Old Movies-the 1930’s and 1940s

Anne of Windy Poplars

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Almost as Good as Anne of Green Gables

Delightful follow-up to Anne of Green Gables (1934 version). The acting by all concerned was very effective, especially the luminous Anne Shirley as…Anne Shirley, and Joan Carroll as the child Betty. Marcia Mae Jones, usually seen as Shirley Temple’s nemesis is perfectly cast as Jen Pringle. Well worth searching for. One of the last “lost” movies on my want to see list. It is not available on DVD and even the Anne Shirley marathon of TCM did not show it. I found it by means of a link which downloaded it to my computer. You can find it as a link on You Tube posted by an angel named Susannah.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

August 29, 2020

Unexpected Uncle

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Very Misguided and a Waste

Very bad romance starring the lovely Anne Shirley, the very handsome James Craig, and the always delightful Charles Coburn. The problem is that Craig plays a spoiled and entitled alcoholic whom Anne falls head over heels for. I don’t know why, because when he is not trying to control and manipulate her he rudely ignores her and is mean to her. He treats her like crap. Instead of Coburn, The Unexpected Uncle, talking some sense into her and finding her a sweet humble boy for her to love, he actually helps him get her back when she finally sees the light and leaves him. Turrible.

Rating: 1.5 out of 5.

August 29, 2020

Saturday’s Children

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Just Kind of Fades Away…

This is well-written as far as dialogue and character but the plot was pretty lame. I tuned in for the always delightful Anne Shirley and to see the charismatic John Garfield in something a little lighter. Unfortunately, he struggled in some of the lighter bits. There is a reason, it turns out, why he was cast in tense noir dramas. Claude Rains is great as her father, a rather lame character. He is charming and wise but lazy. But then feels bad because he is not more of a success. His dramatic scheme to help his daughter makes no sense. My main problem with the plot is that it did not have any resolution or closure. Instead of going after his dream of developing silk from hemp, a process of his own invention, he fell for Anne who encouraged him to marry her by making him jealous instead of accepting a promising job in the Philippines. They struggle financially. After she gets pregnant, he turns down a second chance for the life-changing job, and they will continue to struggle with no hope on the horizon. I would have liked to see him take that job in the Philippines with or without her, or have one of his many other inventions pay off. Perhaps one which will help with the coming war effort which actually is only a year away.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

August 29, 2020

Too Many Wives

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For Anne Shirley Fans Only

I admit I only watched this one because I have a soft spot for Anne Shirley. Anne was fine in the role. She was matched up with John Morley. Also fine with a Dick Powell like appeal. I enjoyed seeing Jack Carson in a very early bit part and Gene Lockhart. The plot is silly: Its lack of wit is masked by it’s frenetic pacing, fast talking, and wacky but unfunny plot. Barry, unable to get a job as a journalist, is taken up on his offer to be the “fall guy” to distract disgruntled subjects of the paper’s stories. He will placate them leaving those responsible unbothered by the public’s complaints. To shield him from getting fired, he also pretends to be a young married father just trying to support his family. Unfortunately, Betty, his new love, has a complaint against the newspaper and is shocked to learn he is married and a father. Chockful of misunderstandings which still only manages to stretch the length out to 60 minutes or so, it was too long even at that.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

August 28, 2020

It’s Love I’m After

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Just Tiresome and So Very Shrill

I was attracted to this movie by the stellar cast. I was very disappointed. Some reviewers seem bewildered as to why this screwball comedy has been forgotten and is relatively unknown. Yeah, well I know why. It was loud, over-acted, and disjointed. All of the characters were very silly and their motivations were nonsensical. Their actions and reactions made no sense. I blame the director. I usually love Bonita Granville, but her performance was an example of what was wrong with this movie. Absolutely embarrassing.

Rating: 2 out of 5.

May 31, 2020

The Mad Miss Manton

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Bad Detectives.

