Reviews (3)

One Of The Few Movies About Golf
This is a good biopic about golf immortal Ben Hogan, master of the repetitive swing and accurate beyond belief. It reflects the dramatic standards of 1951, however, and you just have to know that Ben and wife Valerie CRINGED when they saw some of the onscreen exchanges between Glen Ford and Anne Baxter.

Hogan himself hit the golf shots for this film, and you can easily see how masterful he was. The Beatles later wrote a theme song for "Follow the Sun," but there was never enough demand to substantiate a re-release of the movie updated with that musical addition.

Classic B&W Hogan
Hogan is such a mysterious man. Ford tells an adequate job of portraying him, aloof and intense, always polite and maticulously dressed.

The coverage of the accident and rehab is great. Thought maybe the opening of the caddie segment of his life could have been done with little more "up close and personal touch," since this seemed to affect Ben so much.

Sampson's book "Hogan" provides a worthy reference to read along with this video. Heard that there was to be a new attempt at Hogan's story with Kevin Kostner playing Ben.

Neat to have one narrated by Crenshaw or Kris Tschetter and those who actually knew the guy (for sure, Venturi!) Done right, could be great!

Follow the Sun
It has been many years since watching Follow the Sun. This is a motivational movie for any young golfer to watch. It is about faith and persistance.

As a young man this picture had a major influence on my life. When it is available for sale again, I will be the first to buy a copy. ... Read more

Amazon.com

In I'm No Angel, Mae West's second star vehicle, she's sideshow attraction Tira, "the girl who discovered you don't have to have feet to be a dancer." As usual, West wrote all her own dialogue for the film, and it's full of priceless wisecracks. A crowd of men ogles her as she tosses off a saucy little number, "They Call Me Sister Honky Tonk," swinging her hips phlegmatically. Then she slithers offstage, muttering "Suckers." Bored with life, Tira consults a fortuneteller. "I see a man in your future," he drones. "What, only one?" quips Mae. Tira wants to quit the carnival, so her boss (an unctuous Edward Arnold) makes her a proposition. If she'll become the show's lion tamer, she can meet "the swells." Just one little thing: she's got to put her head in the lion's mouth. (West insisted on performing this stunt herself, to the horror of Paramount Pictures' executives.) Enter Cary Grant as Jack Clayton, an aristocrat who falls for this floozie from the wrong side of the tracks. Some of the film's merriest scenes show Tira and her five black maids having a ball dancing and singing as she prepares for her dates with Jack. (West made it her business to keep as many of her black girlfriends working in movies as possible.) Tira's head maid, Beulah, played by Gertrude Michael, is the object of that momentous line "Oh, Beulah, peel me a grape." Mae slays 'em all in this picture, dressed, as always, in fabulously flamboyant finery. --Laura Mirsky ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Quintessential Mae West.
Tira (Mae West) is a gold-digging circus performer who reluctantly agrees to a dangerous lion-taming act to get herself out of a jam. The act is a great success, making Tira the talk of the town. Her flashy show at Madison Square Garden catches the eye of a wealthy businessman named Kirk Lawrence (Kent Taylor), who becomes infatuated with Tira and lavishes her with expensive gifts. Concerned for Kirk's social situation, his cousin and business partner, Jack Clayton (Cary Grant), attempts to convince Tira to reconsider their relationship. She does, and falls head over heels for Jack. But just as it looks like Jack and Tira will live happily ever after, Jack breaks off the relationship. A heartbroken but still stubborn Tira decides to sue him for breach of promise.

1933's "I'm No Angel" was Mae West's second starring role on the silver screen. After her previous film, "She Done Him Wrong", saved Paramount Pictures from financial ruin, the studio gave her carte blanche to do whatever she liked on this one. "I'm No Angel" was written entirely by Mae West. It's a romantic comedy, but West's character is not a romantic. Tira is nothing if not practical in her relationships with men. And there is no mistaking that the film exists entirely to showcase Ms. West's oversized personality and eye-catching figure. This is Self promotion and Star vehicle with capital S's. Mae West was 40 years old and a tad chunky when she made this film. But she didn't hesitate to cast herself as a sex goddess whom men of all ages found irresistible. And she gets away with it by sheer force of personality. West deserves a lot of credit for making audiences root for a union between a trash-talking middle-aged strumpet and a 29-year old gentleman of means. Such a relationship wouldn't gain approval in real life in 1933, and it wouldn't now. The success of "I'm No Angel", then and now, is testament to its star's great charisma. Cary Grant is more handsome than he would be during his years of star status, and surprisingly thinner. I don't think any actor could hope to share a scene with West without being upstaged by her, but Grant does a nice job of making Jack Clayton sympathetic, especially during the trial scenes. "I'm No Angel" is sometimes absurdly contrived, but that's the nature of romantic comedy. No bigger personality than Mae West ever graced the screen, and it's her presence that makes this film worthwhile. The DVD has no menu, only scene selections. And the movie begins as soon as the disc is inserted into the player.

The Wild, Wild West
Mae West was purportedly quoted as saying, "I fear no man". Whether she actually did, I have no trouble believing it. In "I'm No Angel", Miss West plays "Tira", a carnival hootch dancer who becomes a lion-taming headliner in "The Big Time", and has numerous men orbiting her, like moons around Venus. She is a women completely at ease with herself, fears no one, makes no apologies, and the men love her for it, in spite of themselves. Miss West played, essentially, the same role in real life, the "Bad but not Evil" woman. No beating around the bush for Mae-she told you who she was, what she wanted, take her or leave her-and made you laugh! She was "Women's Lib" in flashy gowns, big hats, and lots of diamonds. There are many of West's famous lines in "I'm No Angel", such as "When I'm good, I'm very, very good, but when I'm bad, I'm better", "Beulah, peel me a grape!", and many more. Her co-star is screen legend Cary Grant, whom Mae selected for 2 of her films on sight. The first was "She Done Him Wrong", and then this one. She said, "He was so good I had him twice-in pictures, I mean." The lady was an original. She was not "beautiful" or slender, but men were drawn to her (her brains being her sexiest feature), progressive (she defended homosexuals long before Stonewall), had interracial friendships and romances (she had lovers of African descent, as well as having black performers in her films), and was still attracting men well into her 70s! She also wrote her own material. So, if you're feeling a bit adventurous, go West, because "You can be had!"

"Oh Beulah... peel me a grape!"
Mae West basically saved Paramount Pictures from bankruptcy with this and her other hit film of 1933 "She Done Him Wrong" (her other career highlight, also with Cary Grant). She was 40 when she made this film, and even for the early 30s she was plumper than the female ideal, and her face was wide and her nose was too long. But since she acted like she was the sexiest thing who ever was, and told you so too, you believed her: her uncontrollable sex appeal was her costant running joke and it never ever palled. Here she's Tira the lion tamer, who tames the richest men in New York society with equal ease: when Cary Grant withdraws his engagement she sues him for breach of promise, and she has great fun cross-examining the witnesses in her trial. Years before Lucille Ball or Carol Burnett, Mae West proved the old sexist canard that "female isn't funny" is an out and out lie. Who could be funnier than she is, sashaying around with her African-American maids delivering her ripest lines?

