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Wings, the first movie to win an Academy Award for Best Picture and the only silent film to win, is still remarkably enjoyable to watch. The story is a fairly conventional one--two flyboys, both in love with the same girl, go off to fight World War I, and male bonding and heartbreak ensue. It's a perfectly serviceable plot, except for the key logical flaw that both young men have inexplicably fallen in love with the boring girl down the street and have somehow failed to notice that Clara Bow is the girl next door. Both male leads really flew their airplanes, and the dogfight footage is still spectacular. The main reason to watch Wings, though, is to see the difference between an actor and a movie star. There are many actors in the film, but only two movie stars. Clara Bow is a treat to watch every minute she's on screen, and young Gary Cooper in a tiny role nearly walks away with the movie, mostly by standing there and looking dreamy. It's well worth sitting through a little cheesy organ music for a movie this much fun. --Ali Davis ... Read more

Reviews (21)

Weak Plot, Awesome Fighting Scenes!
Although silent goddess Clara Bow headlines the cast, I was surprised how limited her role in this movie was. The plot she is tied to is very weak and I don't think the conclusion helps it too much (Clara's character leaving the war and her love interest changing his affections so effortlessly once he returned home). Her sexy image is really toned down as well. One scene has her luring her drunken boyfriend (a very funny drunken boyfriend) from a Paris night club in a skimpy number. The dress didn't fit the character's girl-next-door image at all.

The real storyline is between pals Jack Powell and David Armstrong (played expertly by Buddy Rogers and Richard Arlen). Anyone interested in the First World War will find this film a real treat! The training scenes I found particularly interesting. Then there are the many aerial fighting scenes. They are so well done they look like documentary footage. Scenes shot from the pilot's point of view put the viewer right into the action! Scenes like these make the "two guys in love with the same girl" plot seem so insignificant.

You also get two brief but excellent performances by a very young Gary Cooper and an aged Henry B. Walthall from Birth of A Nation fame. Although only 49 in this film, Walthall does an amazing job portraying a crippled old man grieving the departure of his son.

An Oscar First
"Wings" is one of the best silent films ever made. It deservingly became the first movie to win the Oscar for Best Picture (1927-1928). It stars Clara Bow, Charles Rogers, and more, including a cameo appearance by then-unknown Gary Cooper. This film was ahead of its time with its visual effects, cinematograghy, and plot. Few other films at the time successfully made such elaborate scenes realistic looking. They obviously made great use with the technology that they had then. Few films were able to take a chain of events and spread them out to keep the audience's interest for over two hours. This plot is brilliant! It explores two friends who travel to Germany to fight WWI. Little do they know is that they left the same girl behind in the US. The drama and the war theme combine beautifully, keeping the emotion intact. The lucky charms add an added interesting touch. The acting is wonderful. Clara Bow, the 1920's "It"-girl(and the Marilyn Monroe of the 1920's), beautifully and emotionally plays her role as a woman left behind by her "friend" fighting in the war who struggles to get him to realize that she's in love with him. The men who play the soldier friends add their own harsh was realisms into the film. Such performance the movie its added enjoyment. "Wings" is a great movie for those looking for war sequences. Even those not interested in silent movies will enjoy this. Those who watch it will easily figure out why this movie is a classic.

Great Movie-Shame You Can't Own it
Apparently it is out of print in VHS and unavailiable in DVD. Inexcusable. Paramount needs to get with the program. Wings is extremely important as film history and is also a great movie on its own. One of the last great silents. The aerial acrobatics are worth watching just in themselves. The story isn't the stuff of genius. Basic love triangle stuff. The genius is in how the story is told, the perfect acting and the several fascinating scenes throughout the movie. I really can't recommend renting or buying a used vhs copy of Wings highly enough.

A bit above average, I guess.
Well, here is exactly the type of silent film that most people do not watch nowadays; it's neither a comedy like the Charlie Chaplin movies, nor a horror film like Nosferatu. This, instead, is a typical American action/drama flick, with ample quantities of both.

It certainly suffers at times for being a silent film; dialogues have to be displayed on the screen, and this happens quite often because the story here is sometimes quite complex. Not only do the characters talk a lot, but the story also often requires some explaining, and some of the explanations can be quite long.

The action sequences are not as "big" as in they would be in movies today, but they are a lot more impressive in their own way. I was just amazed at how they could have shot some of those sequences; I got the impression that the person who was shooting was probably in quite a lot of danger, because I knew that they could not have used special effects in 1927; what I was seeing was the real thing. It was quite exhilirating to see those old, unsafe, WW1 planes in the air. I do not think that any director today would be crazy enough to duplicate something like this with real planes, so this is probably the only chance anyone has to see these planes in action, and feel like you're right in the thick of a dogfight.

That having been said, the film does stretch out for a bit too long sometimes. It never really gets boring, but it never really gets particularly interesting for most of the movie either. Most of the time, it's just entertaining enough to keep you watching it.

The reason I gave it a "4" is because the ending, when it comes, is quite good (don't let anybody spoil it for you; watch for yourself), and also because of the action sequences. The film is also quite funny in a few spots, notably in any scene with the patriotic Dutch aviator (I wish we had seen more of him), and in the Paris "drunken man" scene.

Overall, not a bad movie, and one that I know others may like more than me; so go ahead and see it (don't forget, though; it's 131 minutes)!

Luminescent Wings
This exceptional film is indeed long overdue for its DVD release. (Paramount Home Video, get on the ball!)

Like Eric Player, I saw this film many years ago, and it too is one of those rare flicks that remains imprinted on one's memory.

I don't know if any of my fellow reviewers have seen this film as it was meant to be seen -- in a pristine restored print, shown on an actual movie screen with live organ accompaniement.

And Not on VHS tape (yuchh)!!!

I live in the Washington DC area, which also happens to have, outside of Hollywood, two centers of film preservation and restoration: the Library of Congress Motion Picture archives, and the American Film Institute.

Some 15 - 20 years ago, I attended a screening through the AFI, as part of its great classics film festival, and was blown away by this presentation.

The quality of the restored print was so startingly crisp that it looked as if it was shot the day before.

No need to expound further upon the performances, nor the plot, save to say that Wings just about has everything that makes a special film great.

Incidentally, the always handsome Charles Buddy Rogers had a special regard for this film, and often in his later years, accompanied Wings when it was shown at festivals and college film classes.

Rogers lived into his early nineties -- the last surviving star of the film -- and died just around 5 years ago! ... Read more

Reviews (17)

OUR FAVOURITE WAIF
This was the first movie actually crafted just for Shirley and the kids should find it a fun diversion, even today. It's in this movie in which Temple sings her famed version of ON THE GOOD SHIP LOLLIPOP - while on an airplane! The supporting cast includes the little seen silent screen actress Lois Wilson who plays Shirley's mother (employed as a maid) and the talented Irishman, James Dunn - he won an Oscar for the happy alcoholic singing waiter in A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN - does well as Shirley's kind uncle. Cheeky Jane Withers (Remember Josephine, the plumber who endorsed Comet cleanser in the sixties?) plays Joy, and she's fun in contrast to Shirley's goody-goody personna- she's wild, mischievous, noisy, jealous, messy, angry and not particularly cute; she was eventually ranked second in popularity to Temple as a thirties female child star. Recommended for the little ones because these Temple films are inoffensive (with very few exceptions) and are expertly computer colourized!

Jane and Shirley light up the screen!
Shirley Temple and Jane Withers are a dynamic duo together as Shirley plays a orphaned child that everybody wishes to adopt and Jane plays a selfish brat who has no compassion for Shirley or anybody else. This movie is simply hysterical with the rude Joy (Jane Withers)and the funny and political Uncle Ned. I have never laughed as much as I did in any other Shirley Temple film! Shirley sings her trade mark song "On the Good Ship Lollipop" and will dazzle you with her charm. The plot of the story is easy for young children to follow and consists of tear jerkers, hysterical moments, and dramatic scenes. I have to say this movie wouldn't receive 5 stars without Jane Withers!

