---14 I have watched but not commented on:
Employees Entrance (1933) Warren William, Loretta Young, Wallace Ford, Alice White. Warren is Mr. Anderson, the manager of a large department store and hires and fires people at random, according to his rules. He has an eye for the young things that are desperate for work in the hard times of the 1930's. One young beauty is Madeleine, who he beds, then hires as a salesgirl. Martin West (Ford) is a go-getter that Anderson sees is much like he himself so he starts advancing him up the ladder. But Martin has met and fallen in love with Madeleine; they marry but must keep it a secret, and she tries to keep both of them afloat in this sea of misanthropy. William is his usual best at being bad and a cad. Ford is very good as the conflicted 2nd lead. Loretta is pretty. 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0023986/
Cleopatra (1934) Claudette Colbert, Warren William, Henry Wilcoxin, Ian Keith. If for no other reason, see this for the scene of the Queen Of Egypt give the slight nod of her head to her Major domo, to start the giant oars of the barge, to the beat of the drum - and that gorgeous Kopp score. Gad! DeMille knew how to put on a show. Magnificent. Claudette Colbert is terrific as the Queen - who must be obeyed. The men are all adequate but it is DeMille, the showman, who is the star. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024991/
Times Square Playboy (1936) Warren William, Gene & Katherine Lockhart, June Travis, Barton MacLane. "Pighead" Ben Bancroft comes to the big city to be best man at his old school chum Vic's wedding. Pighead gets it into his head that the fiancee' and her family are taking advantage of his friends good nature. Much bluster and telling off people goes on and soon Ben has everyone mad at everyone. Nice little Cohan story and good performances, make this worth seeing. Gene Lockhart and MacLane, pros that they are, steal scenes right and left. 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028383/
Women Are Like That (1938) Kay Francis, Pat O'Brien, Thurston Hall. Dueling advertising execs is routine plot for lots of comedies. But this has Bill/O'Brien more obnoxious and unlikable than I have ever seen him. He has a temper tantrum and behaves like a spoiled child. Kay/Claire is his wife and partner at the firm, which her father/Claudius owned. Pop decides to retire but really is absconding with company funds, leaving son-in-law to clean up the mess. Bill uses his stock money to pay off debts and so he doesn't have to fire anyone. He ends up leaving the firm and Claire gets to work and makes a success. Kay is fine as the put-upon wife and successful business woman. Hall as the father steals every scene he is in and looks to be having a ball. No to Pat - what a boor. 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0030985/
Little Men (1940) Kay Frances, George Bancroft, Jimmy Lydon, Jack Oakie, Carl Esmond. Christopher Columbus!! Poor Kay. This was so beneath her. Jimmy Lydon is annoying in the extreme, and Bancroft and Oakie only need mustache and beards to twiddle and twaddle and twirl to make it more juvenile. Making 3 or more films a year for 5 years, Kay gives one of her best ever performances as a sweet viper in 1939s "In Name Only" and wonderful comic timing in 1940s "Play Girl." So we can forgive this one; a formula story of the bad boy becoming the savior of the school and family and all's right with the world; it is fine for children of all ages. All others - beware. 5/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032717/
Play Girl (1940) Kay Francis, James Ellison, Midred Coles, Margaret Hamilton. Born in 1905, Kay is now 35! Too old to catch the rich gents, according to this film.(?) So she has to recruit a sweet young thing of 19 to catch the rich playboys. Hard for us to realize that women had so few choices that they played these games. Kay is radiant and seems to relish some of the lines she is saying. Coles is rather stiff. Hamilton, as the maid, steals scenes routinely. Ellison is goodlooking and nice. But Nigel Bruce as a man in his 30s or 40s?? Fantasy for old men. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032916/
The Feminine Touch(1941) Kay Francis, Rosalind Russell, Don Ameche, Van Heflin. John Hathaway(Ameche) is a professor of psychology at Digby College and has had his first book, on jealousy, accepted by Elliott Morgan Publishing. He and wife Julie go to NYC to meet with publisher, Elliott Morgan and his secretary Nellie, and talk about how to bring out the book. But all Elliott seems to want is some time with Julie. And Nellie is only interested in one section of the book. And Elliott. So with him chasing Julie and John just interested in getting published, they all end up at the retreat Elliott has on an off shore island. Sparkling dialog and slapstick routines ensue and it is lots of fun. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033596/
Bittersweet (1940) Jeanette MacDonald, Nelson Eddy, George Sanders, Ian Hunter. Their 2nd technicolor film and it is beautiful. But, sadly, they are too old for the young lovers story they are making. Nevertheless, the sets are lovely, the music wonderful and so it is a nice hour and a half. And the lyrics: "I'll see you again, whenever spring breaks though again" so lovely and sad... 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032256/
Dark Passage (1947) Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Agnes Moorehead Character actors: Cab Driver -Tom D'Andrea; Clifton Young - blackmailer; Rlry Mallison - friend; Houseley Stevenson - Doctor; Tom Fadden - diner counterman; Mary Field - mother in bus station; Douglas Kennedy - cop who causes trouble; and of course, Jo Stafford's voice singing "You're Just too Wonderful". Holy - moly, kemosabi! What a cast! http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039302/
Cry Of The City (1948) Victor Mature, Richard Conte, Fred Clark, Shelley Winters. In 1934 William Powell and Clark Gable were the original orphans who grew up to be on opposite sides of the law. Gable was the gangster; Powell ends up as the Govenor. Many, many films later we have this one. Conte gives a gritty performance as a guy who thinks of No.1 - himself. Mature is from the neighborhood and used to eat at Mama's table. When it comes time to bring Rome in, Mature plays him as just a cop doing his job. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040257/
Arthur (1981) Dudley Moore, Liza Minelli, John Gielgud (Oscar), Geraldine Fitzgerald, Ted Ross. One of the funniest comedies of the last 30 years. Watched it the other night and laughed all the way through even though I know it by heart. When someone asks "where shall we go now?" I always say "Through the paaak - you know how I love the paaak!" So many funny lines and Moores fumbling through Liza's apartment is still great timing by all and very funny. 9/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082031/
Midnight Run (1988) Robert De Niro, Charles Grodin, Yaphet Kotto. Okay. Grodins an accountant for the mob. He know where the money is and helps himself. De Niro is a Bounty hunter who needs the money he will get for bringing the guy in. So the fun is when these two misfits are trying to get cross country without getting killed. Still fun but not quite as funny this time. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095631/
The Big Year (2011) Becoming a all-time fave that I will always stop and watch. It's the birds, feathered; and the people who chase them - only for spotting. Love it! 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1053810/
Bridesmaids (2011) Kristen Wiig, Rose Byrne, Jill Clayburgh. Only names I recognized. I did not laugh even once. I am not the target audiance - too old? 5/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1478338/
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