A knockout in its time -- and still packs a wallop
Decades before the women's movement was to gain momentum in this country, Mae West, with her inimitable combination of feminine wiles and macho, and a keen wit thrown into the mix, began her own revolution by standing all previous conceptions about women and their societal roles on their ear. Her substantial talent in singing, acting and one-liners give her the wherewithal to have the whole act succeed where many others' attempts would not. The result is great entertainment, a hallmark in the history of American cinema, and an impression on the audience that we were all better off for this woman having graced our culture.

WONDERFUL MAE.....
It's hard to believe they let this go out of print. It's one of Mae West's brightest and funniest films. Before the censorship czars got after her, that is. Legendary Mae struts and sings her way through this tale of circus hootchie Tira who gets in a legal jam thanks to her hoodlum boyfriend. Needing fast cash for an attorney, she reluctantly agrees to be the show's lion tamer and put her head in a lion's mouth. She becomes an immediate star and rises to the top. She hooks a rich beau (Kent Taylor) but falls for his business partner Kirk (Cary Grant) and they become engaged to marry. But her old circus cronies won't let her retire and try to frame her in a scandal to break up the engagement. When the ruse works and Kirk breaks off with Tira, she takes him to court for breach of promise. "I'm No Angel" is all Mae. From the screenplay (which she wrote) to the gowns (which are knockouts---especially the "spider web" gown) she's the star and dominates every scene she's in. She's absolutely wonderful. From strutting around and singing with her maids to taking over her own case in the courtroom, you can see there was no one like her and never would be. She was totally unique and unequaled in terms of sheer star power. Some of her racy quotes are here in "I'm No Angel" but, alas, the better ones lie in "She Done Him Wrong" (also with Grant) and that one never made it to DVD. These two are the better of her films---"My Little Chickadee" with W.C.Fields notwithstanding---and it's a shame they're not in print. The Universal DVD of "Angel" looks good and is a collector's item now. But I'm for re-releasing ALL of her films on DVD. As I'm sure she would love to know, Mae West still has an audience and always will. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Early Davis Spark
Richard Barthelmess stars as the young son of a sharecropper who finds himself torn between his loyalty to other sharecroppers and to their landowner, for whom he has become a trusted employee. Barthelmess disagrees with the exploitation of the sharecroppers by the landowners, but he also disagrees with the sharecroppers' response of stealing and unrest. Complicating things for Barthelmess is the fact that he has fallen in love with the landowner's daughter, Bette Davis. Barthelmess spends the whole movie looking confused, no doubt trying to figure out how anyone is going to believe him playing a young man. He never seems to get a grasp of the character and he comes across as awkward, and at times, laughable. Davis acts circles around him, very appealing in an early role as the tempting Madge. She provides the film its only spark. The direction of Michael Curtiz in this early sound film is admirable, and with a better leading man and tightened script, this could have been a much more memorable film due to its socially significant theme. As it is, it's an interesting piece of early Thirties' cinema, containing one of the film world's famous bits of dialogue. But it could have been more than it is.

CIRCA 1932 BETTE DAVIS AS A SOUTHERN VAMP ...
Directed by Michael Curtiz, this film focuses on the symbiotic relationship between southern planters and their tenant farmers or sharecroppers. It was, inevitably, a relationship fraught with conflict and was a social issue that this film sought, in some measure, albeit melodramatically, to address. It was an issue that would later be more eloquently addressed by the classic film "The Grapes of Wrath".

"Cabin in the Cotton" is representative in style of a cinematic effort that still showed the transition the film industry was making from silent films to talkies, as it has some of the stylized accouterments representative of a silent film. It begins with the written word from which the viewer gleans the context in which the movie is to be viewed. The leading male role, that of Marvin Blake, the sharecropper's son, is played by Richard Barthelmess, a noted silent film actor. Unfortunately, he plays it as if he were doing a silent film, down to the painted lips that he sports in some scenes, a la Ramon Navarro. Why he sports these painted lips in some scenes and not in others is somewhat puzzling. Moreover, his acting, while perhaps impressive in a silent film, is notably unimpressive in a talkie. He is clearly miscast as the sharecropper's son who rises above his station in life and becomes the love interest of the plantation owner's southern belle daughter, fetchingly played by Ms. Davis.

The story is simple. Sharecroppers are taken advantage of by the planter who keeps them as virtual slaves. Sharecroppers look to get back at the planter. Sharecroppers steal from the planter in an effort to balance the books, so to speak. The planter seeks redress for this. Marvin Blake, the sharecropper's son who got an education of sorts, is now the planter's right hand man. Caught in between the divergent interests of the competing groups, Blake is forced to come to a decision about what he is to do to reconcile the two groups, both of which are clearly getting out of hand in their efforts to win for their side.

Blake should have been portrayed by someone for whom the viewer would root. Unfortunately, Barthelmess does not cut it. He is, at times, laughable, at other times, contemptible and simpering in the role. He makes the viewer want to give him a swift kick in the can. He does not demonstrate the qualities of which leaders are made and that is a quality demanded of his role.

Bette Davis, on the other hand, is wonderful as Madge Norwood, the attractive daughter of the planter whose sharecroppers are bedeviling him. She is vampish, seductive, and beguiling, as the love interest with whom the hapless Blake is totally besotted. She plays Blake like a violin, and he falls for her like a puppy dog for its mistress. This, of course, breaks the heart of a sharecropper's daughter, who loves Blake wholeheartedly. To see who triumphs, watch this film. It is a must for all Davis fans.

"AH'D LIKE TAH KISS YEW BUT AH JES' WAHSHED MA HAYA!"
The above quotation, contained in this little potboiler from 1932, was La Davis's very favourite line of all-time from her entire career in the movies! The role of Madge, the cankered young temptress gave Davis something to work with. Richard Barthelmess, an excellent actor from the silent era, was past his peak at forty-something - in 1932; he probably held very little interest for the notoriously difficult Hungarian director Michael Curtiz - Davis later wrote that Curtiz would refer to her as "A no-good sexless bum, a lousy , no good actress....... and words which are generally unprintable. Historically, a semi-important film (TCM certainly likes it!) because in it, Davis creates one of the great voyeuristic experiences the cinema has afforded us......Bette's voice, a call sign pitched between a taunt and a whine, resonates with trampish selfishness. A classic seduction has those Davis eyeballs prominently ogling poor Richard from under that famous bulging, shining forehead, her fingers clutching his hand as he nervously lights a cigarette for her, the flirtatious sag of her body against the shop counter, the breathy little ballad of WILLIE THE WEEPER (who had the dope habit and had it bad). Obviously a female in heat, Bette slips in "something more restful" and the erotic rustle of her waist-sash being untied before she rises into the sreen, bare-shouldered and presumably totally naked has left Barthelmess helpless! As Madge Norwood, a planter's spoiled child, Bette got to act. Davis presents a budding specimen af a Deep Southern nympho, stealthily seducing the conscience-bowed sharecropper's son (Barthelmess) who's employed by her Daddy..........Barthelmess was too old for his role and obviously unhappy and uncomfortable in his playing. In 1939, Davis would again be directed by the tyrannical Curtiz in her first Technicolor film - which hopefully will available again on video (AND SOON!) - THE PRIVATE LIVES OF ELIZABETH AND ESSEX based upon Maxwell Anderson's esteemed play ELIZABETH THE QUEEN. Curtiz had to eat humble pie this time; Davis, by now was also known as the "Queen of Hollywood"!! Ironic.