"Sweet Landings"....
This review refers to the 20th Century Fox DVD edition of "Bright Eyes".....

I've always been a sucker for little Shirley Temple singing "On The Good Ship Lollipop" and couldn't resist picking up this DVD.From 1934, this story takes you back to a time of innocence that just can't be done again in today's world. Shirley will tug at your heartstrings and you're happy to let her do it!

This story was tailor made for Temple's charms. Already having lost her father, "the best aviator there ever was", she is now the apple of they eyes of all the flyers at the airport.Espcially one,'Loop' Merritt(James Dunn), her father's best friend who loves her dearly.Shirley lives in the home of a wealthy but nasty couple where her mother is a maid. When tragedy strikes again, and Shirley's mom meets with an unfortunate accident, the fight begins over who will adopt this adorable orphan.

In the short span of 83 minutes, it's a story that has laughter, tears, adventure and lots of love. If you love Shirley..this is a must have. But it's not just the Shirley show...the rest of the cast is terrific. James Dunn, Jane Darwell,and Lois Smith will all touch you, but the two that nearly steal the show are Charles Sellon as Uncle Ned, an old curmudgeon who becomes a real softy around Shirley, and little Jane Withers...the brattiest brat there ever was. All this little tyke wants for Christmas is a machine gun!

I was very pleased with this DVD by 20th Cent Fox. Yes it was a bit on the grainey side, but the film, now 70 years old, showed no scratches, lines or cracks.I hope I look that good at 70! I nearly had a panic attack though when I read the back of the box and it said that this version was colorized, but don't worry, when you pop it in the player, the first thing that comes up is a choice of the original B/W or the colorized version..so you can watch both and see which you prefer. You also get the choice of viewing it in the newly enhanced stereo or mono.There are also subtitles in English(captions), and Spanish.

It's a nice one to watch during the holidays as a good part of the story takes place during Christmas.If you are a fan..introduce a new generation to Shirley. This a great one to start with.

Sweet Landings.....Laurie

One of her better movies.
The movie has the seen that the TV networks always have qued up with her singing: On the good ship lollypop.

One of the cutest films!!!
Shirley is VERY cute in this film. She plays a very unselfish and cute little girl who likes to help out and visit the airport. She basicially does not have to act in this film because the way her chartacter acts is how Shirley acts herself . (Notice that her name is Shirley in this film.)
It deserves a three star though because I didn't see much dancing in this film except for The Good Ship Lollipop, and when you watch Jane Withers and Shirley together you can feel guilty when you act selfish. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

A MUST SEE
This is a very good movie! I am a Shirley Temple fan, but I think that even if you are not, you will still love this movie! Shirley plays Star, a child that was in a ship wreck and was found by Captain January, a lighthouse keeper. There is an evil truant officer who is trying to take Star away from "Cap". This movie has something for everyone. It has a lot of really funny parts, but it also has a very good plot. There are some good songs in the movie, such as,"At the Codfish Ball","Early Bird",and "The Right Somebody To Love". This is a very good movie, A must see for anyone!

Shirley
This Temple film is very good. Little Shirley stars as the "daughter" of a lighthouse keeper who rescued her when she was a baby. A truant officer learns that "Star" doesn't go to school, makes her take an examination, and when she passes, angrily decides to sent Star to an institution. Unhappy Star gets a surprise from her sympathizing aunt and uncle. Includes lots of dancing. Not too cute like some of the Temple films. Lots of songs.

Great film
This movie has a good dance sequence with Shirley and Buddy Ebsen. Shirley sings some good songs with friends. An uplifting and entertaining film.

Gets Me Everytime
This is probably one of the only films besides for some tear-jerking romance movies that gets me to break down in tears each time I watch it. Shirley Temple gives an excellent performance as Star, a pint-sized orphan living with her savior, Captain January, in a lighthouse on the shore. When Star is ripped out of Captain January's arms as the cold truant officer tries to put her in an institution (I know- these are a likely basis for Temple flicks but who cant love them!), I bawl everytime as she yells to the grief-stricken Cap- "What did I do? Why are they taking me away from you?" It is the sadest thing ever to see a little girl, especially Shirley, break down like that- it gets me everytime.
This movie is indeed a Temple memorable- most def. one of her classics. She shines in this movie- dances surely the best she can with Buddy Ebsen- and bestows this beautiful relationship with the old sea Cap. The cap and Star both take care of each other and it is adorable to watch on screen. The songs in this movie are very cute and any child or Shirley fan will love this movie. I highly recommed it being a major Shirley fan myself. I grew up with her big smile, her bright eyes, her tiny dimples, and her curly top- Shes a big part of my childhood memories. I wish their were movies more like these that exist now...

AT THE CODFISH BALL WITH JED CLAMPETT!
A remake of a 1923 silent with the now-forgotten Baby Peggy, this is an amusing little Temple flick - one in which the little ones should enjoy. This was Shirley's initial 1936 release and it actually turned out to be one of her most fondly remembered movies. Based upon an 1890 novel entitled THE LIGHTHOUSE AT CAPE TEMPEST by Laura E. Richards, its the story of a poor foundling (how unusual for a Temple character!) named Star who is taken in by a kindly lighthouse keeper - the title character played by the talented Guy Kibbee. Shirley sings THE RIGHT SOMEBODY TO LOVE and her dance number with Buddy Ebsen is among her best while doing AT THE CODFISH BALL. During the filming of the latter's sequence, Temple had to climb a 45 foot stairway while a camera crane moved up beside her, catching her lines each time she turned on the stairs - timing the line exactly to the turn - Shirley never missed the synchronization once. Temple was easily the greatest asset the newly formed TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX had and this movie is quite a showcase for the little moppet. It's designed solely as its star's vehicle; Shirley appears in nearly every sequence: grinning, sobbing, dancing, singing, wriggling, pattering downstairs or spitting on her pinafore as the scenerio requires! The colourization process has improved substantially, so the kids won't complain about watching "old black and white movies"! ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Nelson Eddy and Jeanette McDonald

This film was made in 1940 when Nelson Eddy and Jeanette McDonald were at their peak. Both singers could emote. They didn't need to swallow the microphone as they do today, with their thin, breathy style of singing, depending upon technology to be heard.

The story revolves around a French Duke who, during the revolution, gives up his title, frees his bonded servants, and heads for New Orleans by ship, posing as a servant(footman). On the voyage he meets Jeanette McDonald, where a love/hate relationship develops. He is sold as a slave,takes over the ship, is shipwrecked on an uncharted tropical island, and their relationship takes the inevitable course.

This is a musical, and so McDonald and Eddy regale us with several songs. it is no wonder that they were such popular singers. They actually harmonized, in those days. Refreshing, indeed.

Joseph (Joe) Pierre

author of The Descendants of Thomas Pier
and other books

A PRIME MACDONALD & EDDY MUSICAL.
A beautifully filmed version of the famous 1928 Hammerstein-Romberg operetta. In 1789, the Duke de Vidier, a young French aristocrat, renounces his claim of nobility to further the cause of the revolution by freeing the bond servants in New Orleans. While posing as a deported servant named Charles Michon, the Duke sails on a New Orleans bound ship where he meets the spoiled Marianne de Beaumanoir.......Naturally the above roles are filled by none other than Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald, respectively. The working title of this film was LOVER COME BACK, and it was sometimes broadcast on television as PARISIAN BELLE. An earlier 1931 version starred Grace Moore and Lawrence Tibbett. Buster Keaton and Nat Pendelton can be seen very briefly as bondsmen. The wonderful score includes such perennials as LOVER COME BACK TO ME, STOUTHEARTED MEN, SOFTLY AS IN A MORNING SUNRISE & ONE KISS. The steamboat scenes were shot at Santa Catalina Island by Clyde de Vinna.

A beautifully done film.
They don't make them like this anymore. This is one of Jeanette and Nelson's best films. Their are some really lovely and memorable songs, and a good storyline. I highly recommend this film.

