---headline films I saw recently:
Jewel Robbery (1932) Kay Francis, William Powell, Helen Vinson. Charming jewel robber charms baroness out of her latest diamond ring and other trophies. Pre code charmer with two masters at the top of their game. Kay is gorgeous in the styles of the day. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0023074/
Boy Meets Girl (1938) James Cagney, Pat O"Brien, Marie Wilson, Ralph Bellamy. Rapid fire dialog between Pat and Jimmy, playing idea men and script writers at a Hollywood studio. Waitress Marie wanders into an office with lunch for the boss, and becomes the focus of everyones concern when she says something about her baby. Complete ditziness and screwy, but the stars handle it so well, and so we go along for the ride. Short scene with Penny Singleton as a manicurist and Jimmy's pal Frank McHugh plays his usual flustered and put upon manager. 6/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029940/
Ice Follies Of 1939 Joan Crawford, James Stewart, Lew Ayers, Lewis Stone. In 1939 the little towns, and even some larger ones in America, would not be on the circuit of The Ice Follies or any other ice show. This film would have been pretty fun for the price of admission for the whole family. The usual backstage plot of struggling act in small time shows trying to get ahead. Jimmy and Joan are married and he wants to produce their own shows. When they land in Hollywood, their car is hit by a guy who turns out to be the head man at a studio. He gives Joan his card. When they all are having a tough time, Joan goes to the studio and uses the card to get to the guy and is given a contract for some reason. That is the plot. Her star rises; his does too, but in different cities. Will they get together again? The final 15 minutes is an elaborate skating show number, supposedly in a film. It is in glorious technicolor. Louis B. Mayer's answer to 20ths Sonja Henie money makers. 20th never did a color picture for Henie. I believe it was 1945 and an Independent Film Co. "It's A Pleasure", released by RKO when she finally was in filmed in color. But Joan in her Snow White princess costume on a throne in the film within a film, is lovely. 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031470/
Out Of The Past (1947) Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, Kirk Douglas, Rhonda Fleming. Favorite noir, with scene after scene near perfect for the genre. World weary Jeff has made a life as a gas station owner in a small town. His past catches up with him when henchmen for gangster Whit (Douglas) find him and bring him to his Lake Tahoe home. Whit's gal, Kathy (Greer) has gone missing with lots of his money. He wants Jeff to find her and bring her back. So Jeff heads to last known place she was seen, Mexico. He traces her to a small town on the coast and eventually they meet. And it is lust at first sight. The twists and turns of the story and the great cast, marvelous cinematography, and score, make this one just as perfect for my money, as they get. 10/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039689/
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948) Myrna Loy, Cary Grant, Melvin Douglas, Reginald Denny, Louis Beavers. One of the best post WWII stories of a ad exec who decides to get out of NYC and build his dream house like millions of men after they got home from the war, but this guy just has a little more money. After all the problems, he says to his lawyer (Douglas), "what about all those guys who don't have $30,000 (an enormous amount for the average family back then). How will they be able to build a house?" Love this film, from it's "Zuzz-zuzz water softener" to Muriel's going into exact detail on each rooms color with the contractor, I lived or had relatives or friends who went through all the trials and tribulations. Wonderful film of the way it was. 9/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040613/
Mr. Soft Touch (1949) Glenn Ford, Evelyn Keyes, Beulah Bondi, John Ireland. Nice romance with a noir touch. With a not so perfect guy who is running from cops and thugs because he robbed a guy who cheated him, and ends up at the local settlement home, with a sweet no nonsense lady in charge. With the fact that it is the week before Christmas and getting the tree decorated, the choir practiced, and so forth, this is a good film to start Holiday film watching. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041663/
Instant Love (1964 Brazil/ Pão de Açúcar ) Rhonda Fleming, Rosano Brazzi. Both stars went home before the last scenes were filmed because the production ran out of money and could not resolve the problems. So many years later, when Rhonda attended a showing, she was amazed they were able to use what had been filmed and make an ending that made sense. The color, the clothes and the music at the carnival is wonderful. Story of an American actress visiting a school chum in Rio, who falls for and marries a very traditional Brazilian male workaholic, who ensconces her in his plantation home with servants to wait on her, leaving her nothing to do. And he is gone for long hours every day. Bored out of her mind, she eventually has had enough and leaves, but through some plotting she gets her guy back by the end. 6/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0353923/
Newer films are in my next post.
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