Young Bette Davis in a poor man's version of Grapes of Wrath
Bette Davis gets her first major vamp role in "The Cabin in the Cotton," adapted from the novel by Harry Harrison Kroll. This is the one where you utters that immortal line, "I'd like to kiss you, but I just washed m'hair." Marvin Blake (Richard Barhtelmess) is the son of a poor sharecropper who dreams ot educating himself and helping his neighbors lead a better life. After his father dies, Marvin is given a job at the general store by Lane Norwood (Berton Churchill), a wealthy planter. Norwood's daughter Madge (Davis) comes home from school and flirts with Marvin, eventually getting the poor boy to confess his love. Meanwhile, Marvin gets promoted to bookkeeper and quickly learns the planter has been cheating his tenants out of their fair share of the profits. But Norwood has been treating Marvin like a son and the planter wants to know which of the sharecroppers have been stealing cotten and plotting against him. When a neighboring planter is killed by a cotton thief, Norwood leads the lynch mob that hunts down the killer. The sharecroppers retailiate by burning down Norwood's store, destroy not only the evidence of his skimming profits but of their overdue accounts as well. Asked to lead the sharecroppers in their fight to get better conditions from the planters, Marvin demands the violence stop, and confronts Norwood with evidence of his crimes. If that was not enough of a problem, Marvin also has to choose between Madge and his childhood sweatheart, Betty WRight (Dorothy Jordan).

This 1932 Warners Brothers film is directed by Michael Curtiz, who went on to direct "The Adventures of Robin Hood" and "Yankee Doodle Dandy." Davis received her first really rave reviews for her role as the seductive little rich girl. Given what is to come, Madge is actually a relatively tame character for Davis to play; she is bad, but she is not that bad. "The Cabin in the Cotton" is representative of Hollywood's take on social issues during the Thirties, which is to say they manage to solve serious problems in a 79 minute film. Barthelmess, who has starred opposite Lillian Gish in the silent classic "Broken Blossoms," turns in an earnest performance which makes "The Cabin in the Sky" sort of "The Grapes of Wrath" of its day.

INGENUE DAVIS IN HER FIRST VAMP ROLE!
"Cabin in the Cotton" could have been a powerful screen story, but this adaptation from the novel left much on the cutting room floor. Davis is well-cast as a rich southern flirt who toys with the affections of the poor son of a share cropper Barthelmess (who works a the store owned by Davis's father). Davis is vivacious and luminous in her scenes which include singing "Willie the Weeper" This is the movie in which cotained Davis's all-time favorite line:"Yur'e cute!-A'hd luve ta kiss ya but I jes wash'd ma haya!" ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Never trust the face of life.
In a way an interesting film about the world of drama-entertainment in New York, with the strict division between « noble » musicals and « unmentionable » burlesque, except that burlesque ? being a lot more fragile and a lot less valorized by the « worthy » audience, is a hothouse for all kinds of flexible and at times very creative shows, songs, ideas, artists. When one is hungry and poor one has a natural tendency to move on, to invent, to attract attention, to be what one has never been and what others have never been either. What's more the film is also about some social issues, particularly women and their position in the confrontation they live every day with men. Men appear as being ruffians, a little bit rough on the edges and definitely tactician sexual climbers taking advantage of any opportunity appearing in their vision. Women are depicted as more faithful, more attached to permanence and deeper feelings. This little film is in many ways one of the roots of the theme developed in « Moulin Rouge » though a lot less dramatically and emotionally. A good entertainment that shows how the burlesque can take its revenge on upperclass showbusiness.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU

highly entertaining musical
DOLL FACE is a highly entertaining and delightful musical starring the sadly under-rated performer Vivian Blaine (1945's STATE FAIR and GUYS AND DOLLS).

She plays Doll Face Carroll, the headliner in a third-rate burlesque theatre in Brooklyn who hits it big when she writes her autobiography "Genius de Milo" and then stars in a musical version of it on Broadway.

Very fun and highly nostalgic, DOLL FACE is one very good musical.

With Perry Como, Carmen Miranda, Dennis O'Keefe, Martha Stewart, Michael Dunne and Reed Hadley.

Most pleasant memories
I remember as a very young man of going to the Fox Theater in downtown Detroit to see this most entertaining movie.WWII was still going on and movies like this were a great escape from the sometimes sad news of the day. What can you say about Pery Como that hasn't been said. He was just wonderful as well as the entire cast of this treasure of Hollywood. Oh come on it didn't win any oscars but it wasn't intended to. It was, like most movies of the time, to just entertain us. And it did so quite well. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

De Mille turns a heroic true story into flamboyant melodrama
Cecil B. De Mille was inspired to make this 1944 movie after hearing of the heroic efforts of Navy doctor Corydon M. Wassell in one of Franklin Roosevelt's fireside chats. When the Japanese were sweeping throughout the East Indies, Dr. Wassell (Gary Cooper) refuses to abandon wounded sailors from the cruiser Marblehead who were left behind in Java when the Americans evacuated. Against great odds, Wassell succeeds in getting all of the men to Australia alive. Certainly an inspiring story, but obviously in the hands of the wrong director as De Mille throws in melodramatic romance, dancing girls and pretty much every World War II cliche known. "The Story of Dr. Wassell" has an immense cast and a surprisingly slow pace which all serves to detract from Gary Cooper's grim resolve to lead the men to safety. Wassel's claim this film was "98 per cent documentary" is just not credible. I found myself thinking this film would have worked a lot better in black and white, which would have been more appropriate to the grim but fascinating story at the heart of the movie. Final note of interested: this film was released on D-Day.

Inspiring biography of WWII Hero.
This is a long (2 hour, 17 minute) film that is leisurely paced as it depicts dedicated Wassell, American M.D. stationed in Java during WW II, who goes against direct orders to stay with and then evacuate wounded men under his care. Technicolor is beautiful and Cooper is perfectly cast as the humanitarian doctor. Too slow for some, but nevertheless absorbing and inspiring. Oscar Nom for Special Effects. Worth a watch. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

MCA/Universal Classic 1933 - early look at Cary Grant!!
MCA/Universal is re-releasing the great Stars of early Hollywood Classics. It is truly great to see these stars in their early careers.

"The Eagle and The Hawk" - starring A young Fredric March & Cary Grant. (With a cameo of the fabulous Carole Lombard). This World War I film is a psychological battle of the aerial dog fighting between young men and the lasting effect on these young pilots and observers.

March & Grant are bitter enemies who respect each others professional abilities. Who team up to become the squadrons best aerial team. The stress of the job and the constant exposure to death take their toll on our stars.

Excellent protrayal of young men and their experiences in war.

The acting of March & Grant are tops. A brief visit of Carole Lombard eases the pain & sufferings.

This VHS, Standard version is a good copy with an original trailer included. Enjoy.

A Shining Example of Good Film
We've been watching a lot of Fredric March movies in the past several months. It amazes me how many times he appears in uniform. This is one of at least four times in WWI uniform. Anyway.

It was really interesting to see him working with Cary Grant, who plays a former labourer with an attitude. But deep down he has compassion on Fred's character, a former polo player who can't deal with all the killing and death he is witnessing. He thought the war would be a party. The movie shows his progression from a carefree soldier to one who has nightmares and is losing his sanity. Although Cary Grant acts as if he can't stand Fred, in the end he steps in and - well, watch the movie and you'll see.

Jack Oakie plays a loafer at home and a loafer at the front. Occasionally he does fly the airplane, but only once do you see him in the plane - always he's sitting in a wheelbarrow reading "A Night in a Turkish Harem", lounging in a bathtub, and so forth.