New Moon
This movie is truely beautiful. The costumes, The photography, the lighting, and the music. This is my favorite of the MacDonald, and Eddy movies.

INCREDIBLE MUSIC AND PERFORMANCES
A classic musical romantic comedy. Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy were at their superb best. Their onscreen chemistry while always good peaked in this movie. The supporting cast is also excellent. While the story is romantized the yearning of people for liberty is presented well. The costumes and sets were all beautiful. The only serious flaw is that the movie was presented in black and white. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

VINTAGE DAVIS
Bette Davis gives a stunning performance as Joyce Heath, an alcoholic stage star with a self-destructive complex. Joyce Heath is a vitally tempestuous creature who has ruined her reputation as an actress and has come to be regarded in her profession as something of a jinx. Theatrically blacklisted, she has become an alcoholic in the depths of her own self-destruction. One night, while drinking herself into a hole in a seedy bar, she is noticed by wealthy architect Don Bellows (Franchot Tone); Heath has been idolized by Bellows ever since he saw her play Juliet years before. Don takes Heath under his wing, bringing her to his house in the country and a inevitable love affair ensues. The character of Joyce Heath gave Davis an oppurtunity to convey all of the most instense emotions of which she was capable, from anxiety to zealousness, including liberal amounts of her famous screen bitchiness. The script is rather weak and mawkish at times and the film is almost totally carried by Davis, who uses all her well-known acting tricks to make her character come alive. Alison Skipworth is amusing as Mrs.Williams, Bellows cook who tells Franchot confidentially that Davis is indeed "dangerous". Ernest Haller's photography is justly praised; in the middle of the film, Davis is beautifully photographed, and her scenes with Tone (playing cards and eating homemade toffee) are incredibly spontaneous and realistic. Margaret Lindsay plays socialite Gail Armitage to whom Bellows is engaged (and eventually marries) and she gives a typical "stock" performance. Davis gives an Oscar worthy performance yet she is the only thing this movie has going for it; the character of Gordon Heath is unbelievably lame and the ending is unsatisfactory and banal to say the least. DANGEROUS was a success at the box office and it was one of Warner's biggest money-makers for 1935.

HIGH VOLTAGE BETTE.
It has been widely implied that the Academy Award given to Bette Davis for her performance in this mediocre film was actually a consolation prize for her electrifying performance as Mildred Rogers in OF HUMAN BONDAGE - which was filmed the year before. Although this 1935 film reeks of soap & has a really corny ending, you can get fixated watching LaDavis - still in her blonde period - act everyone off the screen. For her performance alone, DANGEROUS is worth sitting through: otherwise it would be considered a hackeneyed, mawkish piece of vintage trash. Bette plays Joyce Heath, a once-esteemed theatre actress who's drifted into the seedy life of alcholism and self-pity. One night, while drinking cheap gin in a dive, she's recognised by a young, promising architect named Don Bellows, who takes her under his wing and encourages the once-great actress to make a come-back... Davis is astonishingly electrifying in her playing: one can see why she was a fascination to 1935 moviegoers! Mind you, not everyone was a Davis devotee, but her highly charged, energetic personality was nigh impossible to ignore once seen on the silver screen. The middle of the film contains the best scenes, and there's a genuine - if somewhat unusual - chemistry between Davis and Tone. Margaret Lindsay does well enough as classy Gail Armitage who tells Bellows that "a secret's a secret". Franchot Tone isn't as bad as other reviewers have stated; he certainly had a fine speaking voice. As the almost unbearably mealy Gordon Heath, one wants to slap John Eldredge's face: an unbelievable entry in the cut-my-arm-off-if-it-will-help-you martyr sweepstakes. As a trivial footnote, the final working title of the film (after about seven inadequate ones) was HARD LUCK DAME. It was Davis herself who came up with naming the film DANGEROUS. Forgettably remade in 1941 - again by Warners - as SINGAPORE WOMAN with Brenda Marshall & directed by the later esteemed Jean Negulesco.

A BITTER BETTE STEALS THE SHOW...
Bette Davis won an Oscar for her deft portrayal of Joyce Heath, a former Broadway star who made a meteoric rise to the top and, just as quickly, hit bottom. Believed to be a jinx by a superstitious theatre crowd, Heath is bad news, a sloppy, bitter drunk who drowns her sorrows in gin soaked jags of self pity. The former brightest star on Broadway is now a bottom feeder, living on the skids.

Enter Don Bellows, played with earnest sincerity by Franchot Tone, a fan of Heath when she was at her peak. He claims that a performance of hers, which he saw, forever changed his life, allowing him to become the architect he always dreamed of being, rather than a stockbroker. One day, he sees Ms. Heath in a gin joint, totally in her cups. Sending his friend and his fiancee, Gail, home, he returns to the gin joint and takes Joyce Heath to his country home to rehabilitate her in repayment for the tremendous difference that she had, unknowingly, made in his life. What he does not count on is falling in love with her.

The bitter Joyce initially resists his attempts to get her back on the road to recovery, but ultimately responds to his nurturing and concern for her welfare. Recovered, she finds that she has fallen in love with him and he with her. His passion for her causes him to break off his engagement with Gail, his socially prominent fiancee.

Wanting to help Joyce regain the stardom that she previously had and that her thespian talent demands, Don backs a broadway show that he believes will allow her to regain her rightful place on Broadway. He does this, despite her protestations that she has brought only ruin to those men who had the misfortune to fall in love with her. He also insists that she marry him. His simple, though insistent, marriage proposal sets into motion a sequence of events that he could not possibly have envisioned. Enter Gordon Heath, a blast from Joyce's secret past, who must be dealt with, if Joyce is to find any happiness with Don. How she deals with him, however, sets her down a path out of one's worst nightmare. Subsequent events later make Don realize that Joyce is truly "dangerous".

Bette Davis is dazzling in her role. She runs the gamut of human emotions in playing the role of Ms. Heath and, deservedly, won what was to be the first of two Academy Awards for Best Actress. Franchot Tone is fine in his role, but what on earth the studio saw in him, I cannot fathom. He is certainly no heartthrob and is not even particularly charismatic. The role of Gordon Heath, played with simpering masochism by John Eldridge, makes the viewer marvel at the restraint Joyce had in dealing with him, as Eldridge's portrayal makes the viewer's fingers itch with the urge to slap him numerous times.

Unfortunately, the sizzle in the movie fizzles, when the film gives in towards the end to utter sanctimonious banality. It is too bad, given the performance by Ms. Davis, as it could have been a great movie. Still, this is a must see film for all Davis fans.

Early Davis shines in pre stardom Oscar winning role
Made during her "apprenticeship", at Warner Bros, when she was forced to appear in many highly forgettable film roles, "Dangerous", was definately the standout in so far as it provided the young and driven Bette Davis with a character worthy of her dramatic efforts. As Davis herself stated about this film "I saw potential in the role of Joyce Heath, realised the pot holes in the story and had to work like ten dogs to stop it from getting bogged down in treacle!". Work she did, and very well indeed, being rewarded for her efforts with the 1935 Best Actress Academy Award.

Viewed today "Dangerous", while highly entertaining and featuring a terrific performance by Bette Davis, is very obvious in its weaknesses and contains alot of situations and dialogue that really dont ring true. Nevertheless it is an important film in the career of Davis in that it revealed what she was capable of achieving when time and effort was spent on preparing her films a little better than previously.It tells the story of acclaimed actress Joyce Heath who finds herself a jinx on both the people in her life and in any production she is involved in. Going from being the shining light of Broadway she finds herself in the alchoholic gutter with no friends and no career. A chance encounter with rich architect Don Bellows (Franchot Tone in a good but poorly written role) changes her circumstances as Bellows is immediately attracted to her and becomes her champion in all things. Despite being engaged to be married to lovely socialite Gail Armitage (Margaret Lindsay)he determines to restore Joyce's life as once, she (unknowingly), inspired him to better himself and explore his artistic side in the field of architecture. Taken by Don to sober up at his country estate Joyce, a chronic drinker first resents and verbally attacks Don however as she sees the importance he places on getting her life back in order she responds and finds herself falling in love with him despite warning him of her jinx on men and that she will always be "dangerous", to any person who comes close to her. Don decides to bank roll her return to Broadway and on the eve of the first night it seems that the jinx is again at work when it is discovered that Joyce actually is married and cannot obtain a divorce after Don asks her to marry him after the first night of the play. In an insane rage Joyce tries to kill her sickly devoted husband Gordon (John Eldredge) after he refuses to divorce her and thus jeopardizes the production due to open. It's only after this diseaster and when Don has gone and finally married Gail that Joyce realises that others are important and then attempts to right the terrible wrong she has done to both her now crippled husband and the many peope in the Broadway comunity that had faith in her.

