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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.

Rebecca (1940) and My Du Maurier Kick

May 13, 2020 By Cliff Aliperti Leave a Comment

Rebecca 1940

Returning to Academy Award winning Best Picture Rebecca (1940) about ten years after I first watched it and immediately after reading the novel by Daphne Du Maurier.

Filed Under: Movie Reviews Tagged With: 1940, Adaptations, Alfred Hitchcock, David O Selznick, George Sanders, Joan Fontaine, Judith Anderson, Laurence Olivier, Reginald Denny

The Story of Temple Drake (1933) – Paramount Adapts Faulkner’s Sanctuary

May 30, 2018 By Cliff Aliperti 2 Comments

Jack La Rue with Miriam Hopkins

A review plus background information about Paramount pre-Code The Story of Temple Drake (1933), adapted from Sanctuary by William Faulkner. Book and adaptation are compared and contrasted. Casting and path to screen are covered, including George Raft’s refusal to appear in the film. Biographical information about stars Miriam Hopkins and Jack La Rue. Lengthy article, over 5,500 words, first appeared in Classic Movie Monthly #5.

Filed Under: Movie Reviews Tagged With: 1933, Adaptations, Arthur Belasco, Elizabeth Patterson, Florence Eldridge, Harlan E Knight, Irving Pichel, Jack La Rue, James Eagles, james mason, jobyna howland, Louise Beavers, Miriam Hopkins, oliver hp garrett, Paramount, pre-Code, Sir Guy Standing, Stephen Roberts, William Collier Jr, william faulkner, William Gargan

Remember the Night (1940) Starring Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray

December 21, 2017 By Cliff Aliperti 4 Comments

Remember the Night 1940

Background and action in Paramount’s Remember the Night (1940), directed by Michell Leisen from a screenplay by Preston Sturges, featuring a budding romance between Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray during the Christmas season. With special attention given to character actor Willard Robertson, whose loquacious lawyer steals the show out of the gates. Lengthy article, over 5,000 words, that first appeared in Classic Movie Monthly #4.

Filed Under: Movie Reviews Tagged With: 1940, Barbara Stanwyck, Beulah Bondi, Charles Arnt, Charles Waldron, Christmas, christmas movies, Elizabeth Patterson, Fred MacMurray, Fred Toones, Georgia Caine, John Wray, Mitchell Leisen, Paramount, Paul Guilfoyle, Preston Sturges, Spencer Charters, Sterling Holloway, Thomas W. Ross, Tom Kennedy, Virginia Brissac, Willard Robertson

The Wolf Man (1941), Lon Chaney Jr., and the Universal Horror Legacy

October 31, 2017 By Cliff Aliperti Leave a Comment

The Wolf Man 1941

Coverage of the Universal horror classic The Wolf Man (1941) including the emergence of its star Lon Chaney Jr. This article also covers the second wave of Universal horror releases and the timing of this particular release, five days after the attack upon Pearl Harbor. Previously published in Classic Movie Monthly #2.

Filed Under: Movie Reviews Tagged With: 1941, Bela Lugosi, Claude Rains, Curt Siodmak, Evelyn Ankers, Fay Helm, George Waggner, Horror, Lon Chaney Jr., Maria Ouspenskaya, monsters, patric knowles, Ralph Bellamy, Universal, Universal Horror, Warren William

Three on a Match (1932), A Second Look: Bogart, Action, Warren William

April 13, 2017 By Cliff Aliperti Leave a Comment

Humphrey Bogart and Ann Dvorak

A second look at pre-Code classic Three on a Match (1932) includes an appraisal of early Humphrey Bogart movies, contemporary reaction, and a checklist of stars. Plus Warren William.

Filed Under: Movie Reviews Tagged With: 1932, Allen Jenkins, Ann Dvorak, Anne Shirley, Bette Davis, Buster Phelps, Clara Blandick, Crime, Edward Arnold, First National, Frankie Darro, Gangsters, Glenda Farrell, Grant Mitchell, Hardie Albright, Herman Bing, Humphrey Bogart, Jack La Rue, Joan Blondell, Lyle Talbot, Mervyn LeRoy, pre-Code, sheila terry, Warner Bros., Warren William

Pick-Up (1933) Starring Sylvia Sidney and George Raft

February 15, 2017 By Cliff Aliperti 2 Comments

Pick Up 1933 Sylvia Sidney

Paramount pre-Code Pick-Up (1933) is the first of three movies co-starring Sylvia Sidney and George Raft. Also features William Harrigan and Lilian Bond. Based on a story by Viña Delmar and directed by Sidney-regular Marion Gering.

Filed Under: Movie Reviews Tagged With: 1933, Benito Mussolini, Brooks Benedict, Charles Middleton, Clarence Wilson, George Raft, Great Depression, Lilian Bond, Louise Beavers, Marion Gering, Oscar Apfel, panther woman, Paramount, pre-Code, Purnell Pratt, Robert McWade, Sylvia Sidney, Vina Delmar, William Harrigan

Are These Our Children? (1931) Starring Eric Linden and Arline Judge

January 30, 2017 By Cliff Aliperti 3 Comments

Eric Linden and Arline Judge

Wild RKO pre-Code gem Are These Our Children? (1931) examines Prohibition-era youth gone wild. Includes brief biography of star Eric Linden. Also co-star Arline Judge.