Carole Lombard had a platinum blonde and overly made up bit part as a trampy-looking woman who shows kindness to Fred when he's on leave. I couldn't really figure out what purpose she played in the movie... kind of strange.

I don't have a lot to say about this movie except that it is really really good, and you should see it by all means.

Another Great Fredric March Performance
Just this year I have discovered Fredric March, and what a great actor he is. He does not disappoint in "The Eagle and the Hawk" either. He plays an ace American flyer in the Royal Flying Corps, who was at first eager to go to war, but once in France and actually participating in the war, he finds that war is not the romantic glamour thing he envisioned it would be. War, he found, is actually killing people. It disturbs him greatly to realize that so many must die, and that he has a part in so many deaths. He begins to slowly lose his grip on his sanity, for none of the other men seem to feel the way he does, about the senslessness of war, of killing young boys just free from their mothers. He is a skilled flyer and earns many medals, but in the end they mean nothing to him, for he earns them by killing, which he cannot stand. The commanding officer grants him 10 days leave to hopefully "cheer" him up, but it does not work, for at the party he attends, all people want to talk about is the war; even one woman's young son asks him gory details about planes going down and people dying. It is during the leave that the Carol Lombard character enters the picture. I don't think she was really necessary. I personally felt she wasn't right for the role. I didn't care for her personality, her make-up and hair, and her ridiculous fur coat! But she was there to listen to Fredric talk to himself about the senselessness of war, and he needed to vent, and she was there. I think another woman would have been better, a more naturally beautiful one, one with more naivity and gentleness of spirit. I believe that the scene had much more potential than it was given. Anyway, Fredric goes back to war, and finally cracks up, and kills himself. The Cary Grant character, who was antagonistic toward Fredric March in the whole movie, is kind to him in the end, and makes it so noone knows he lost his sanity, but that instead he died a war hero. I do not know why Fredric March is not on the cover of this video, HE is the star, not Grant or Lombard! I recommend this for a good example of Fredric March's acting. I should mention that his scene where he was having the nightmare of all the people who died was very touching. This isn't a very long movie, so give it a watch, you'll like it.

Memorable Movie!
This is a memorable antiwar movie with Fredric March as a reluctant hero, co-pilot Cary Grant, everyone's pal Jack Oakie, and society dame Carole Lombard. Great film. Wonderful Acting. Important Message. --Diana Dell, author, "A Saigon Party: And Other Vietnam War Short Stories."

The Eagle and the Hawk
"The Eagle and the Hawk" is an excellent anti war movie and has good aerial footage. All the actors in it did a great job! If you are a fan of classic movies you are sure to enjoy it. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Night After Night was conceived as a serious dramatic vehicle for George Raft, a major star in gangster pictures (who had been a real New York gangster before coming to Hollywood). But the movie--for the most part an overheated melodrama--would probably have been forgotten long ago were it not for Mae West. Raft and West had been lovers when she was starring on Broadway. He brought her to Hollywood to give her a break in pictures with a small part in this one. But, as Raft said, West "stole everything but the cameras."

Raft is convincingly melancholic as Joe Anton, owner of "the swellest speakeasy in New York". He's sick of the racket, sick of the smell of booze, and sick of his girl, Iris (Wynne Gibson), a whiny, pathetic floozy. Lately his head has been turned by a classier species of dame, one Miss Healy (Constance Cummings), a society debutante who's been pining prettily in his speakeasy every night. Raft hires a high-falutin' tutor, Mrs. Jellyman (battle-axe Alison Skipworth), to improve his deportment and impress Miss Healy. He invites Mrs. Jellyman to dine with him and Miss Healy, when who should show up to wreck his plans but his old flame, Maudie Triplett (West). The movie shifts into high gear when she appears. It's fascinating to see West in a very different role than those she plays in her other films. No goddess with men falling at her feet is she, but an uninhibited good-time girl with a healthy taste for champagne. We have the sense that we're glimpsing Mae West before her all-important image had been finely honed. --Laura Mirsky ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Night After Night VHS
I was very disappointed in this video. If your fond of George Raft it is great. If it's Mae West your interested in there is not much of her in this video. The copy I received had some flutters in it as well.

A very good pre-code movie
I'd always read that this film's only asset was being the movie in which Mae West made her screen debut, and having seen it, I can say that that's untrue and absolutely unfair. West is in top & rare (different from her subsequent stereotyped love goddess persona) form as Maudie, Raft's old flame and friend, and her scenes are very funny, but that's only part of it. George Raft plays the lead as the owner of a Speakeasy who longs for things that money alone can't buy: prestige, class, a worthy lady-wife and going up the social ladder. He hires wonderful Alison Skipworth as a teacher, in order to learn the manners + way of the upper classes (her hangover scene with miss West is a gem). Raft also falls for very pretty Constance Cummings, who's good in her part of the impoverished socialite. Noteworthy performances too by Wynne Gibson (who physically resembles the young Miriam Hopkins, who was also a Paramount star in that period of time), as the vulgar and cheap floozy in love with Raft (who wants to get rid of her at any price!) and by Roscoe Karns as his loyal sidekick. Also in it, great character actor Louis Calhern as Cummings' rich suitor. In all a very pleasent, entertaining and very well acted movie, unjustly neglected and overlooked for decades, and merely dismissed as "Mae West's first picture". It's much more than just that kids.

Very Interesting...
Ms West... Was a class act and she was way way before her time... This movie(the second of hers I own)has some very interesting scenes in it... alot of "things" going on in the 1930's

MAE DAY
This is the film in which 39 year - old Broadway star Mae West made her debut in motion pictures; like co-star George Raft once said "She stole everything but the cameras". Alison Skipworth is hilarious as Mabel Jellyman and when she is taking nips with Mae, she asks "Maudie, what do you think I should do with my inhibitions?" to which Mae replies "Well, honey, I've got an old trunk over here"! When Mae asks Mabel to get into her "racket" which is one of "the best payin' around" (Maudie has her own chain of beauty parlours called "Institute de Beaut") Mabel mistakenly thinks Maudie's talking prostitution and answers "Well, dontcha think I'm just a little old"? Not a great movie by any means, it comes alive only when Mae appears on screen. "Night after Night" is the name of the speakeasy in which the movie takes place. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Billie Burke
I got this movie because of Billie Burke. She had such a bubbly presence. The good thing about Doubting Thomas is that she is one of the leading actors of the film. In most of the movies she starred in she played very minor roles. So this in in itself makes it definitely worth a watch.
Like most of the films of the 30's it suffers from being stagey. Since this is the first time I've ever seen any of his, I was surprised at how mellow he is. Somehow I imagined him as being over the top. Actually I prefer what I saw more.
The plot. Billie goes against Will's wishes and joins an AMATEUR theatre group, he disapproves and spends the whole movie thinking of ways to get her to stop acting. The scene where the group puts on the play and everything goes very wrong is quite funny. Alison Skipworth, who plays the director of the company, is good as well. I would suggest some ear plugs for the scene where Will sings. It's unbearable! ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

For those who love the Marx Brothers (Animal Crackers, A Night at the Opera), that this movie is side-slappingly funny is a given. For those new to the Marx Brothers, this is the perfect introduction to Groucho, Chico, and Harpo (and even Zeppo), three of the funniest men to ever grace the screen. Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho) is the dictator of the small nation Freedonia. The country is a disaster, in financial disrepair, and the wealthy Mrs. Teasdale (Margaret Dumont) is its benefactor and the object of Firefly's shrewd affection. When the leader of the neighboring Sylvania decides he's in love with Mrs. Teasdale, Firefly declares war. The movie, from 1933, is tremendously satirical, a play on politics and war. (As Firefly says to a hapless young solider, "You're a brave man. Go and break through the lines. And remember, while you're out there risking your life and limb through shot and shell, we'll be in be in here thinking what a sucker you are.") Full of witty lines, great sight gags, and even some snazzy song numbers ("Freedonia's Going to War" is the hilarious declaration of battle), this is surely one of the best--if not the best--the Marx Brothers have to offer. --Jenny Brown ... Read more

Reviews (81)

If you can't send help, send 2 more women!
This is my favorite Marx Brothers comedy. Absolutely nuts from beginning to end, they kicked out all the stops on this one, with one of the best and truest satirical jabs at jingoism and militarism ever put on film. "Freedonia's Going to War" and everyone is singing about it!