Some amusing lines and repartee but the coppers are so stupid and incompetent that they are positively dangerous. I fear for the city’s residents when a ditsy coterie of debutantes aren’t there to break all kinds of laws and save the day. A lot of actions on everyone’s part from the cops, to Miss Manton, to the suspects made no sense. I know this is supposed to be a classic screwball comedy but I thought it was just silly. Maybe I wasn’t in the right mood: tolerant.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

September 15, 2019

Twice Blessed

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Interesting Variation of the Parent Trap plot, with None of its Charm

The appeal for this movie is its similarities and differences from Parent Trap. In this case, the twins know each other and their non-custodial parents even though they rarely see them. So we miss the emotional epiphanies when the two discover each other’s existence. In this movie, the mother is an uptight famous child psychologist engaged to a Senator. The dad is a scruffy newspaperman. The twins are 16 or 17 years old when the movie starts, so teen romance does play a large part in the plot. Mom’s daughter is a conservative intellectual genius, Dad’s is a dumb blonde and a jitterbug queen. Hilarity ensues when they decide on impulse to change places. Sounds pretty good, right? It would have been very good indeed had this movie had the great stars and performances (and charm) of either the Hayley Mills-led project or the Lindsey Lohan vehicle. But no. All of the players are pretty pedestrian, and so is this movie. Oh well, glad I saw it anyway. Can’t believe I was unaware of this until I saw it listed on TCM. I’m a huge Hayley Mills and Parent Trap fan. I read the book (Lottie and Lisa) when it was finally re-issued in English in 2015.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

June 2, 2019

Child of Divorce

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If Your Parents get divorced, Don’t Sulk, or else!

A very unusual film for its time. Its theme is how traumatic divorce is for children. The message is effective because there are no good guys or bad guys in the film. The mother cheats on the husband, but the husband was neglectful of his wife. It is made clear that they were never passionately in love. Her lover, whom she marries, is a good guy and tries his best to win over his stepdaughter. The father eventually also gains a fiancée, who also seems very nice. But he continues to be away from home too much due to his career. The two parents both love their daughter very very much, but due to her disruptive attitude (not bad, just disconcertingly unhappy and unaccepting of the two new people in her parents’ lives) they put her away in a nice boarding school on the advice of her doctor. It is made clear that though everyone loves little Roberta this solution is a relief to both parents. The last scene is Roberta pretty much getting the scoop on what her future with her parents is going to be from her more experienced roommate, another child of divorce. Both of the little actresses are wonders in this film. Sadly, the message to the children seems to be, If your parents get divorced, pretend to be happy, or else. Everything is pretty much left unresolved, and there is no closure provided. Realistic, yes, but Not what I prefer in a film.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

June 2, 2019

The Young in Heart

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Not Just Another Romantic Comedy

Although I once was a sucker for any romantic comedy, especially from the 30’s, I have become jaded over the last few years. with the preponderance and availability of so many, thanks to TCM, I have been disappointed time and again. The plots are more often than not clichéd and predictable. The acting is, although good for the time, usually, very different from the style we are used to today. The chemistry between actors is usually nil. The quality of the production second rate.

What a treat and a surprise this film was! It deserves to be as highly regarded as The Awful Truth, It Happened One Night, and any top notch Romantic Comedy of the 30’s. It had me laughing and tearing up. The quality of the production was top tier. Imagine using a clip of the train wreck in this movie (which was just a minor plot device) in a 1960’s popular TV series. That is just one example of how 1st class this film is. Some of the scenes, particularly the father and son speculating over the construction site over how the workers could possibly be having any fun, and the father’s horror at actually having to get a job along with the funeral procession to the door of the Flying Wombat dealership to take his position as a car salesman, are absolutely hilarious. (and not just hilarious “for its time.”)

I won’t add to the the praise of the actors from other reviewers. Just that I agree wholeheartedly.

It’s not just another Romantic Comedy. It has drama and heart as well. **9 out of 10 stars**

April 13, 2016

A Letter for Evie

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Cyrano de Bergerac a la World War II

Why wasn’t Marsha Hunt a bigger star? What a sweetie! And what a smile! Really well-written take on the mistaken identity romantic comedy. The scene with the great Spring Byington where Johnny’s identity was finally revealed went from laugh-out-loud funny to sad and touching. And the scene with Evie on the bed weeping her confusion when she finally learns the truth was equally well done: both by the scriptwriter and Marsha Hunt. Hume Cronyn was perfect. Who would have thought the actor so often cast as a weaselly villain could be such a romantic hero? I loved the last scene where Johnny heroically tries to “Tell her what she wants to hear” and ends at last with the romantic resolution. By the way, that scene at the rest home with the friend of the dead soldier added a bit of depth not usually expected in such a generally frothy romance. Another example of how well this was written and played. **9 stars out of 10**

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

January 10, 2015