Michael Elliott
Senior HTF Member
12/15/07
Heroes for Sale (1933) :star::star::star:1/2
William A. Wellman directs this hard hitting look about a man (Richard Barthelmess) who stands up during a WW1 battle and becomes a hero but he doesn't get credit for what he did as it goes to someone else. He's injured in the war and soon gets hooked on morphine and this causes him to break up when he returns home but after getting himself cleaned up he eventually gets married to a woman (Loretta Young) but soon the Depression hits and he has another chance of being a hero. This is an extremely powerful film that talks about unknown heroes who never get the credit they deserve because they don't want any credit for doing the right thing. There's a lot of blood and passion running throughout the film so it's rather obvious that this was a big subject for director Wellman. Barthelmess gives a terrific performance as he commands every scene that he's in. Aline MacMahon is great as a family friend as is Robert Barrat as a German trying to cash in on an invention. Young is very good in her small role and has some great chemistry with Barthelmess. The early WW1 scenes contains some great and bloody action as does a riot during the middle of the film, which really caught me off guard with the violence and blood shown. There are countless Pre-Code elements and the look at drug addiction is very nicely done.
Wild Boys of the Road (1933) :star::star::star:1/2
William A. Wellman directs this Depression era drama about two boys (Frankie Darro, Edwin Phillips) who run away from home and jump on the railroad route in hopes of finding a job so that they can help their families back home. Once again there must have been something inside of Wellman because there's a lot of passion in this film aimed at the poor who must do what they can to try and survive. This is a very hard hitting film that looks at this kids in a very serious light and it makes for a terrific little gem that deserves more attention than it's gotten within film history. Both Darro and Phillips are terrific in their roles and the chemistry they offer is great. Wellman's future wife, Dorothy Coonan, is also very good in her role as the boys buddy. The first twenty-minutes of the film shows the boys as normal teenagers but then we see their parents lose their jobs and thus forcing them to hit the road. This set up really sells the rest of the film and it also helps us see the suffering they're going to go through for the rest of the film. Wellman does a great job with the tender side of the story as well as a couple great fight sequences where they boys attack some railroad police as well as a rapist. Darro has a bit of Cagney in him and his performance here seems to have had a major influence on what we'd eventually see from The Dead End Kids.
Lilly Turner (1933) :star::star:1/2
Ruth Chatterton plays the title role, a woman who gets married but then loses her husband when it turns out he is already married to another woman. She loses her baby and then joins a traveling medicine show where she meets another man (George Brent) but her pass might catch up with her. Here's another Pre-Code from William A. Wellman but the screenplay doesn't do anyone justice. The performances are all very good with Chatterton really stealing the show as the tough as nails woman. Brent also turns in a fine performance as does Frank McHugh, Robert Barrat and Ruth Donnelly. The screenplay is full of cliche material from the wrong men falling for Lilly up to the ending, which anyone will see coming from a mile away. The bigamy plot twist might have been shocking for the day but it too is pretty watered down even for the era.
Virtue (1932) :star::star::star:
Pat O'Brien plays a soft hearted taxi driver who thinks he knows all there is to know about women but that changes when he meets a prostitute (Carole Lombard). At first he doesn't know her history but that changes after they're married and soon after more problems start popping up. This is a pretty good little drama that manages to have several good performances and a nice story to go along with it. Lombard is very sexy in her role and delivers a fine, tough performance but it's actually O'Brien who steals the show in what could be the best performance I've seen from him. He plays a complete jerk throughout the entire movie but when it comes time for that good heart to show he mixes the two perfectly. The film goes through some standard stuff including a murder subplot but in the end this moves along very fast and makes for a good time killer.
Robin Hood Makes Good (1939) :star::star::star:
Three squirrels are in the woods playing Robin Hood when one is kidnapped by a fox. This is a pretty good animated short that has some nice laughs and a great fox doing all the bad stuff.
Knock on Any Door (1949) :star::star:1/2
Humphrey Bogart gets top billing here but in reality the film is a showcase for John Derek who plays a thug who suffered from a rough upbringing. He eventually gets charged with the murder of a cop but he claims to be innocent and his lawyer (Bogart) believes him. Director Nicholas Ray does a good job with his duties but he's letdown by a pretty standard screenplay, which puts the main focus of the film on Derek's life story, which doesn't contain anything we haven't already seen in countless other movies. The film picks up towards the end when the trial start because Bogart takes center stage and delivers a very good performance. Derek is decent in his role but never strong enough to carry the film, which is what the screenplays asks of him. The only part of the flashback scenes that really work are the ones with Derek and his wife played by Allene Roberts. Roberts nearly steals the film and certainly out acts Derek in every scene. There's some nice dialogue including a great final speech by Bogart but there's just not enough originality here to make it work all the way through.