Vintage soap opera? Maybe, but acted with a conviction by Bette Davis that does make us believe the improbable situations occuring. The supporting cast also score great acting points in their various roles. Franchot Tone who never really settled into the Hollywood acting situation has a difficult role to play here as on one side of things he must be a capable business type who is obviously an astute individual while on the reverse having to play a character that really wouldn't probably get involved in the situation he finds himself in. He does well playing Bellows but alot of his situation fails to really ring true. Margaret Lindsay is delightful as Don's spurned fiance but once again her character as written is perhaps a little too excepting of the situation with Joyce to be regarded as totally realistic. Veteran character actress Alison Skipworth as Mrs. Williams, Don's house keeper really scores as a crusty individual who really stands up to Joyce's drunken ravings and helps put her on the course back to respectability. The look of the production has a rich other worldly feel about it as was typical of movie making in the 1930's. It reveals an almost too glamourous world of smart cars, beautiful clothes, palatial country houses and city apartments. Just the tonic for depression weary movie goers in 1935.

I personally love this early performance by Bette Davis a few years before her great period of stardom began. Her great commanding star presence is very obvious even here. I regard "Dangerous", as vital to include in any Bette Davis collection and what you see is raw vital talent that within a few years would be refined in a number of unforgettable performances that are as vivid today as they were 60 years ago. Unrealistic as it may be at times "Dangerous", is highly entertaining viewing and shouldn't be missed when exploring the formidable collection of work by the legendary Bette Davis.

Obvious Melodrama
Bette Davis stars in this melodrama as Joyce Heath, an actress that has been labeled a jinx due to the hard luck that befalls the men in her life and the productions she is associated with. Once considered that brightest, rarest talent of her generation, she is reduced to an embarrassed alcoholic, unable to get work. She is rescued by Franchot Tone, an architect and fan who wants to rehabilitate. He's engaged to society girl Margaret Lindsay, who knows nothing of his "humanitarian" deeds. Needless to say, Tone falls for Davis, and he begins to discover why his housekeeper Alison Skipworth has warned him against her ... she is dangerous. You can't say Davis doesn't go for it with this performance. She chews the scenery in her drunk and bitter scenes. She is more subdued and effective in the quieter scenes, when she reveals her character's vulnerability. Tone is alright, not really making much of an impression, while Lindsay is boring in a badly written role that she does nothing with. The screenplay is weak and obvious, and the melodrama came on too strong for my tastes. I never really felt that these were real people, but rather just plot devices to keep the story moving along. But Davis does help to keep it watchable. You sort of get the impression she knew how bad this was, so she did whatever she could to salvage the film. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

"The love impulse in man," says a psychiatrist in Bringing Up Baby, "frequently reveals itself in terms of conflict." That's for sure. For a primer on the rules and regulations of the classic screwball comedy, which throws love and conflict into close proximity, look no further. A straight-laced paleontologist (Cary Grant) loses a dinosaur bone to a dog belonging to free-spirited heiress Katharine Hepburn. In trying to retrieve said bone, Grant is drawn into the vortex surrounding the delicious Hepburn, which becomes a flirtatious pas de deux that will transform both of them. Director Howard Hawks plays the complications as a breathless escalation of their "love impulse," yet the movie is nonetheless romantic for all its speed. (Hawks's His Girl Friday, also with Grant, goes even faster.) Grant and Hepburn are a match made in movie heaven, in sync with each other throughout. Not a great box-office success when first released, Bringing Up Baby has since taken its place as a high-water mark of the screwball form, and it was used as a model for Peter Bogdanovich's What's Up, Doc? --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (87)

SCREWBALL COMEDY
The first time I watched this movie I could not stop laughingeven after it was over. Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn two of my alltime favorites do an excellent job with the great supporting cast and especially baby, george and the intercalastic clavical!!! There is a leopard on your roof and it's my leopard and I have to get it and to get it I have to sing. Cary Grant even looks great in drag!! Well, you look perfectly idiotic in those clothes. These aren't my clothes Well, where are your clothes? I've lost my clothes! But why are you waring these clothes? Because, I just went gay all of a sudden!

If someone is reading this that has not seen the movie. Go get it! Classic movies are great. In this movie there is no vulgar language or sex scenes just great fun and it is so much funny than today's comedys take Adam Sandler movies they make me ill. He acts so ignorant in a bad sort or a way that it is not even funny. Shampoo is better oh yeah I was laughing for weeks after that one.

Great Screwball Comedy
Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn both made their share of comedies, but this one was different for both of them. It might be the fastest, most frenetic movie I've seen. Most of the comedy is pure slapstick, which was not typical for Grant or Hepburn. Grant plays a bookish archaeologist being courted by eccentric heiress Hepburn, who lives in the country and just happens to have a pet leopard ("Baby"). It's a miracle either survives the pratfalls (although Grant has always been fairly athletic and often inserts scenes involving climbing ledges and jumping from window sill to window sill in his films). In this movie, he reminds me of Jacques Tati in "Mr. Hulot's Holiday" as he bumbles from disaster to disaster. This film also highlights Ms. Hepburn's versatility, as everyone knows she can do romance and drama ("The African Queen" and "The Lion in Winter"). The romantic/comic banter in this movie is as fast-paced as the movie as a whole, and you have to listen closely to catch it all. You have to be wide awake and in the mood to pay attention to watch this movie and enjoy it. If you are those things, watch it and have a ball.

5 stars for the movie, but 0 for its absence on DVD
No plot review here--- it's been adequately done by plenty of viewers before me--- but just an urgent plea to the studio to PLEASE release this on DVD! This is THE classic screwball comedy, and how much better can it get than this? Cary Grant (with whom I fell in love at age 10 and never stopped), Katharine Hepburn (I just wanted to BE her since I was 10), and a couple of leopards, orchestrated into a symphony of hilarity by Howard Hawks. Nothing short of wonderful (bested, in my opinion, ONLY by The Philadelphia Story). So please please PLEASE let us have this timeless classic on DVD. And soon!

Review of Baby
Bringing Up Baby was a very funny movie. Hepburn and Grant did an excellent job. Hepburn plays the funny 'blonde' and Grant is just at his wits end with her. Watch this movie.

I can't give you anything but love, baby...
Wonderful, Wonderful, Wonderful! Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn team up in this delightful screwball comedy. The dialogue and comic timing are perfect. I can't remember any other movie that I have seen with as many hilarious circumstances as this film. It is truly a great classic. Watch as David (Grant) and Susan (Hepburn) team up while searching for a leopard, a dog and an intercostal clavical (Dinosaur bone) in Connecticut. This fim is one of my all-time favorites. I recommend it to anyone and everyone. Don't miss it! ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Shirley Temple, the original dancing baby, sings her signature song, "On the Good Ship Lollipop," in this heart-rending drama, one of eight films she made in 1934 (!) at the ripe age of 6, and for which she was honored with a special pint-sized Academy Award. Temple stars as Shirley, the curly-headed "gosh, oh gee"-adorable mascot to a group of aviators since her pilot father "cracked up and went to heaven." Get out your handkerchiefs when Shirley's mother is also killed, setting up a custody battle between the nasty, highfalutin Joy Smythe's curmudgeon uncle Ned; Loop, another pilot; and the society girl who once left Loop grounded at the altar.