There are so many great bits in this one: Harpo & Chico battling the lemonade vendor; Groucho & the inimitable Margaret Dumont "That covers a lot of ground, matter of fact you cover a lot of ground, I hear they're going to tear you down and put up an office building... can't you see what I'm saying, I love you!"; the 3 brothers dressed in nightshirts with groucho moustaches (Gad they looked alike)doing the mirror pantomime; Groucho insulting & taking umbrage with Louis Calhern's Ambassador Trentino "Upstart? My father was a little Upstart, my mother was a little Armstrong...."; Groucho's Rufus T. Firefly with the Tommygun ("Look at em run" "But you're killing your own men" "Here's 5 bucks, keep it under your hat."); and on and on.

Arguably their best,this effort didn't do well on release. I think because it was ahead of its time and was the riskiest because of the political jokes and the times. But, it is just plain funny with some of Groucho's best lines and some of the best interplay between the brothers, and without a lot of the shmaltz & corn & musical interludes. Classic.

A hilarious movie!
To gain financial support from Mrs. Teasdale (Margaret Dumont), the tiny bankrupt country of Freedonia agrees to take Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho Marx) as their new president (the poor saps). Mayhem springs from Firefly's cynical and sarcastic leadership, culminating in war with the neighboring country of Sylvania. Throughout, Pinky (Harpo Marx) and Chicolini (Chico Marx) are scheming among the great and powerful, taking money from Trentino (Louis Calhern) of Sylvania, and directing Firefly's war effort. [Black & white, created in 1933, with a running time of 70 minutes.]

This movie contains some of Groucho's funniest witticisms, his badinage with Margaret Dumont producing some of the funniest lines in theatrical history. The story takes something of a backseat to the Marx brother's comedy, but this movie is first and foremost a satire of politics in general, and war and patriotism in particular. Back to the comedy, this movie is fantastically funny, containing the famous mirror scene, where Chico is dressed as Groucho, who must figure out if he is seeing his reflection or something else!

This is a great movie. The comedy is funny and clean, and can be watched by viewers of any age. I highly recommend this movie.

Where is the Region 1 release?
I don't need to gush over how great this movie is, plenty of customers have already done that. Warner Brothers did the Marx Brother's justice with their five DVD set of seven films with loads of special features. Granted that set is of their later films but isn't it time their early movies got the same treatment? Great collections of their early films are available in R2 and R4 formats, why not R1? Any answer? Universal Studios?

A comedy classic that still holds up...
My two favorite comedies of all time are "Duck Soup" and "Airplane." Don't agree with "Airplane?" I have a good mind to join a club and beat you over the head with it!

Anyway, few people will dispute that "Duck Soup" is one of the funniest movies ever made. So many classic lines and zany moments; this is the Marx Brothers at the peak of their powers. It was made in the 30's, but holds up extremely well. That makes it a timeless movie. Never boring or corny. I swear the whole hat gag has to be one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

So... when can we expect a reissue on DVD, Paramount/Universal?

Worth Every Penny (Ruble)
My good friend K.M (Karl Marx recommended this movie to me a while ago (back in 1933 about nine years after my premature death)

Now I have it on DVD and I can still say that I find this movie just as great as I did back 70 years ago.

Groucho and his ilk (The other brothers) continue (even in death) to represent the gold standard of comedy.

Despite my untimely death I still find that this movie makes me laugh like no other.

Oh by the way Groucho, Karl told me that your Mom wanted you to pick up a gallon of milk. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Universal wasted no time in exploiting 14-year-old Deanna Durbin's star power; after screening the dailies from her feature debut, Three Smart Girls, studio execs expanded Durbin's supporting role and doubled the budget. Their investment paid off: this breezy comedy-musical, about a young singer determined to reunite her parents, earned a then-extraordinary $2 million and three Oscar nominations (including Best Picture).

Durbin's charm, good songs, and a solid supporting cast (including Alice Brady, Mischa Auer, and Charles Winninger) make Girls a delight many decades later.It's also a notch above the affable sequel, Three Smart Girls Grow Up. --Steven Smith ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A Simple Charmer
Although she is little known today, Deanna Durbin was one of the most popular stars of the 1930s, a pretty teenager with a perky personality and a much-admired operatic singing voice. This 1937 was her first major film, and it proved a box-office bonanza for beleaguered Universal Studios.

THREE SMART GIRLS concerns three daughters of a divorced couple who rush to their long-unseen father when their still-faithful mother reveals he may soon remarry--with the firm intention of undermining his gold-digger girlfriend and returning him to their mother. Although the story is slight, the script is witty and the expert cast plays it with a neat screwball touch. Durbin has a pleasing voice and appealing personality, and such enjoyable character actors as Charles Winninger, Alice Brady, Lucile Watson, and Mischa Auer round out the cast. A an ultra-light amusement for fans of 1930s film.

Deanna Durbin is a treasure
Deanna Durbin is a treasure not well known to today's generation but was well loved in her time. If you enjoy movies like Parent Trap you will love the original take on children trying to get their parents together. This hilarious movie includes the fabulous singing voice of Deanna that makes it the tops with me. A definate 'must see' if you enjoy comedy and music. If you like this one you will adore the sequal Three Smart Grow Up. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

"I've met a lot of funny ones in bars and nightclubs."
"The Leopard Man" is set in a small New Mexico town. In an attempt to upstage a popular flamenco dancer, nightclub performer, Kiki Walker (Jean Brooks) rents a black leopard. Unfortunately the stunt goes out of control and the leopard escapes. Soon a young girl is found mauled to death, and it seems that the leopard is the culprit. A posse is formed, but the body count starts rising.

"The Leopard Man" is based on Cornell Woolrich's novel "Black Alibi." Woolrich--a hard-boiled detective writer--is considered one of the great writers whose novels were made into popular film noir. The film capitalizes on the use of black and white by emphasizing darkness and shadows. There are several masterful scenes in which reflections from water and light illuminate fear on the victims' faces. The film was extraordinarily gripping, and even though very little blood is seen, the tension prior to each kill builds to an almost unbearable crescendo. Part of the film's strength is found in the poignant portrayals of the victims. The film was relatively short--only 66 minutes long--but well worth watching--displacedhuman

Memorable But Neglected Lewton Classic
The escape of nightclub performer's leopard is followed by a series of mutilations--but are these the work of the leopard or of a serial killer stalking a small southwestern town? Although not one of producer Val Lewton's better known films, director Tourner endows the story with considerable atmosphere, and the result is a moody and intriguing film that holds it own with the more celebrated CAT PEOPLE and I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE.

