner Bros.
First viewing
[box] When can their glory fade?/ O the wild charge they made!/ All the world wonder’d./ Honor the charge they made!/ Honor the Light Brigade,/ Noble six hundred! — Alfred Lord Tennyson “The Charge of the Light Brigade”[/box]
The war film is not a favorite genre of mine, but there is no question that this is an expertly made film of some power. I don’t know if I could have watched it, however, if I had known ahead of time about the number of horses killed in filming the Charge.
This movie does not make any pretense of historical accuracy. The regiment, characters, and incidents are all fictional. The only thing that actually happened was the Charge itself, though not for the reasons or with the results claimed.
It is India, 1856. As the movie begins, officials are telling war lord Surat Kahn that the stipend the British had been paying his father will cease. Kahn nevertheless continues to entertain the party with a tiger hunt during which Major Geoffrey Vickers (Eroll Flynn) saves Kahn’s life. We learn that the Russians would be only to glad to fill the gap left by the British.
Meanwhile, Geoffrey is engaged to his Colonel’s daughter Elsa Campbell (Olivia de Havilland). Unfortunately, Elsa has fallen in love with Geoffrey’s brother Perry (Patric Knowles) while Geoffrey was away on duty. When Perry tells Geoffrey about their love, he refuses to believe it. For one reason or another, Geoffrey is always dragged elsewhere just as Elsa tries to talk to him.
Kahn waits until most of the men at the British garrison are away at manuevers and strikes the hopelessly undermanned fortress. He offers surrender terms which the British are forced to accept and then massacres all the survivors of the initial attack except Elsa who is saved by Geoffrey. Later, Geoffrey’s regiment is sent to the Crimea because it is there that they will find Kahn and, with luck, exact vengeance. With David Niven as an officer, Donald Crisp as Elsa’s father, and just about every middle-aged British character actor in Hollywood at the time.
I liked this quite a bit. All the acting was excellent and Michael Curtiz kept the action rolling along at a good pace. The story picks up a lot when the focus shifts away from the love triangle to the fighting. Unfortunately, Warner Bros. resorted to very cruel measures to get realistic battle footage.
Dozens of horses were killed during the making of this picture due to the use of trip wires in the Charge sequence. This led to action by Congress to ensure the safety of animals in filmaking and the ASPCA to ban trip wires in its guidelines. Because of the public outcry about the scene, the film was never re-released by Warner Brothers.
After I read about this, I kept thinking about how awful it was to take an animal who had been trained to trust and obey its rider knowingly into harm’s way. So sad.
The Garden of Allah Directed by Richard Boleslawski
Written by W.P. Lipscomb, Lynn Riggs, and Willis Goldbeck
1936/USA
Selznick International Pictures
First viewing
[box] Count Anteoni: A man who refuses to acknowledge his god is unwise to set foot in the desert.[/box]
The Garden of Allah was the second film to be shot in three-strip Technicolor. It is easily the most beautiful of the early color films I have seen, with almost magical lighting. One only wishes that this beauty could have served a better film.
You know you are in trouble when any film begins with Marlene Dietrich visiting a convent. She plays Domini Enfelden, a devout heiress who seeks a cure for her loneliness after the death of her father. Mother Superior advises her to go to the desert to search her soul. In the meantime, Trappist monk Boris Androvsky (Charles Boyer), famed for the delicious liqueur he makes, suddenly flees the monastery, breaking his eternal vows.
Naturally, Domini and the gloomy Boris are thrown together on a train and set off to search their souls together. On their journey, Domini has her fortune read by a Sand Diviner (John Carradine at his most over-the-top) who predicts great joy and great tragedy for her in the desert. The couple falls in love and, despite a warning to Domini by a priest (C. Aubrey Smith) they marry. Life is blissful until the day a Foreign Legionaire recognizes Boris by the bottle of liqueur he is served. With Joseph Schildkraut as an Arab servant and Basil Rathbone as an Italian count.
I wasn’t really looking forward to this but the beautiful visuals made it bearable. Otherwise, I found it to be extremely melodramatic and almost campy. Boyer is particularly bad with his gloomy stares and fraught delivery. That said, this film established his reputation in the U.S. The over-emotional score by Max Steiner doesn’t help.
W. Howard Green and Harold Rosson received an honorary Oscar for their color cinematography. The film was also nominated for Academy Awards for Best Assistant Director and Best Score.
Clip (the color is not as good as on the DVD I saw)
Pigskin Parade
Directed by David Butler Written by Harry Tugent et al
1936/USA
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
First viewing
[box] Slug Winters: If I only had a brain.[/box]
This collegiate musical is notable chiefly for being the first feature film of 14-year-old Judy Garland.
Yale is looking for a credible opponent it can beat at its homecoming game. The board selects the University of Texas but, by mistake, the football team at Texas State in the tiny town of Prairie is invited.
Texas’s new coach Slug Winters (Jack Haley) is straight from coaching high school. He and his wife Betty (Patsy Kelly) arrive to find a pathetic team. Matters get worse when their “star” player breaks his leg while being coached by Betty. But the couple discovers a natural talent in the boonies and bring him and his cousin Sairy to the university. Laughs, singing, and dancing ensue.
Judy Garland’s singing was amazing right out of the box. Otherwise, I find Patsy Kelly terribly annoying and the story is silly and forgettable.
Clip – Judy Garland singing “The Texas Tornado” – age 14
I’ve been a classic movie fan for many years. My original mission was to see as many movies as I could get my hands on for every year from 1929 to 1970. I have completed that mission.
I then carried on with my chronological journey and and stopped midway through 1978. You can find my reviews of 1934-1978 films and “Top 10” lists for the 1929-1936 and 1944-77 films I saw here. For the past several months I have circled back to view the pre-Code films that were never reviewed here.
I’m a retired Foreign Service Officer living in Indio, California. When I’m not watching movies, I’m probably traveling, watching birds, knitting, or reading.
Photographs and videos found in this blog, unless indicated, are not owned by me and are here only for the purpose of education and discussion. Media found here are not intended for any commercial purpose. Copyright infringement is not intended.
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