Temple's movies are today marketed as children's films, but, like the classic Warner Bros. cartoons, they were made for adults. Her plucky, indomitable spirit helped America get through the Depression. She's perky and precocious to beat the band, but she suffers so on the way to the inevitable happy ending. When she gushes, "It's the best day I've ever had in my whole life," you know tragedy is imminent.

In Bright Eyes she is also at the mercy of bratty Smythe (scene-stealing Jane Withers), a pint-sized tantrum-throwing terror who makes Linda Blair in The Exorcist look like a Teletubbie. A further parental advisory in these politically correct times: Joy's eagerly awaited comeuppance is a real slap in the face. --Donald Liebenson ... Read more

Reviews (17)

OUR FAVOURITE WAIF
This was the first movie actually crafted just for Shirley and the kids should find it a fun diversion, even today. It's in this movie in which Temple sings her famed version of ON THE GOOD SHIP LOLLIPOP - while on an airplane! The supporting cast includes the little seen silent screen actress Lois Wilson who plays Shirley's mother (employed as a maid) and the talented Irishman, James Dunn - he won an Oscar for the happy alcoholic singing waiter in A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN - does well as Shirley's kind uncle. Cheeky Jane Withers (Remember Josephine, the plumber who endorsed Comet cleanser in the sixties?) plays Joy, and she's fun in contrast to Shirley's goody-goody personna- she's wild, mischievous, noisy, jealous, messy, angry and not particularly cute; she was eventually ranked second in popularity to Temple as a thirties female child star. Recommended for the little ones because these Temple films are inoffensive (with very few exceptions) and are expertly computer colourized!

Jane and Shirley light up the screen!
Shirley Temple and Jane Withers are a dynamic duo together as Shirley plays a orphaned child that everybody wishes to adopt and Jane plays a selfish brat who has no compassion for Shirley or anybody else. This movie is simply hysterical with the rude Joy (Jane Withers)and the funny and political Uncle Ned. I have never laughed as much as I did in any other Shirley Temple film! Shirley sings her trade mark song "On the Good Ship Lollipop" and will dazzle you with her charm. The plot of the story is easy for young children to follow and consists of tear jerkers, hysterical moments, and dramatic scenes. I have to say this movie wouldn't receive 5 stars without Jane Withers!

"Sweet Landings"....
This review refers to the 20th Century Fox DVD edition of "Bright Eyes".....

I've always been a sucker for little Shirley Temple singing "On The Good Ship Lollipop" and couldn't resist picking up this DVD.From 1934, this story takes you back to a time of innocence that just can't be done again in today's world. Shirley will tug at your heartstrings and you're happy to let her do it!

This story was tailor made for Temple's charms. Already having lost her father, "the best aviator there ever was", she is now the apple of they eyes of all the flyers at the airport.Espcially one,'Loop' Merritt(James Dunn), her father's best friend who loves her dearly.Shirley lives in the home of a wealthy but nasty couple where her mother is a maid. When tragedy strikes again, and Shirley's mom meets with an unfortunate accident, the fight begins over who will adopt this adorable orphan.

In the short span of 83 minutes, it's a story that has laughter, tears, adventure and lots of love. If you love Shirley..this is a must have. But it's not just the Shirley show...the rest of the cast is terrific. James Dunn, Jane Darwell,and Lois Smith will all touch you, but the two that nearly steal the show are Charles Sellon as Uncle Ned, an old curmudgeon who becomes a real softy around Shirley, and little Jane Withers...the brattiest brat there ever was. All this little tyke wants for Christmas is a machine gun!

I was very pleased with this DVD by 20th Cent Fox. Yes it was a bit on the grainey side, but the film, now 70 years old, showed no scratches, lines or cracks.I hope I look that good at 70! I nearly had a panic attack though when I read the back of the box and it said that this version was colorized, but don't worry, when you pop it in the player, the first thing that comes up is a choice of the original B/W or the colorized version..so you can watch both and see which you prefer. You also get the choice of viewing it in the newly enhanced stereo or mono.There are also subtitles in English(captions), and Spanish.

It's a nice one to watch during the holidays as a good part of the story takes place during Christmas.If you are a fan..introduce a new generation to Shirley. This a great one to start with.

Sweet Landings.....Laurie

One of her better movies.
The movie has the seen that the TV networks always have qued up with her singing: On the good ship lollypop.

One of the cutest films!!!
Shirley is VERY cute in this film. She plays a very unselfish and cute little girl who likes to help out and visit the airport. She basicially does not have to act in this film because the way her chartacter acts is how Shirley acts herself . (Notice that her name is Shirley in this film.)
It deserves a three star though because I didn't see much dancing in this film except for The Good Ship Lollipop, and when you watch Jane Withers and Shirley together you can feel guilty when you act selfish. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

A PRE-CODE TREASURE
If you are a Norma Shearer fan, prepare yourself for an exciting ride. While certainly not news today, a philandering husband and a wife that paid him back in kind was big news in 1930. This movie was considered scandalous in its day and Miss Shearer was rewarded for her lovely, genuine performance with an Oscar, the only one of her too-short career. Chester Morris plays the cheating husband to perfection, with the usual chauvinistic excuses of the other woman meaning nothing and then expresses outrage when his wife decides to play along, to see if a casual encounter really means nothing. All in all, a fantastic movie that hasn't dated badly and one that perfectly demonstrates why Miss Shearer was considered Queen of MGM at the start of the 30s. Also catch Robert Montgomery in one of his first roles, as the husband's friend. Don't pass this one up!

A FINE EARLY TALKIE.
This movie was hot stuff in 193O! Based upon a steamy novel by Ursula Parrott entitled EX-WIFE, it won an Academy Award for Norma Shearer, who proved to be not just the wife of Hollywood mogul Irving Thalberg, but a really talented actress as well. The plot concerns would-be liberal young marrieds who divorce when she puts up with his affairs but he cannot tolerate hers. Then she falls in love with a married man...Actually, the plotline is rather more complex than the simplex synopsis above: the film examines the double standard which was being much-discussed in society in the early thirties. Norma Shearer wasn't astonishingly beautiful, but she worked hard at being a fine actress, and she was the epitome of a 193O's moderne as it were. Other Shearer films worth watching are: THE BARRETTS OF WIMPOLE STREET, SMILIN' THROUGH, ROMEO AND JULIET & THE WOMEN.

Wow!
This is one of my favourite movies of the '30s. I love everything about this film - the smart, fashionable sets and fashions - the sexy, snappy plot - the black and white photography which just shines (great for watching late at night with all the lights out). Norma Shearer gives a terrific performance - surprisingly modern and natural, and the film moves along at a fast pace and never dulls. I won't give away the plot - which still holds relevance today in marraige or partnership (the double standard tackled in this film is still around). As for the ending - its perfect! You wouldn't want it any other way. A previous reviewer has stated that the ending of the film rather spoiled it for her - that it contradicted the feminism apparent in earlier scenes. However, what we have here is both partners accepting the other's flaws - and if it seems that its Norma's character making all the effort that's just because she is the stronger of the two (made obvious throughout the movie - while her ex husband drinks himself into unemployment her love life and career goes from strength to strength). Ultimately though, this movie is a fascinating and daring (for its day) insight into sexual politics among the smart set in the early thirties, and has to viewed as such by a modern viewer. And above all else - this movie is fun! If you're a fan of vintage Hollywood then you should love this movie.

Excellent Film!!!
If you are fans of Norma Shearer and Chester Morris, this IS the movie for you.......An Absolutely entertaining film from beginning to end....This is the movie which started my interest in collecting Chester Morris films on video....a very good actor who I would say didn't get the recognition he truly deserved..and Norma Shearer, a truly beautiful and gifted actress...