12/16/07
Case of the Howling Dog, The (1934) :star::star:1/2
Warren William plays Perry Mason in Warner's first film in the series. In the film, an apparent crazy man shows up at Perry's office complaining about his neighbor's dog who keep barking through the night. The following day the man making the complaint disappears and the dog and its owner are dead. A woman (Mary Astor) takes the blame but Perry thinks there's more to the story. This film really isn't too much different than the countless other mysteries of the period. The first fifty-five minutes has Mason investigating the case and then the final fifteen take place in the court room. The story is pretty difficult to figure out but it leads to a very good ending when the case is finally unraveled. William is his typical good self and Astor makes for a good client, although she isn't given a lot to do. Allen Jenkins and Grant Mitchell co-star.
Case of the Curious Bride, The (1935) :star::star::star:
Michael Curtiz directs this second film in the Perry Mason series with Warren William returning to the role. This time out a new bride (Margaret Lindsay) goes to Perry asking about advice on her new marriage. The woman's first husband was reported dead four years earlier but after her new marriage she began receiving blackmail notes from him. After she visits Mason the old husband turns up dead and she becomes the main suspect. This is a highly entertaining little mystery that's a notch above most films in its genre due to Curtiz and his great direction. He keeps the film moving along at a very fast pace and William is more energetic than the first film. Lindsay does a good job in her role and Allen Jenkins steals the film with his nice comedy. Errol Flynn plays the dead husband in the film but for the most part we only see him as the corpse except for a few scenes at the end. From that to Captain Blood in a year isn't too bad.
Case of the Lucky Legs, The (1935) :star::star:
Third film in Warner's series has Perry Mason (Warren William) investigating a racket where a man holds a hot legs contest but instead of paying the winner the money he runs out of town. Mason is able to track him down but it's too late because someone has murdered him so Mason must try to crack the case and save his client. Sadly William spends a lot of time playing William and that means he's back to whistling at women and tracking them down. There's way too much female flirting going on and this takes away from the mystery, which isn't too good to begin with. The supporting cast doesn't offer up any good performances except for Allen Jenkins but he doesn't have too much to do. The film gets a tad bit slugish towards the end but the solving of the case makes for some slight entertainment. Certainly the weakest of the first three films.
John Ford Goes to War (2002) :star::star::star:
Pretty good documentary discussion director John Ford's years in WW2. Peter Bogdanovich, Oliver Stone, Leonard Maltin and Dan Ford, the director's grandson, are just some of the people interviewed. We get to hear stories on why Ford wanted to do those documentaries during WW2 and we also get clips from the films as well as stories behind their making. The Battle of Midway, December 7th, Sex Hygiene and Torpedo Squadron are just a few of the films discussed. Also discussed are a few films he might have directed that no one has seen yet but the best talk comes about the production of December 7th and the differences between the two versions. I guess it goes without saying but Stone has some very harsh word about Ford over the making of these films.
Up the River (1930) :star::star:
John Ford's prison comedy has been forgotten in the director's filmography and what limited knowledge people have about it is more with its stars. Spencer Tracy and Humphrey Bogart made their first big splash on the big screen here and this would be the only film they'd do together. In the film, Bogart falls in love with a female prisoner (Claire Luce) and they plan to get married once she gets paroled but a man from her past comes after Bogart once he's released from jail. Needing help, two buddies (Tracy, Warren Hymer) escape from prison and go after the man. There's also a subplot dealing with a big baseball game between two prisons but this doesn't get too much attention. I was left pretty disappointed with this film because Ford's direction really doesn't bring too much life to the screenplay, which, to the director's credit, is all over the place. It starts off as a comedy but then we switch gears to a rather strange drama. Some of this might be due to Ford having the screenplay rewritten after MGM's The Big House stole some of his ideas. The final thirty minutes drag by pretty badly as this is the same time that the laughs stop. There's some funny stuff early on including one scene where the men are getting ready for bed, four to a cell, and they realize they only have three pillows. Tracy's film debut is a very good one and I was shocked to see that Tracy personality on full display at such an early time in his career. That street tough attitude mixed with his cocky side comes off very well here. I was also shocked at Bogart who certainly isn't playing what we'd come to see in the future. Here he's constantly smiling, getting pushed around and I guess you'd say he plays a real dork. He's actually very good here, which shocked me since some of his pre-fame roles feature him looking pretty silly. From what I read, Bogart and Ford hated one another after Bogart called the director "Jack" so this was sadly the only film they made together. The Fox DVD of this is in incredibly bad shape with some jumps in the print and cuts in the soundtrack.
