A look at the most stylized of the 1931 gangster movies, Rouben Mamoulian’s City Streets (1931) from Paramount, starring Gary Cooper and Sylvia Sidney.
Classic Movie Reviews by Cliff Aliperti
Spoiler-free reviews of movies from Hollywood's Golden Age, especially the 1930s. Most reviews also include research into background of the film and, when relevant, the history surrounding the subject of the movie.
Snowed Under (1936) Chemistry Highlights Hilarious Warner Farce
Looking at Snowed Under, a 1936 Warner Bros. farce directed by Ray Enright and starring George Brent, Genevieve Tobin, Glenda Farrell, Frank McHugh, Patricia Ellis and John Eldredge. With a focus on “Lawrence Saunders,” who wrote the original story that was serialized in Liberty magazine.
Brief Impressions: King for a Night (1933) – Big Hearted Herbert (1934) and Father Is a Prince (1941) – Confessions of Boston Blackie (1941)
Enjoying a key scene between Chester Morris and Grant Mitchell in King for a Night (1933) leads to more Morris in a Boston Blackie entry plus Mitchell’s own starring vehicle, Father Is a Prince (1941), itself a remake of Big Hearted Herbert (1934), which is also discussed.
Helen Twelvetrees is Millie (1931) – With Joan Blondell and Lilyan Tashman
Helen Twelvetrees stars in pre-Code sizzler Millie (1931). Millie leaves her husband after she catches him cheating and she puts monogamy behind her once her boyfriend is caught with another woman too. Can Millie be an independent woman in 1931 and protect her daughter from an even more perilous relationship?
Sweepings (1933) and Mamie’s Christmas Counter Freak-Out
Lester Cohen adapted his own novel Sweepings for RKO in 1933. It was remade as Three Sons in 1939. The story is about a retail king and his family, but the focus of this article turns to Helen Mack’s explosive Christmas Eve scene with additional details about her character filled in from Cohen’s novel.
Five Star Final (1931) Starring Edward G. Robinson
Mervyn LeRoy’s Five Star Final (1931) stars Edward G. Robinson as the managing editor of a trashy New York newspaper that resurrects a 20-year-old murder case for circulation. A Warner Bros.-First National production adapted from the play by Louis Weitzenkorn. Also starring Marian Marsh, H.B. Warner, Frances Starr, Boris Karloff and Aline MacMahon.
Don’t Bet on Blondes (1935) Starring Warren William and Claire Dodd
Warner Brothers Don’t Bet on Blondes (1935) features solid work by Warren William as bookmaker turned freak insurance man, Claire Dodd cast against type as his love interest and Guy Kibbee giving the strongest performance of the bunch as Dodd’s father, who takes out a policy against his daughter’s marriage. It is also Errol Flynn’s second Hollywood movie and Flynn’s early career is detailed within the post.
Lon Chaney, Jr. in Dead Man’s Eyes (1944) – An Inner Sanctum Mystery
Lon Chaney, Jr. stars in Dead Man’s Eyes, an Inner Sanctum Mystery from Universal in 1944. Posted for the Chaney Blogathon. Article also includes a separate section about mysterious co-star Acquanetta.
The Walking Dead (1936) – Lindbergh Heart Resurrects Boris Karloff
Warner Brothers mixes crime and horror in THE WALKING DEAD where mobsters put down Boris Karloff but Edmund Gwenn brings him back to life with a Lindbergh Heart. Karloff’s fine performance highlighted along with some background information about Lindbergh’s “robot heart.”
Murder by the Clock (1931) Starring William “Stage” Boyd and Lilyan Tashman
Tough to find and thus underappreciated, Murder by the Clock (1931) is an early mystery thriller highlighted by Lilyan Tashman, a creepy tomb alarm and a few surprising twists.
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