Not as racy as you might expect
It's great that Norma Shearer's career has been favourably reassessed in the last decade or so, after she was dismissed for so long as a poor actress. She has a naturalness about her that makes it easy for contemporary audiences to relate to her.
As someone who is interested in pre-code Hollywood and who has read quite a bit about this film, I approached "The Divorcee" with hopeful expectation. Shearer is great, and the scenes where she "gets even" with her cheating husband and then confronts his audacious double standard are first rate. The scenes immediately following where she explores her newfound (but short-lived) sexual freedom are also clever.
Unfortunatly, for me, the film slides downwards from there towards an overly moralistic conclusion which I found both jolting and unconvincing. A film which started out as a strong feminist statement ends with a definite repudiation of feminism and a reaffirmament of patriacrhy and of the sexual double standard.
Still, it is very well worth seeing. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

High Life in Paris MGM Style
Following her first sound film, the box office hit Anna Christie, Greta Garbo made six films for MGM in a period of 24 months. But in the words of John Bainbridge in his still readable study of Garbo's career (1955), "None added much to her reputation. Only 'the greatest living actress' could have survived the banality of most." Inspiration, one of the lesser items in the series, deals with the rising and falling fortunes of Yvonne (Greta Garbo), the "inspiration" for a circle of affluent Parisian artists. But when she encounters the young Andre (Robert Montgomery), she recognizes true love and abandons the demimonde. Sadly, however, Andre, a contemptible twit who comes from a respectable bourgeois family, is being groomed for the foreign service and abandons Yvonne when he learns of her past. At the conclusion, just as he is on the verge of marriage, Andre returns to her, but Yvonne, far nobler than he, renounces him and while he sleeps steals off with a former lover who has just come out of prison.

Inspiration was adapted by Gene Markey from the short novel Sappho by Alphonse Daudet--uncredited--written in 1884, which has more than passing similarities to Camille by Dumas fils. But Markey updated the story to the present time, with the unintended effect of making these bohemian antics seem wildly anachronistic--after all, this was the Paris of James Joyce, Pablo Picasso, Jean Cocteau and the surrealists, not to mention Getrude Stein and Ernest Hemingway, and not the playground of superannuated roues posing as bohemians. But if the film would have seemed ludicrous to anyone familiar with the contemporary European art scene, it is even harder to fathom what audiences here would have made out of it at a moment when most American males were more worried about where their next meal was coming from rather than about where they could latch onto a poule de luxe.

Inspiration is emphatically a pre-Code production, and anyone still suffering from the false impression that MGM was a goody-goody studio in the early 1930s may find the picture an eye-opener. (In an early scene a cab driver brags about one of his lady fares granting him her favors after he takes her to her house.) But the main reason for watching Inspiration today is not to peek at a salacious curiosity but to worship at the shrine of the most unique leading lady in American cinema history. Garbo did not so much transcend a movie like this as she transformed it altogether, and the emotional intensity she brought to a role like this rivaled the fabled skill of any alchemist in changing dreck into gold. At the end, after she has penned her farewell letter to Andre, she silently pauses for a moment before parting, and the gamut of emotions that plays over her face has the electric force of a revelation.

A vehicle for a great star was as much of a genre as the western or the musical, and Metro lavished its resources on Garbo with the same abandon that Yvonne's admirers lavish their bank accounts on her. William Daniels photographed the picture, Cedric Gibbons designed the sets, and Gilbert Adrian contributed the costumes. Sadly, Garbo did not get as much of an assist from her fellow performers, especially the men. Although Lewis Stone is appropriately villainous as the cruel Delval--whose discarded mistress commits suicide by jumpimg out a window and falling at his feet--but the indefatigably stuffy Robert Montgomery takes a rather unsympathetic character and succeeds in making him even more obnoxious.

Although the video is not a digital transfer, MGM/UA has done a reasonable job of manufacturing. Nevertheless, the materials used for the video do not seem to have been very well preserved, and the optical quality is often disappointing--scratches and cinch marks show up throughout the picture, which often has quite a washed-out look in comparison to Mata Hari or Grand Hotel, both from the same period as Inspiration. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

WC Fields - What More Do You Need To Know?
Though not without flaw (what is Buster Crabbe DOING here??), YOU'RE TELLING ME! has many hilarious setpieces and equally choice throwaway bits of business. Then again, you'd expect that from William Claude: what might surprise you is his delicate touch when pathos and tenderness are called for. The scene on the train where a despondent Fields, playing struggling eccentric inventor Sam Bisbee, accidentally meets a travelling Princess and tries to talk her out of 'suicide' (she had no such plans...but HE did, in a moment of despair) is quite unexpectedly moving. It's not so much the scene as written that affects the viewer as it is Fields' flawless playing of it. Plot contrivance it may be, but the easy, simple grace he brings to his line readings - the small, near-imperceptible shadings of wistfulness and regret in his voice, facial expressions & body language - all give testimony to this brilliant comic actor's mastery of craft, and his ability to draw water from the well of his own loneliness. Don't misunderstand; this is a side-splitting comedy. Much of the comedy is purely visual; all of it is unforgettable. But never make the error of short-counting WC Fields, or confuse him with an impressionist's caricature. Where other clowns tried their damndest to make you laugh till it hurts, Fields knew his gift was to create a character forever set-upon and assaulted by a blithe, uncaring parade determined to pass him by - a man who hurt till all you can do is laugh. You'll laugh often throughout this 65-minute model of construction and economy, but watching Fields trampled underfoot again - warily rising to his feet with no higher expectation than a brief, sweet respite before his next inevitable shellacking from the fates and furies - you might just get an idea of why they called him 'The Great Man'. Go on, spend the money and get this.

W.C. Fields and Crystal Springs society.
"You're Telling Me" is amusing nonsense from one of the great film comedians. We see Fields' screen persona begin to take shape in Sam Bisbee. Sam is an inventor of such peculiar devices as the "nose lifter-upper," the "murder chair" (for catching burglars), and his puncture-proof tire. Sam also drinks. He stumbles home at midnight, and tries to persuade his long-suffering wife that it's only 8:30. In this opening segment, we observe Fields' comic timing and his juggler training as he fumbles with his shoes and his straw hat. A running theme in Fields' movies is the debunking of upper crust snobbery and phony middle class morality. His modest home includes some very pretentious draperies around the living room doorway. Tipsy Sam finds he can't pass the draperies without becoming entangled in the cumbersome sash. Fields stresses physical humor, sight gags, and his trademark hilarious "asides." He chronically has trouble finding his own head with his hat, and anyone unexpectedly coming at him constantly startle him. After he fails to sell his puncture-proof tire in the big city, Sam befriends a mysterious woman on the train trip home. This sets up an hilarious plot twist that has Sam fraternizing with polite society. The mayor asks Sam to tee-off the first ball at the town's new golf course. This gives Fields the ideal chance to do his classic "golf game" routine, complete with a dim-witted caddy. The movie looks dated in places, but it has been restored nicely. Repeated viewing doesn't diminish the laughs. ;-)

Good But Not Great Fields
I enjoyed this movie as I do all of Fields' films but it can't hold a candle to his best work. The really wonderful thing about W.C. Fields' movies is that the supporting cast usually is very funny as well and gets some hilarious lines (as opposed to most of his comedy legend rivals who almost never let the secondary and bit players shine.) Fields' plays a born loser, widely disliked in his hick smalltown, who spends his time trying to concoct inventions. On a return train trip from an unsuccessful sales pitch in the big city, he befriends a princess mistakenly believing she is a suicidal shopgirl. Touched by his concern, the princess decides to visit him in his small town with great fanfare, which makes him a hero to his neighbors (although Fields believes the princess is still a shopgirl pulling a "fast one").
The supporting female cast is particularly good. It's wonderful to see Adrienne Ames (as the princess) and Joan Marsh (Fields' daughter) on video - they were the leading ladies in scores of 1930's films but never big stars and are sadly forgotten today. Kathleen Howard, Fields' wife in several other films, here plays the snooty queen bee from the better side of the tracks who is horrified her son is engaged to Fields' daughter. Best of all is Nora Cecil, an elderly character actress who played bits in several Fields' movies and scores of other 1930's movies as an old bat who sees Fields and the princess together on the train in suspicious circumstances and starts a tidal wave of smalltown gossip that Fields was messing around with some big city floozy while away. Every person who hears the story embelishes it to their own dramatic satisfaction! I especially loved the scene where old Miss Cecil is listening into to the latest fictional spin of the story with relish, knowing fully of course that the story has been changed from her original tale! (Shortly after this the princess arrives in town and the whole Fields' adultery legend is totally dropped from storyline as is Nora Cecil who of course would recognize the princess as "that woman". It is hard to believe the townspeople would so quickly abandon such a juicy story or that busy body Nora wouldn't want to be among the hoardes who wanted a looked at this famous princess.) The storyline is quite thin, accounting for the film's running time of barely an hour and this with Fields' doing his classic "golf routine" that has absolutely nothing to do with the main plot.