Like other Lewton films, THE LEOPARD MAN relies more upon what it suggests than upon what it actually shows. This film is particularly effective in building suspense in a series of scenes that show various characters walking--a saucy Spanish dancer strolling along the street, a frightened teenager making a night-time trip to the grocer, a young woman rushing through a cemetery at night. The cinematography is elegant in its simplicity, and the sound design is quite remarkable. Hard to find, but Lewton fans will find it worth seeking out.

evil isn't from outside
A promotor of variety hires a tame little panter in order to enhance the show of his girlfriend in a little village far from the big cities of the USA, but the panter is frightened by the jealous, irresponsible harassment of a local Mexican dancer and scapes. There's an ambiance of superstition and an appeal to the supernatural, and a series of murders with mutilation, but the "leopard" is as much doubtful responsible of only the first of a serie of these cruel killings, and the promotor soon suspects there's nothing of extraterrestrial evil, and with his experience over rarified nigth clubs, he thinks a madman is the true killer hidden between the people. The film is made with little means but has talent enough for interesting everyone and is much better than terror movies of today by suggesting much and showing very little.

Low budget thrills
One of a series of low-budget horror films produced by the legendary Val Lewton for RKO in the mid-1940's. This is not the best of the lot, which includes, among others,"I Walked with a Zombie", "The Seventh Victim", "The Cat People", all of which are arguably superior to "Leopard Man". Nevertheless, the entire series may add up to the single best horror series in all of American cinema. Mood, atmosphere, literate scripts, and spine-tingling suspense, characterize all these films, including "Leopard Man". (Notice in this film the really creative use of sound to add suspense to key scenes, such as the girl's lonely walk through the countryside, and the dancer's late night walk home. Perhaps no one other than Orson Welles with his radio background, understood the dramatic effect of sound upon the visual medium of film.)

The story itself concerns an escaped leopard menacing a small New Mexico town, where a series of mysterious killings may or may not be its work.There are several really riveting scenes in which the black and white photography and fluid camera work of celebrated director Jaques Tourneur achieve a high level of both suspense and genuine artistry. For these scenes alone the movie is worth the price. Unfortunately, the overall result is uneven, brought down by spotty performances, particularly from male lead Dennis O'Keefe, a shaky script with a few holes in it, and an unconvincing ethnic town caused no doubt by budget limitations. Nevertheless, for viewers tired of graphic slasher films, this is a great opportunity to see how horror can be achieved through atmosphere and imagination which after all is a lot scarier than blood and guts. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

John Barrymore's self-laceration
Christmas Eve - Day of reconciliation and hope: For Margaret (Billie Burke), a decade-long nightmare has come to an end: She finally got her divorce and is free to marry her perseverent lover Ray. Her daughter Sidney (Katharine Hepburn) is glad for her mother: She too is engaged. Her only sorrow is her aunt Hester, this killjoy: she always reminds them that her brother Hilary ((John Barrymore) is still master of the house. Hilary, Sidney's father who lives shell-shocked in an asylum. Meg's husband. Her ex-husband...

Next morning the news fall like a bombshell: Hilary feels sane again and has been released from the asylum. Sidney remembers another aunt who was ill for many years: Is her father "just" shell-shocked, or is it latent insanity, brought on by shell-shock?

Hilary enters his house in high spirits. He fingers the funiture, the christmas-tree-decoration. Sidney watches him secretly. He mistakes her for her mother, she sets him right: "My wife's not my wife - she's my daughter! What's your name, daugher?". She tries to break the news gently to him, but it would be easier if he were not so timid, so insecure, so grateful for her kindness. He believes that his wife will be glad to see him. It never crossed his mind that she could have divorced him behind his back. He smartens himself up in front of a mirror...

Meg is, in fact, speechless. He assures her of his sanity and describes his tremendous anxiety over and over again: "I was never like the rest of them. I was sane. That place was hell. I was a dead man". She never came to see him :"I wanted you. I wanted! I wanted!". He does not understand that he is not welcome in his own house.

Meg pities Hilary. She still wants to marry Ray, but she does not want to be cruel. Hilary understands: "He's in love with you", but cannot admit it to himself. His suspicion shatters his nerves: "Why do you look at me sideways? Why do you flinch when I talk loudly?" When she finally tells him the truth, he cries: "You're trying to drive me mad again!".

The family lawyer comes to Meg's aid. Hilary laments her ingratitude: "I fought for her, for you, for my country. What did I get? No medals, no glory, but years in hell!". The lawyer tells him to his face that his children ought never have been born - and this in Sidney's presence. She calls him to account: "Why do you mean I should never have been born?" and she understands: "It's in his blood. It's also in mine".

Hilary is desperate, he's resigned to go back to the asylum - but he can't: He falls on his knees and beseeches his wife: "I've been so alone so long. I won't trouble you, I won't get in your way. You can't deny me things you give your servants, your dog!" - and she gives in. But when he realizes that all she feels for him is pity he comes to a decision: In a fit of madness he threatens to kill her and her lover. Sidney throws herself between them: "Father's my job - not yours". She feels the greatness of his self-sacrifice: He faked the fit to make Meg's way out easy...

Stagy, talky, melodramatic - so what? This was Katharine Hepburn's first film. She was energetic, upright - a raw diamond. In a way I like her frank performance more than some of her more polished ones, because her true, uninhibited personality is at work. John Barrymore's performance is one of the most courageous on screen: His own father died in an asylum after years of mental derangement, he witnessed his decline closely and lived in constant fear to end like him. What gallantry, fortitude and sheer guts it must have taken him to stand up and play this part: an exercise in self-laceration. Barrymore's portrayal seems even more heart-rending, when one considers his own tragedy: just two years later he suffered under Korsakov's syndrome (loss of short-term memory due to alcoholism) and was unable to memorize his lines from then on. His films became worse and worse, he wasted away...

Katharine Hepburn's Hollywood Debut - A Gem
The truest actor she has to play against is Barrymore - and she triumphs against his drunkardness and sexual advences. She even brings out of him a touching performance! But despite a very strong supporting cast, thisis Kate'film: from stepping down an impossibly long aristochratic star to laying casually and free in front of a fire.
Hollywood might have trouble dealing with the East Coast Queen of Cool - but when they truly understood it was in her civilized nature, there just was no stopping her - 4 Award Winning Academy Awards in a Leading Role (and stilling count)!)

Not worth the (money)
This was Katharine Hepburn's first starring role; she looked divine. Unfortunately, the film was terrible. I wanted to smack all the characters for being so ridiculous. None of them were sympathetic or compelling. The only thing that makes this film worthwhile is to gaze upon the fabulous styles of the era and see a very young Hepburn.

Katharine Hepburn's Film Debut in Melodrama about Insanity
This 1932 RKO film directed by George Cukor was Katharine Hepburn's screen debut, which means this particular melodrama will be preserved as evidence by this new video release. Hepburn plays Sydney Fairchild, with John Barrymore as her father and Billie Burke as her mother. The original play had elevated Katharine Cornell to stardom and it was hoped it would do the same thing for Hepburn. In retrospect, you can at least say it certainly opened the door.