Filed Under: Movie Reviews Tagged With: 1931, Arline Judge, Ben Alexander, Beryl Mercer, Billy Butts, Eric Linden, Great Depression, Howard Estabrook, Mary Kornman, pre-Code, Prohibition, RKO (Pathe), Robert Quirk, Roberta Gale, Rochelle Hudson, Wesley Ruggles, William Orlamond

The Woman Accused (1933) Starring Nancy Carroll and Cary Grant

December 30, 2016 By Cliff Aliperti 3 Comments

Nancy Carroll in The Woman Accused

Ten authors spoil the broth in Paramount pre-Code The Woman Accused (1933) starring Nancy Carroll and Cary Grant. Featuring one shocking scene with Grant, Jack La Rue, and a rawhide whip.

Filed Under: Movie Reviews Tagged With: 1933, Bayard Veiller, Cary Grant, Frank Sheridan, Gertrude Atherton, Gertrude Messinger, Harry Holman, Irvin S. Cobb, Irving Pichel, J.P. McEvoy, Jack La Rue, Jay Belasco, John Halliday, john lodge, lona andre, Louis Calhern, Murder, Nancy Carroll, Norma Mitchell, Paramount, Paul Sloane, Polan Banks, pre-Code, Sophie Kerr, Ursula Parrott, Vicki Baum, Vina Delmar, William J. Kelly, Zane Grey

No Man of Her Own (1932) Starring Clark Gable and Carole Lombard

November 21, 2016 By Cliff Aliperti Leave a Comment

Carole Lombard and Clark Gable

Noted for pairing Clark Gable and Carole Lombard a few years before they began their romance, Paramount’s No Man of Her Own (1932) is entertaining beyond their unsurprising screen chemistry. Post features several background notes about film’s complicated pre-production.

Filed Under: Movie Reviews Tagged With: 1932, Carole Lombard, Charley Grapewin, Clark Gable, Dorothy Mackaill, Elizabeth Patterson, gamblers, gambling, George Barbier, Grant Mitchell, J. Farrell MacDonald, Paramount, Paul Ellis, pre-Code, Romance, Tommy Conlon, Val Lewton, Walter Walker, Wesley Ruggles

Terror Aboard (1933) – Grand Hotel of Murder on the High Seas

November 5, 2016 By Cliff Aliperti Leave a Comment

Charlie Ruggles in Terror Aboard 1933

One passenger drops after another in Terror Aboard (1933), Paramount’s pre-Code preview of the far-off slasher genre. An all-star cast of B-players is led by John Halliday in this tale of multiple murders at sea.

Filed Under: Movie Reviews Tagged With: 1933, Bobby Dunn, Charlie Ruggles, Clarence Wilson, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Horror, Jack La Rue, John Halliday, Leila Bennett, Morgan Wallace, Murder, Neil Hamilton, Paramount, Paul Porcasi, Paul Sloane, pre-Code, Shirley Grey, Slasher, Stanley Fields, Thomas E. Jackson, verree teasdale, William Janney

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About Cliff

I write about old movies and movie stars from the 1920s to the 1950s. I also sell movie cards, still photos and other ephemera. Immortal Ephemera connects the stories with the collectibles. Read More…

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Cliff’s Books & eBooks:

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Helen Twelvetrees Perfect Ingenue by Cliff Aliperti

Helen Twelvetrees, Perfect Ingenue

Kindle $5.99

Paperback $21.95

11 Pre Code Hollywood Movie Histories book

11 Pre Code Hollywood Movie Histories

Still Just $2.99

Freddie Bartholomew An Informal Biography by Cliff Aliperti

The first Freddie Bartholomew biography in over 75 years!

Still just 99c

Praise for Helen Twelvetrees, Perfect Ingenue

Recommended BooksJames L. Neibaur of Examiner.com calls it: "One of the most interesting and important film books of the young year," adding, "the documentation is original and significant." Full review.

Recommended BooksJacqueline T. Lynch, author of Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer.Star., says: "A prime example of a classic film fan taking the reins to produce a scholarly study of a neglected figure from the Golden Age of classic films in a way that I feel is refreshing, infinitely helpful to fans and students of old movies." Full review.

Recommended BooksSilver Screenings says: "A fascinating account of an ambitious and hard-working woman ... Aliperti’s book is well written and incredibly well researched." Full review.

Recommended BooksSpeakeasy says: "Despite her decline, this is not a sad or bleak book but an enjoyable history ... Any fan of the collectible Citadel “Films of” book series will appreciate the modern twist on that format, a full biography followed by an expanded filmography." Full review.

Recommended BooksA Classic Movie Blog says: "I think this is a good format for performers with short lives and brief careers ... I went into it with only mild curiosity about Twelvetrees and now I find my self pining for copies of unavailable, but intriguing films." Full review.

Helen Twelvetrees, Perfect Ingenue is available in paperback or Kindle edition at Amazon.com.


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