A LESSER-KNOWN FIELDS GEM.
A remake of Field's 1926 silent SO'S YOUR OLD MAN has W.C. playing Sam Bisbee, a drunk and an unsuccessful inventor who resides in the small town of Crystal Springs. His daughter Pauline (Joan Marsh) hopes to marry Bob (Larry "Buster" Crabbe), the son of the well-to-do haughty Murchisons. Mrs. Murchison is livid about her son's association with Pauline - until she finds that Mrs. Bisbee's maiden name was Warren: she's a descendant of a prominent Virginia family. Amusing comical antics ensue...The title of the picture comes from an inside line: Sam tells Marie (the lovely Adrienne Ames) "We certainly put that Princess stuff over, didn't we"? To which Marie replies: "You're telling me"!. Field's golf sketch was first used in the ZIEGFELD FOLLIES OF 1915 on Broadway. Later, Fields reprised the routine in THE SPECIALIST an early talkie short from 193O. As a piece of genuine trivia, the character Robert McKenzie plays - Charlie Bogle - was the real-life pseudonym Field used as a screenwriter for various films

W.C. Fields Strikes Again!
As the film opens, it's late at night and we see an inebriated W.C. Fields slowly making his way up the walkway to his front door; as he moves along, he staggers off the path and has an encounter with a tree limb that raises havoc with his straw hat and knocks it off, which gives Fields-- the all-time master of physical comedy-- a field upon which to ply his craft to the fullest. He makes the simple task of refitting chapeau to pate engagingly hilarious. And once he makes it into the house (shoes in hand, of course, but too late!-- the little woman is waiting for him), it's more of the same, beginning with an encounter with some draperies, this time. It's classic Fields schtick, and what a great way to kick off one of his lesser known, but vibrantly funny films, "You're Telling Me," directed by Erle C. Kenton.

Pauline Bisbee (Joan Marsh) and Bob Murchison (Buster Crabbe) are in love, and want to be married; but there's a snag: The Bisbee house is located on the "wrong" side of the tracks, and the union is meeting strong resistance from Bob's mother, Mrs. Edward Quimby Murchison (Kathleen Howard), who is ever discerning of the Murchison's place in society. And Pauline's father, Sam (Fields), is of little help. An inveterate dreamer, Sam is an inventor, and though he knows it's only a matter of time before the world beats a path to his door, his time, unfortunately, has not yet come, which leaves him in the quagmire of anonymity, and his family still on the wrong side of the tracks.

All of that is about to change, however, because Sam has at last invented something that will assure him fortune and fame: A 1000% puncture-proof automobile tire. He has an appointment in the city with a tire company, and once they see his demonstration, he knows his future will be made, Pauline will be able to marry Bob, and all will be well.

Alas, the demonstration goes awry, and the hapless Sam, dejected, disgraced and alone, boards a train for home. He thinks it's the end; but on the train, he befriends a beautiful young woman, unaware that she is a foreign dignitary, the Princess Lescaboura (Adrienne Ames), currently on a goodwill tour of America. And it turns out to be an auspicious encounter, as Sam's kindness to her is about to be repaid in a way that will change his life forever.

This film is vintage W.C. Fields, featuring all of the trademark elements that make him (and his films) so endearing and enduring, even today: The sight gags, presented in that unique Fields' way; Fields as the underdog; the innate cynicism Fields honed into a veritable art form; Fields as the hen-pecked husband (a role he played often, and perfected in "It's A Gift," made this same year-- 1934-- with Kathleen Howard as his wife); the witty retorts; and, of course, the genuine humor. In one respect, however, this film differs from most of his others, in that, as Sam, Fields displays a gentler side of his usually caustic nature. The acerbity is present, to be sure, but toned down; and Sam, perhaps more than any character Fields ever created, is genuinely likable.

As Bob Murchison, Buster Crabbe's performance leaves something to be desired, but that charismatic spark that would make him a matinee idol later in the Sci-fi serials "Flash Gordon" and "Buck Rogers," and later in numerous "Billy the Kid" and "Billy Carson" westerns, is evident, and most importantly, he does well enough to set the stage for the antics of the film's star.

In only her second film, Kathleen Howard is a delight in the role of Mrs. Murchison, who is something of a prototype for many who would come later in other films, such as Eulalie Mackechnie Shinn of Meredith Willson's "The Music Man." As Bob's domineering mother, she affects an aloofness that strikes just the right chord and makes her the perfect foil for the down-to-earth Sam Bisbee.

The supporting cast includes Louise Carter (Bessie Bisbee), Tammany Young (Caddy), Dell Henderson (Mayor), James B. "Pop" Kenton (Doc Beebe), Robert McKenzie (Charlie Bogle), Nora Cecil (Mrs. Price), George Irving (Mr. Robins) and Frederick Sullivan (Mr. Edward Quimby Murchison). Comparatively short (at 66 minutes), "You're Telling Me" is nevertheless something of a minor classic and pure Fields from start to finish. Thoroughly enjoyable and highly entertaining, It even gives the inimitable W.C. a chance to perform a bit of his famous "golf" routine. A funny, and often downright hilarious film, it's a showcase for one of cinema's premiere funny men, and in the end, more than anything else, one thing is certain: It's going to make you laugh. And that's the magic of the movies. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

A MUST SEE
This is a very good movie! I am a Shirley Temple fan, but I think that even if you are not, you will still love this movie! Shirley plays Star, a child that was in a ship wreck and was found by Captain January, a lighthouse keeper. There is an evil truant officer who is trying to take Star away from "Cap". This movie has something for everyone. It has a lot of really funny parts, but it also has a very good plot. There are some good songs in the movie, such as,"At the Codfish Ball","Early Bird",and "The Right Somebody To Love". This is a very good movie, A must see for anyone!

Shirley
This Temple film is very good. Little Shirley stars as the "daughter" of a lighthouse keeper who rescued her when she was a baby. A truant officer learns that "Star" doesn't go to school, makes her take an examination, and when she passes, angrily decides to sent Star to an institution. Unhappy Star gets a surprise from her sympathizing aunt and uncle. Includes lots of dancing. Not too cute like some of the Temple films. Lots of songs.

Great film
This movie has a good dance sequence with Shirley and Buddy Ebsen. Shirley sings some good songs with friends. An uplifting and entertaining film.

Gets Me Everytime
This is probably one of the only films besides for some tear-jerking romance movies that gets me to break down in tears each time I watch it. Shirley Temple gives an excellent performance as Star, a pint-sized orphan living with her savior, Captain January, in a lighthouse on the shore. When Star is ripped out of Captain January's arms as the cold truant officer tries to put her in an institution (I know- these are a likely basis for Temple flicks but who cant love them!), I bawl everytime as she yells to the grief-stricken Cap- "What did I do? Why are they taking me away from you?" It is the sadest thing ever to see a little girl, especially Shirley, break down like that- it gets me everytime.
This movie is indeed a Temple memorable- most def. one of her classics. She shines in this movie- dances surely the best she can with Buddy Ebsen- and bestows this beautiful relationship with the old sea Cap. The cap and Star both take care of each other and it is adorable to watch on screen. The songs in this movie are very cute and any child or Shirley fan will love this movie. I highly recommed it being a major Shirley fan myself. I grew up with her big smile, her bright eyes, her tiny dimples, and her curly top- Shes a big part of my childhood memories. I wish their were movies more like these that exist now...

