FIRST WATCHES:
The Big House (1930) Wallace Beery, Chester Morris, Robert Montgomery, Lewis Stone. Still marvelous film about prison life and the men who are there. Beery is the hardened criminal; Morris the humane and intellectual one; Montgomery the scared newby who by the end is the stoolie; Stone the warden. Plotting breakouts and those who just wait for parole, and the life behind the big wall, with double crosses and snitches. Still as timely as ever, only this is about an all white world, and as bad as it is, probably was worse for any minority. Cast is wonderful. Shown on TCM this week, it was a good print of the film, crisp and the sound was first rate. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0020686/combined
Dames (1934) Joan Blondell, Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell, Guy Kibbee, Zazu Pitts. Busby Berkeleystaged the musical numbers and the song "I Only Have Eyes For YOu, Dear" is high lighted a number of times. Powell is in great voice; Keeler is Keeler and cutere than usual. Story about show biz and the rich guy who wants to do away with shows altogether is as silly as usual, but there is the music and great cinematography to carry us through. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0025028/combined
Pot o' Gold (1941) Paulette Goddard, James Stewart, Horace Heidt, Charles Winninger. Pitiful musical with cast that can't sing doing songs that are forgettable. Fake from beginning to end. Stewart is as bad as I have ever seen him and Paulette too. But at least she is pretty and cute. So bad I finally was fast forwarding through whole musical numbers. I'm generous giving this ---- 5/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034055/combined
Slightly Dangerous (1943) Lana Turner, Robert Young, Walter Brennan, Dame May Whitty. Cute silliness about a small town girl working in a store who wins an award of a few dollars for being on time for 1000 days. She gets mad and decides to fake her death and run away to the big city. There she is conked on the head and fakes losing her memory. Her picture in the paper with clues make a rich man and the nanny for the guys long lost daughter believe she is the one. Meanwhile the guy who was fired from his management position because she was supposedly killed is searching for her and finds her. Lana is cute as can be and Brennan and Whitty are fine, but Young is as bad as I have ever seen him. Not charming or funny at all. Just annoying. 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036365/combined
Chase A Crooked Shadow (1958) Anne Baxter, Richard Todd, Herbert Lom, Alexander Knox. A young woman whose brother has died in a car crash is suddenly confronted with a guy who looks like him who says he is her brother. A cat and mouse tale with the sister trying to convince various people that he is an imposter and the guy trying to prove she is losing her grip. Even the uncle she counts on to back her up, says it is her brother. Detective Lom is confused as a local policeman who doesn't know who to believe. What is going on? Holds the interest until near the end but sort of fizzles out. Cast is good at putting doubt in your mind. I watched this on TCM and they invluced the announcement by Douglas Fairbanks Jr. at the close about the audience keeping mum about the ending so others coud enjoy the suspence. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050246/combined
Summer doldrums have arrived.
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