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You are here: Home / Archives for Movie Reviews

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.

My Woman (1933) Starring Helen Twelvetrees, Wallace Ford

October 19, 2016 By Cliff Aliperti 1 Comment

Wallace Ford and Helen Twelvetrees in My Woman

Wallace Ford’s head swells after wife Helen Twelvetrees helps make him a radio sensation in Columbia pre-Code My Woman (1933) Also starring Victor Jory, Claire Dodd. Directed by Victor Schertzinger. Article excerpted from Helen Twelvetrees, Perfect Ingenue.

Filed Under: Movie Reviews Tagged With: 1933, Charles Lane, Claire Dodd, Columbia, Harry Holman, Helen Twelvetrees, Hobart Cavanaugh, pre-Code, Raymond Brown, Victor Jory, Victor Schertzinger, Wallace Ford

Man Made Monster (1941) Introduces Lon Chaney Jr to Universal Horror

October 5, 2016 By Cliff Aliperti Leave a Comment

Lon Chaney Jr in Man Made Monster

Universal casts Lon Chaney Jr in his first horror role, the exciting 59-minute thriller Man Made Monster starring Lionel Atwill as the man, and Chaney Jr as the monster. Includes a look at Chaney Jr’s career to date, and Atwill’s career thereafter.

Filed Under: Movie Reviews Tagged With: 1941, Anne Nagel, Frank Albertson, Horror, Lionel Atwill, Lon Chaney Jr., samuel s hinds, Universal, Universal Horror, William B. Davidson

Change of Heart (1934) Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell One Last Time

September 21, 2016 By Cliff Aliperti 3 Comments

Charles Farrell and Janet Gaynor

Change of Heart (1934) boasts the final pairing of Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell. From director John G. Blystone for Fox Films with James Dunn and Ginger Rogers.

Filed Under: Movie Reviews Tagged With: 1934, Barbara Barondess, Beryl Mercer, Charles Farrell, Dick Foran, Drue Leyton, Fiske O'Hara, Fox Films, Ginger Rogers, gustav von seyffertitz, James Dunn, Jane Darwell, Janet Gaynor, John G. Blystone, Kathleen Norris, Kenneth Thomson, Nella Walker, pre-Code, Shirley Temple, Theodore von Eltz

Special Investigator (1936) – Richard Dix Stars in Erle Stanley Gardner Story

September 13, 2016 By Cliff Aliperti Leave a Comment

Special Investigator 1936 newspaper ad

Big-city mouthpiece Richard Dix seeks to bring his brother’s killers to justice in a Nevada mining town in Special Investigator, a 1936 RKO “B” entry based on an Erle Stanley Gardner story.

Filed Under: Movie Reviews Tagged With: 1936, Erik Rhodes, Erle Stanley Gardner, Gangsters, gold, Harry Jans, J. Carroll Naish, jed prouty, jm kerrigan, Joe Sawyer, Lawyers, Louis King, Margaret Callahan, Owen Davis Jr., Ray Mayer, Richard Dix, RKO (Pathe), Russell Hicks, sheila terry

Red-Headed Woman (1932) Reveals New Jean Harlow

August 6, 2016 By Cliff Aliperti 3 Comments

Jean Harlow in Red-Headed Woman

Jean Harlow lobbies for Red-Headed Woman and emerges as one of MGM’s top stars. Background notes on the film accompany a look at this pre-Code classic adapted from a Katharine Brush novel. The movie also stars Chester Morris, Una Merkel, and Leila Hyams. Directed by Jack Conway.

Filed Under: Movie Reviews Tagged With: 1932, Adaptations, anita loos, Charles Boyer, Chester Morris, Henry Stephenson, Jack Conway, Jean Harlow, Katharine Brush, Leila Hyams, Lewis Stone, May Robson, MGM, pre-Code, Una Merkel

‘One Sunday Afternoon’ With Cagney & Co. in ‘The Strawberry Blonde’

July 30, 2016 By Cliff Aliperti 3 Comments

James Cagney and Olivia de Havilland

One Sunday Afternoon made over in Old New York for The Strawberry Blonde. From director Raoul Walsh for Warner Bros. from a script by the Epstein brothers. Starring James Cagney, Olivia de Havilland, Rita Hayworth, and Jack Carson.