AT THE CODFISH BALL WITH JED CLAMPETT!
A remake of a 1923 silent with the now-forgotten Baby Peggy, this is an amusing little Temple flick - one in which the little ones should enjoy. This was Shirley's initial 1936 release and it actually turned out to be one of her most fondly remembered movies. Based upon an 1890 novel entitled THE LIGHTHOUSE AT CAPE TEMPEST by Laura E. Richards, its the story of a poor foundling (how unusual for a Temple character!) named Star who is taken in by a kindly lighthouse keeper - the title character played by the talented Guy Kibbee. Shirley sings THE RIGHT SOMEBODY TO LOVE and her dance number with Buddy Ebsen is among her best while doing AT THE CODFISH BALL. During the filming of the latter's sequence, Temple had to climb a 45 foot stairway while a camera crane moved up beside her, catching her lines each time she turned on the stairs - timing the line exactly to the turn - Shirley never missed the synchronization once. Temple was easily the greatest asset the newly formed TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX had and this movie is quite a showcase for the little moppet. It's designed solely as its star's vehicle; Shirley appears in nearly every sequence: grinning, sobbing, dancing, singing, wriggling, pattering downstairs or spitting on her pinafore as the scenerio requires! The colourization process has improved substantially, so the kids won't complain about watching "old black and white movies"! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Good, but it's no "Wonderful Life"
Magic Town is an interesting show. Pollsters find a small town that has a population whose opinions reflect those of the entire nation. The pollsters then go secretely about collecting their data, which they use to represent public opinion.

Things go just swell until the residents find out how valuable their opinions are, and things fall apart; for the pollster's jobs, for their personal lives, and for the town itself.

This movie is well worth the time spent to watch it...but you need to know that "Magic Town" lacks much of the movie magic of other period situation comedy films, such as "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," "It's a Wonderful Life," "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town," and "My Girl Friday."

1947's Magic Town Has Magic in 2000.
"Magic Town" is a romantic comedy set in a charming "typically American" small town in the years immediately following World War II. What makes the film startlingly timely is the profession of leading man Jimmy Stewart's character which turns out to be political polling. Coming this close to the New Hampshire primaries, when so many people are looking to that small New England locale as a kind of "Magic State," the 1947 insights of this William Wellman film make it even more fun to watch today. (It's also a reminder of what an ingratiating actress Jane Wyman was in her prime.) ... Read more

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Mary Pickford won an Academy Award for her performance in Coquette, her first "talking picture." Billed as "a drama of the American South," the movie features Pickford as a classic Southern belle. However, as the film takes place during the Jazz Age of the 1920s, not the antebellum South, Pickford's version of Scarlett O'Hara is a flapper. (The party scenes with dancers wildly doing the "black bottom" are a hoot.) To play socialite Norma Besant, Pickford had her famous golden curls bobbed, and she "flits about from one fella to another like a butterfly." But Pickford's fans would never have permitted her to portray a real Jezebel, so as soon as the plot gets underway, her character quickly falls head over heels in love with just one man. ("Of course, I never wanted to play a role that would ever offend the little girls who love me," declared Pickford in a 1917 Motion Picture Classic interview.) Coquette's story eventually turns quite tragic, pitting daughter against father and giving Pickford the chance to act up a storm.

Pickford had experience on stage before appearing in moving pictures, so her progression to sound films was not as awkward as that of some silent-movie performers. Throughout her silent-film career, she made a point of keeping her acting real and free of extravagant gestures. "I always had in mind the fact that I might want to become a real actress, and so never allowed myself to indulge in more gestures than if I had a speaking part." (San Francisco Chronicle, 1913.) Still, Coquette is unmistakably an early talkie and the acting is clearly transitional. At times the actors instinctively pause and pose before speaking their lines, an acting style that would quickly disappear as silent pictures almost immediately went out of favor with audiences. --Laura Mirsky ... Read more

Reviews (7)

I reckon this won't be everyone's cup of tea
Miss Mary Pickford stars in this early talkie, her very first, playing Norma, a young southern belle who falls for a man from the wrong side of the tracks... despite the fact she was in her mid-30s at the time! Her one truelove Michael, a personality-free space cadet, is here played by John Mack Daddy Brown. Norma's interest in him is baffling, unless it's that her character is quite stupid as well (although in a more aggressive way), and like attracts like-- or maybe it's that he's hot, total male model vibe going on there. Anyhow, the chemistry is one-sided, it's all Miss Pickford throwing herself at this fellow, and he's just sorta reciting his lines like a robot with a bad southern accent, but he seems like his mind is somewhere else. Mister Stanley (played by Matt "bring on the pathos" Moore), clearly the better man, is right there in front of her suffering the whole time, the poor guy. If only she were smart enough to see it, which she isn't.

Pickford's character is flirtatious, melodramatic, and prone to swooning and fits of sobbing that are about as pleasant as a colicy baby who won't shut up (the scene where she grips the bedposts and bawls her head off had me both laughing and annoyed at the same time). And she actually won the best actress Oscar for this! When she curls up in her "old mammy's" lap and tells her all about the greatest love the world has ever known, i.e., her's and Mack Daddy's, there's both an absurdity (given Pickford's real age) and a sapphic quality to it (check where their hands are.) Incidentally, the actress who played her "old mammy" was apparently forced to eat lots of food by the studio so she could play these types of roles. Seriously.

Every other sentence of dialogue in this great work of art begins or ends with "I reckon", adding to the sense of realism. You won't find any stereotypes of the south here, no sir! I also thought Norma's little brother was quite funny, he's the 1920s equivalent of a tool. Loved his dance moves. Do the Rabbit Ramble!

Creaky but enjoyable melodrama
This movie proved much better than some of the reviews here suggest. However, if you are not a Mary Pickford fan and have no interest in old movies then its definitely one to avoid. I bought this having watched all of Mary's movies on DVD and becoming a big fan of her work. I must admit the prospect of hearing her voice for the first time was rather exciting. The main problem with this movie is technical - 'talkies' had only just arrived and in some scenes you have to make an effort to hear what is being said as performers move out of range of the microphones. Other than that there are things to be enjoyed here - including Mary Pickford's performance. Aside from a few overly dramatic moments she acts well throughout, somewhat theatrical but it suits the part of the artificial flirt she is playing. No one can accuse Pickford of playing it safe for her first talking part - not only does she perform with a Southern accent but there are many dramatic scenes - and she is playing a part unlike any of her others before. As a modern viewer I found some of the plot points and lines of dialogue absurd - but then thats what often makes old movies so enjoyable, and the movie did hold my attention. And the closing shot was a nice touch. If you are a confirmed Pickford fan then I would say check this out. For the casual fan or if you have never seen Pickford before then I would recommend Sparrows, My Best Girl or Stella Maris first.

A CREAKY CURIO.
In a tribute to her acting ability, 36 year-old Pickford plays Norma Besant, a flirtatious twenty-something Southern flapper who falls hard for Michael Jeffery. Dire consequences arise due to her father's intense disdain for the young man...Mary Pickford was an institution during the silent period when she was known as "America's Sweetheart". Pickford tired of her goody-goody personna in pictures and after her mother Charlotte died in 1928, she had her legendary curls bobbed and announced to the fan magazines that she wanted to be "dressed in smart clothes and play the lover". The same year this turkey was made (1929) Pickford and her then-husband Douglas Fairbanks played in a politely well-received - but fairly ludicrous - version of Shakespeare's THE TAMING OF THE SHREW. In 1931, Pickford resurrected an old Norma Talmadge silent vehicle - which co-starred Ronald Colman - entitled KIKI: it was a flop. In 1933, at the milestone age of 40, Mary made her movie swan song performance in SECRETS, a fairly well-acted drama which co-starred 40 year-old Leslie Howard. COQUETTE was based upon an original play by George Abbott and Ann Preston, which was written for Helen Hayes. This ph