Heroes for Sale (1933) :star::star::star:1/2
William A. Wellman directs this hard hitting look about a man (Richard Barthelmess) who stands up during a WW1 battle and becomes a hero but he doesn't get credit for what he did as it goes to someone else. He's injured in the war and soon gets hooked on morphine and this causes him to break up when he returns home but after getting himself cleaned up he eventually gets married to a woman (Loretta Young) but soon the Depression hits and he has another chance of being a hero. This is an extremely powerful film that talks about unknown heroes who never get the credit they deserve because they don't want any credit for doing the right thing. There's a lot of blood and passion running throughout the film so it's rather obvious that this was a big subject for director Wellman. Barthelmess gives a terrific performance as he commands every scene that he's in. Aline MacMahon is great as a family friend as is Robert Barrat as a German trying to cash in on an invention. Young is very good in her small role and has some great chemistry with Barthelmess. The early WW1 scenes contains some great and bloody action as does a riot during the middle of the film, which really caught me off guard with the violence and blood shown. There are countless Pre-Code elements and the look at drug addiction is very nicely done.
Wild Boys of the Road (1933) :star::star::star:1/2
William A. Wellman directs this Depression era drama about two boys (Frankie Darro, Edwin Phillips) who run away from home and jump on the railroad route in hopes of finding a job so that they can help their families back home. Once again there must have been something inside of Wellman because there's a lot of passion in this film aimed at the poor who must do what they can to try and survive. This is a very hard hitting film that looks at this kids in a very serious light and it makes for a terrific little gem that deserves more attention than it's gotten within film history. Both Darro and Phillips are terrific in their roles and the chemistry they offer is great. Wellman's future wife, Dorothy Coonan, is also very good in her role as the boys buddy. The first twenty-minutes of the film shows the boys as normal teenagers but then we see their parents lose their jobs and thus forcing them to hit the road. This set up really sells the rest of the film and it also helps us see the suffering they're going to go through for the rest of the film. Wellman does a great job with the tender side of the story as well as a couple great fight sequences where they boys attack some railroad police as well as a rapist. Darro has a bit of Cagney in him and his performance here seems to have had a major influence on what we'd eventually see from The Dead End Kids.
Lilly Turner (1933) :star::star:1/2
Ruth Chatterton plays the title role, a woman who gets married but then loses her husband when it turns out he is already married to another woman. She loses her baby and then joins a traveling medicine show where she meets another man (George Brent) but her pass might catch up with her. Here's another Pre-Code from William A. Wellman but the screenplay doesn't do anyone justice. The performances are all very good with Chatterton really stealing the show as the tough as nails woman. Brent also turns in a fine performance as does Frank McHugh, Robert Barrat and Ruth Donnelly. The screenplay is full of cliche material from the wrong men falling for Lilly up to the ending, which anyone will see coming from a mile away. The bigamy plot twist might have been shocking for the day but it too is pretty watered down even for the era.
Virtue (1932) :star::star::star:
Pat O'Brien plays a soft hearted taxi driver who thinks he knows all there is to know about women but that changes when he meets a prostitute (Carole Lombard). At first he doesn't know her history but that changes after they're married and soon after more problems start popping up. This is a pretty good little drama that manages to have several good performances and a nice story to go along with it. Lombard is very sexy in her role and delivers a fine, tough performance but it's actually O'Brien who steals the show in what could be the best performance I've seen from him. He plays a complete jerk throughout the entire movie but when it comes time for that good heart to show he mixes the two perfectly. The film goes through some standard stuff including a murder subplot but in the end this moves along very fast and makes for a good time killer.
Robin Hood Makes Good (1939) :star::star::star:
Three squirrels are in the woods playing Robin Hood when one is kidnapped by a fox. This is a pretty good animated short that has some nice laughs and a great fox doing all the bad stuff.
Knock on Any Door (1949) :star::star:1/2
Humphrey Bogart gets top billing here but in reality the film is a showcase for John Derek who plays a thug who suffered from a rough upbringing. He eventually gets charged with the murder of a cop but he claims to be innocent and his lawyer (Bogart) believes him. Director Nicholas Ray does a good job with his duties but he's letdown by a pretty standard screenplay, which puts the main focus of the film on Derek's life story, which doesn't contain anything we haven't already seen in countless other movies. The film picks up towards the end when the trial start because Bogart takes center stage and delivers a very good performance. Derek is decent in his role but never strong enough to carry the film, which is what the screenplays asks of him. The only part of the flashback scenes that really work are the ones with Derek and his wife played by Allene Roberts. Roberts nearly steals the film and certainly out acts Derek in every scene. There's some nice dialogue including a great final speech by Bogart but there's just not enough originality here to make it work all the way through.