The Story: Hepburn is engaged to be married and her mother is about to be remarried when her father arrives home from the insane asylum only to discover he is about to be divorced (hence, the title). Hepburn discovers that her father is not suffering from shell shock as she has always been told, but rather than he is insane (leading to the most melodramatic scene in the film where she soberly declares, "So, there is insanity in our family). As a result Hepburn sends her fiancée away. She will never marry, never have any children that would pass on the horrors of mental illness and instead will take care of her father. Face it: at the time people did not know any better (compare to "Suddenly Last Summer" where Hepburn's character wants to lobotomize Elizabeth Taylor).

Hepburn's debut is a relatively subdued performance. Cukor begins the film with her entrance, as she runs down a long staircase into the arms of her fiancée. At the time the quintessential movie star was Greta Garbo and clearly Hepburn is being fitted for that same mold: the striking looks with her high cheekbones and the accented voice, albeit it with more personality and vitality than the dour Garbo.

Barrymore, as usual, is a bit over the top. Watching him in film almost inevitably leads you to think that he was a greater stage performer when he did not have to contend with closeups. Of course at the time he was a major star with enough power that when he played Ahab in "Moby Dick" the film was turned into a romance where he kills the whale and returns to the arms of his beloved Faith ( I am NOT making this up). Barrymore does the stereotypical insane look with bugged out eyes and wild hair. Fortunately neither Hepburn nor Burke try to out emote him. Their quiet despair works off of his performance quite effectively, and there are times when they manage to bring him down to a more realistic level.

His best scene (and the most true in the movie) is when he and Hepburn meet for the first time. He mistakes her for his wife and when she replies, "I think I'm your daughter" there is the first indication of what she is capable as an actress. It might have been the first time we saw Katharine Hepburn with tears in her eyes, but it certainly was not the last (e.g., "Alice Adams" in particular).

In the history of Hollywood it is usually "The Snake Pit" that is mentioned as the film that shows how horribly the mentally ill were being treated in this country. Even thought "A Bill of Divorcement" takes place in England there is certainly a sense of the inherent fear and loathing "normal" people had for those with mental illness.

What Hepburn thought of the story line would have been interesting to know. After all, her mother was a leading proponent of birth control so she had to know that her character did not have to be so melodramatic. Ironically, there is a legendary story that Barrymore arrived at Hepburn's dressing room, threw off his dressing robe to reveal his naked body, whereupon young Kate frantically explained "My mother doesn't want me having babies."

There was a rumor floating around for a while that there was another remake it the works (the first one was in 1940 with Maureen O'Hara, Adolph Menjou and Fay Bainter), as a vehicle for Jon Voight and Angelina Jolie. It certainly would have been an interesting choice (please insert your own jokes about that particular father-daughter team trying to do this particular movie. Thank you). ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Frank Capra toying with the formula...
Barbara Stanwyck as Sister "Faith" Fallon, charismatic leader of a Pentecostal sect. David Manners plays a blind man who falls in love with her after hearing a sermon which rouses hope in him; Frank Capra's unusually blunt attack on religious quackery previews familiar themes of individual moralism and the little guy going up against a crooked system. The baby-cheeked, 20-year-old Stanwyck is drop-dead gorgeous in scene after scene, and brings the house down -- literally -- in the beginning and closing scenes. Nice early exploration of Capra's populist ouvre, but mostly just a chance to admire Stanwyck's incandescence.

Frank Capra's Darkest Film Might Be his Best
Predating "Elmer Gantry" (the film) by twenty years is this overlooked gem starring Barbara Stanwyck as a vindictive daughter of a minister. She begins the film with an intense diatribe against religious hypocrisy, but she eventually succumbs to the very corruption she originally railed against.
When she meets a charming blind man her eyes have finally opened up to her sins and "sees the light".
There's a scene that recalls the old "Golden Calf" episode from the Bible involving a party full of drunken carny people revelling at Sister Fallon's home.
Stanwyck's acting in this film is a real eye-opener. She alternates between powerful virtue and an understated sexuality that's subtle and very well done. David Manners' performance was so convincing. He did an unbelieveable job portraying a handicapped man.
TCM shows this film from time to time, but I'd like to see a DVD release so everyone can see what a great film this is.

STANWYCK AND CAPRA
Sister Florence Fallon (Stanwyck) becomes a popular evangelist, broadcasting her message daily to poor city dwellers from her Temple of Happiness. A young blind man (David Manners), who has failed as a song-writer is saved from committing suicide when her hears her cite the achievements of handicapped artists such as Beethoven and Milton. His spirits renewed, he decides to attend a revival meeting at the temple with his landlady.......... This 1931 feature was a well-directed slam at commercial evangelism with a personal sock at Aimee Semple McPherson and her Los Angeles tabernacle. Capra managed to create several original situations for the film, and the does well in this unusual and decidedly interesting movie. It's beautifully lighted and photographed and Barbara is mesmorizing in the lead as Florence "Faith" Fallon. An expensive film in it's day, every penny shows on the screen. Capra thought the picture was corny, but it holds up remarkably well; nearly 70 years later, there are evangelists using the exact same techniques, (except now they do it for millions of dollars a week on television!).

Barbara is magical as always in this early role.
The opening scenes of The Miracle Woman are great, and seem as relevant today as they were controversial in 1931. Some of the lines were brilliant and intelligently true, but I guess some people would still consider it blasphemy the way Barbara really lashes out at those hypocrites in charge of her deceased father's church. Though the film lags in certain places, and seems improbable at times, it has a great many fine moments. The best of which are between Barbara and David Manners, who plays the blind man who falls in love with Sister Fallon. Some of the most moving scenes that Frank Capra has filmed. He sure knew how to make love scenes work. Although Miracle Woman lost money at the box office, I still believe that this and his The Bitter Tea Of General Yen deserve their place amongst Mr. Capra's best. I don't understand why these films were banned in Britain. For all it's so called irreverence, the film ends up being a safe story of one woman's journey towards redemption, and the Salvation Army in the end. ... Read more

Description

The third and final entry in Hal Roach's famed "Topper" trilogy may very well be the best of the lot. Returning for their third portrayal of Mr. and Mrs. Cosmo Topper, Roland Young and Billie Burke are consistently upstaged by a sparkling new addition to the "Topper" troupe, Jack Benny's famed manservant, the loveable and irascible Eddie "Rochester" Anderson. This time around there is a "new" ghostly presence in the shapely form of Joan Blondell, who is unceremoniously dispatched by a cloaked knife murderer in a case of mistaken identity. Naturally, Joan floats over to the Topper's quiet abode and nags Cosmo into investigating her death. Back they come to the spooky scene of the crime, where Topper is accused of the murder by a houseful of creeps headed by ghoulmeister George Zucco. And who else should be the lead detective on the case, but the uproarious Donald McBride of "Room Service" fame, thoroughly bungling everything in sight! ... Read more

Reviews (16)

CHUCKLES AND LAUGHS!
This is the first Topper I've seen minus Cary Grant. But Joan Blondell holds her own and carries the day. There are constant laughs to be had here and frequent giggles, the biggest instigator of them being the briskly clever dialogue and the performance of Eddie (Rochester) Anderson, who for many years performed with Jack Benny. His terror at the "ghostly" goings on is replete with humor.

It is a pleasure to see a young Dennis O'Keefe acting opposite Carole Landis, sweet, beautiful and a fine actress (what a tragedy she committed suicide over an ill-fated love affair with the then married Rex Harrison - or should I say what a waste, since in this film she displayed such potential as an actress). And there is a wonderful, laugh till your sides split, performance by Billie Burke, who lets all the stops out in this one. She seems to relish her role and uses her up and down tremolo voice, sometimes raising it to a hilarious screech. This is definitely one of her best films.