Filed Under: Movie Reviews Tagged With: 1890s, 1941, Alan Hale, Comedies, George Reeves, George Tobias, Jack Carson, James Cagney, James Hagan, Julius J. Epstein, nostalgia, Olivia de Havilland, Philip G. Epstein, Raoul Walsh, remakes, Rita Hayworth, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Una O'Connor, Warner Archive, Warner Bros.

The Roaring Twenties (1939) Starring James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart

June 22, 2016 By Cliff Aliperti 7 Comments

Priscilla Lane and James Cagney

One of James Cagney’s classic gangster movies, The Roaring Twenties (1939) also boasts an especially nasty Humphrey Bogart in its cast, plus strong work from Gladys George. Post includes background about writer Mark Hellinger, real-life roaring twenties personalities Larry Fay and Texas Guinan, plus a look at a pre-Code predecessor Broadway Thru a Keyhole (1933).

Filed Under: Movie Reviews Tagged With: 1939, Edward Keane, Frank McHugh, Gangsters, George Meeker, Gladys George, Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, Jeffrey Lynn, Joe Sawyer, Mark Hellinger, Paul Kelly, Priscilla Lane, Raoul Walsh, wade boteler, Warner Bros.

Attorney for the Defense (1932) – Edmund Lowe’s Fallon for Columbia

June 8, 2016 By Cliff Aliperti 5 Comments

Edmund Lowe in Attorney for the Defense

Edmund Lowe stars in Attorney for the Defense, second of four 1932 pre-Code crooked lawyer movies based on the exploits of William J. Fallon. With Evelyn Brent and Constance Cummings; Directed by Irving Cumming for Columbia.

Filed Under: Movie Reviews Tagged With: 1932, Bradley Page, Clarence Muse, Columbia, Constance Cummings, Don Dillaway, Dorothy Peterson, Douglas Haig, Dwight Frye, Eddie Kane, Edmund Lowe, Evelyn Brent, Irving Cummings, Lawyers, Nat Pendleton, pre-Code, William J. Fallon

Behind the Green Lights (1935), Cops Vs. Mouthpiece in Mascot Indie

May 18, 2016 By Cliff Aliperti Leave a Comment

Behind the Green Lights 1935

Based on a book by Captain Cornelius Willemse, the NYPD’s original “gang buster,” Behind the Green Lights pits the police vs. a crooked mouthpiece and features a romance between cop and lawyer. Easily found independent release is fast-paced and entertaining.

Filed Under: Movie Reviews Tagged With: 1935, Adaptations, Christy Cabanne, Crime, Edward Gargan, Ford Sterling, Independents, J. Carroll Naish, John Davidson, Judith Allen, Kenneth Thomson, Lawyers, Mascot Pictures, Norman Foster, Purnell Pratt, Sidney Blackmer, Theodore von Eltz

6 Hours to Live (1932) for Warner Baxter in Rare Fox Film

April 22, 2016 By Cliff Aliperti 1 Comment

Warner Baxter in 6 Hours to Live

Warner Baxter stars as a love-struck politician who is assassinated just before a key international vote. Science gives him another 6 Hours to Live after a powerful ray brings him back to life. Also starring Miriam Jordan and John Boles. Directed by William Dieterle. A 1932 Fox Films release.

Filed Under: Movie Reviews Tagged With: 1932, Beryl Mercer, Dewey Robinson, Edward McWade, Edwin Maxwell, Fox Films, George Marion, Halliwell Hobbes, Irene Ware, John Boles, John Davidson, Miriam Jordan, politics, pre-Code, Romance, Rosita Butler, Science Fiction, Warner Baxter, William Dieterle

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