12/16/07
Case of the Howling Dog, The (1934) :star::star:1/2
Warren William plays Perry Mason in Warner's first film in the series. In the film, an apparent crazy man shows up at Perry's office complaining about his neighbor's dog who keep barking through the night. The following day the man making the complaint disappears and the dog and its owner are dead. A woman (Mary Astor) takes the blame but Perry thinks there's more to the story. This film really isn't too much different than the countless other mysteries of the period. The first fifty-five minutes has Mason investigating the case and then the final fifteen take place in the court room. The story is pretty difficult to figure out but it leads to a very good ending when the case is finally unraveled. William is his typical good self and Astor makes for a good client, although she isn't given a lot to do. Allen Jenkins and Grant Mitchell co-star.
Case of the Curious Bride, The (1935) :star::star::star:
Michael Curtiz directs this second film in the Perry Mason series with Warren William returning to the role. This time out a new bride (Margaret Lindsay) goes to Perry asking about advice on her new marriage. The woman's first husband was reported dead four years earlier but after her new marriage she began receiving blackmail notes from him. After she visits Mason the old husband turns up dead and she becomes the main suspect. This is a highly entertaining little mystery that's a notch above most films in its genre due to Curtiz and his great direction. He keeps the film moving along at a very fast pace and William is more energetic than the first film. Lindsay does a good job in her role and Allen Jenkins steals the film with his nice comedy. Errol Flynn plays the dead husband in the film but for the most part we only see him as the corpse except for a few scenes at the end. From that to Captain Blood in a year isn't too bad.
Case of the Lucky Legs, The (1935) :star::star:
Third film in Warner's series has Perry Mason (Warren William) investigating a racket where a man holds a hot legs contest but instead of paying the winner the money he runs out of town. Mason is able to track him down but it's too late because someone has murdered him so Mason must try to crack the case and save his client. Sadly William spends a lot of time playing William and that means he's back to whistling at women and tracking them down. There's way too much female flirting going on and this takes away from the mystery, which isn't too good to begin with. The supporting cast doesn't offer up any good performances except for Allen Jenkins but he doesn't have too much to do. The film gets a tad bit slugish towards the end but the solving of the case makes for some slight entertainment. Certainly the weakest of the first three films.
John Ford Goes to War (2002) :star::star::star:
Pretty good documentary discussion director John Ford's years in WW2. Peter Bogdanovich, Oliver Stone, Leonard Maltin and Dan Ford, the director's grandson, are just some of the people interviewed. We get to hear stories on why Ford wanted to do those documentaries during WW2 and we also get clips from the films as well as stories behind their making. The Battle of Midway, December 7th, Sex Hygiene and Torpedo Squadron are just a few of the films discussed. Also discussed are a few films he might have directed that no one has seen yet but the best talk comes about the production of December 7th and the differences between the two versions. I guess it goes without saying but Stone has some very harsh word about Ford over the making of these films.
Up the River (1930) :star::star:
John Ford's prison comedy has been forgotten in the director's filmography and what limited knowledge people have about it is more with its stars. Spencer Tracy and Humphrey Bogart made their first big splash on the big screen here and this would be the only film they'd do together. In the film, Bogart falls in love with a female prisoner (Claire Luce) and they plan to get married once she gets paroled but a man from her past comes after Bogart once he's released from jail. Needing help, two buddies (Tracy, Warren Hymer) escape from prison and go after the man. There's also a subplot dealing with a big baseball game between two prisons but this doesn't get too much attention. I was left pretty disappointed with this film because Ford's direction really doesn't bring too much life to the screenplay, which, to the director's credit, is all over the place. It starts off as a comedy but then we switch gears to a rather strange drama. Some of this might be due to Ford having the screenplay rewritten after MGM's The Big House stole some of his ideas. The final thirty minutes drag by pretty badly as this is the same time that the laughs stop. There's some funny stuff early on including one scene where the men are getting ready for bed, four to a cell, and they realize they only have three pillows. Tracy's film debut is a very good one and I was shocked to see that Tracy personality on full display at such an early time in his career. That street tough attitude mixed with his cocky side comes off very well here. I was also shocked at Bogart who certainly isn't playing what we'd come to see in the future. Here he's constantly smiling, getting pushed around and I guess you'd say he plays a real dork. He's actually very good here, which shocked me since some of his pre-fame roles feature him looking pretty silly. From what I read, Bogart and Ford hated one another after Bogart called the director "Jack" so this was sadly the only film they made together. The Fox DVD of this is in incredibly bad shape with some jumps in the print and cuts in the soundtrack.
!