Watch it and have fun! Because it's a fun movie at heart.

Topper's RETURNED!
And he's got a carload of women! Actually, not a carload ,just two... One of whom happens to be a ghost! She drags topper to an old creepy house to find out who killed her. The house happens to be full of all sorts of secret passages, and WEIRD personalities.And of course, Mrs. Topper suspects that the young lady who got Cosmo over here is 'the other woman'. This movie is truly funny, and it's backed up by Eddie, or Rochester, Jack Benny's Valet. A Must-See!

Wonderful!
I love this movie! I hadn't seen it in years, but remembered loving it, so today I watched it. I love it. It's funny, mysterious, and dramatic. Plus it's always nice to watch an oldie and realize how different they are from today's. I would definately reccomend this!!

A great old movie
Topper Returns is an example of how old Hollywood could do classic work, with a movie that isn't great, but exceedingly good, and at times downright hilarious. Roland Young, the woman who plays his wife (forgot her name) Joan Blondell and Eddie Anderson make this a comedy, albeit a black comedy with it's overtones of murder, worth buying. And don't forget, it was nominated for two Academy Awards. It's good viewing for Mom, Dad and kids who aren't really young.

Pure fluff
The story is wafer thin and it matters little. There is more crammed in this little unsung film than most comedies. Despite the racist undertones, Rochester shows why he was regarded as such a great comic actor. It is a pity he did not make more films as he seems the equal of Bob Hope as the scared driver of Topper.

Indeed the whole film is a battle between which lunatic can hold the camera for more than a few seconds. There is just too much going on. I particularly liked Topper's wife who was so dizzy and stole scene after scene. It is a who dunnit, but that really does not matter as it is all great fun.

Sit back and enjoy a piece of nonsense. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

The Marx Brothers Strike Back
Groucho and his brothers serve up yet another couple of classics. Animal Crackers is a terrific movie, but Duck Soup will always be my favorite of the two. Each of the Marxes has their own unique style and personality on the silver screen, and they all blend together for a wholly entertaining mix. If you want slapstick, you'd better stick to the The Three Stooges. However, I highly recommend these videos to anyone who enjoys wordplay and intelligent comedy.

The masters of comedy in three masterpieces
Sorry about the tacky title. In any case, the Marx Brothers are hilarious to people of all ages. When I was a kid I watched these all on VHS because of Harp- and Chic- o's funny slapstick actions. Now, as a college student lashing out against society, I watch it for Groucho's incredible, biting brilliance.
A Night At the Opera is brilliant. It has been a long time since I've seen it, though. One of my favorite lines ever is in there: Groucho and Chico are arguing about contracts and get to a clause about how if one side becomes insane, it shall be void. "Yeah, that's the insanity claus" says Groucho. "You can't fool me!" replies Chico. "There ain't no Sanity Claus!" (Say it out loud.)
Duck Soup is my favorite comedy ever. It is full of the same brilliance and only too short. Groucho plays the perfect leader, Chico and Harpo kind of vaguely play spies in some hilarious episodes. It's funny. Trust me.
And now, I must ask, "WHY HAVE THEY DISCONTINUED THIS?" Surely this is some kind of horrible joke! Please recontinue it soon!

Captain Spaulding Saves the Day!!!
I was lucky enough to get these DVDs during the monkey business stating that these films were being re-released. And the price went down from $700 to $200-$300. Still pretty expensive, but well worth it for any true Marx Brother's fan. They're only being released in the non-USA (PAL) version. And I think many (including myself) were confused by the new 5 DVD set that's coming out in Nov. I was hoping that this set would include 5 of their movies, but it's just a documentary type film (one that I'm eager to see). To sum this all up, I give this DVD set 10 stars....5 more than the amazon rating system allows.

DO NOT BUY!
As usual, you have some people trying to rip you off here, charging $305 for 3 DVDs. And they probably call themselves fans of American comedy. Ha!

There's a 5 DVD "Marx Bros Collection" coming out in November 03, and the price will be about $25. So preorder it, and spend the other $280 on your kids!

These prices are a slap in the face
I, and thousands of other Marx Brothers fans, am waiting for the opportunity to buy all of the classic Marx Brothers movies for a reasonable price. I bet Wal-Mart will put out just such a collection within a year. I guess I'll get it there. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Fritz Lang invited Bertolt Brecht to Hollywood to write the screenplay of this 1943 propaganda film, based on the events surrounding the assassination of Richard Heydrich, the despised chief of the Nazi occupying forces in Prague. Brecht and Lang's partnership ended bitterly when Lang was forced to cut over half of Brecht's lengthy treatment, and Brecht himself was cheated of his screenplay credit by cowriter John Wexley (the credits now attribute the original story to Lang and "Bert Brecht"). But seen today, the film is much better than its reputation suggests. The structure--the Nazis' search for the assassin, a doctor played by Brian Donlevy--suggests Lang's 1930 film M in reverse, with the gangsters transformed into the police, the honest citizens turned into criminals, and the persecuted murderer become a hero of the Resistance. Walter Brennan, as a university professor taken as a Nazi hostage, delivers some surprisingly effective patriotic speeches that clearly bear Brecht's signature; Lang's hand is more than visible in the stark, modern compositions and the perversely sympathetic villain, a traitorous beer brewer played by Gene Lockhart. --Dave Kehr ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Good Lang, but a mixed bag.
Restorations of a number of great German Lang films have recently been released on DVD (Metropolis, Niebelungen, Mabuse). Given the enormous stature of these early works, one is tempted to search carefully through his numerous Hollywood projects to find the forgotten classic even more accessible to the modern viewer. The idea of a collaboration with Bertolt Brecht would seem to hold considerable promise at capturing the best from two masters of Weimar expressionism.
There is a lot of good stuff going for "Hangmen", with its dark, shadowy vision and rapidly evolving storyline. However, the plot is plagued by war-era propoganda, which only weakens what should already be the compellingly tense situation of the Nazi occupation of Prague. Such sentimentallity is, of course, understandable, and was easily overcome by at least a few other contemporary Hollywood pictures.
Unfortunately, this film was consigned grade-B status by the studio, and it is the lack of acting talent (save a very effective job by Walter Brennan) that really hobbles the film. It is a bit disconcerting when the actors playing the Nazis exhibit much more personality than the wooden faced Czechs who we're supposed to be rooting for.
Not bad, there is so much interesting stuff that it deserves a viewing. But it's no masterpiece.

Rare, Exceptionally Fine Film
This 1943 "war" film is both rare & exceptionally fine because, aside from its obviously high production quality & performances, (1) it gives a likely unique view of the breath of Walter Brennan's talents. Here he handles a Dramatic role to great credit, the only one I have seen in my years of numerous "old movies."
Also, (2) the film demonstrates, as few others do as well, the pain & struggles endured in occupied countries by anti-Nazi patriots, trying to resist & to survive to fight again.

Lang and Brecht's film on the assassination of Heydrich
The Czech government-in-exile helped director Fritz Lang and his co-author Bertolt Brecht create a story dealing with the assassination of Reinhard "The Hangman" Heydrich, the Reich Protector (i.e., military governor) of Bohemia and Moravia, and the persecution of those Czechoslovakia