Silver Dollar (1932) stars Edward G. Robinson in a part based on the life of silver king Haw Tabor. American history, economics, and pop culture are touched upon in this look at a largely forgotten film. Also starring Aline MacMahon and Bebe Daniels.
The Wet Parade (1932) Dramatizes the Evils of Liquor … and Prohibition
The Wet Parade (1932) from MGM takes a stand against the evils of both liquor and Prohibition towards the tail end of the Prohibition era. Starring Walter Huston, Lewis Stone, Robert Young, Dorothy Jordan, Neil Hamilton, Jimmy Durante and Myrna Loy.
Jewel Robbery (1932) – Kay Francis and William Powell for a Sixth Time
A look at Jewel Robbery (1932), a unique heist-romance from Warner Brothers starring William Powell and Kay Francis. It’s a sophisticated yet often silly and almost always sinful pre-code classic.
One Way Passage (1932) – Glass Stems & Spoilers: The Final Minute
A look at the final scene of One Way Passage (1932) starring William Powell and Kay Francis. How did those crossed glass stems get there anyway?
One Way Passage (1932) Starring William Powell and Kay Francis
One Way Passage (1932) focuses on a shipboard romance between the equally doomed William Powell and Kay Francis characters. Frank McHugh is also on the scene and never allows the movie to get too sentimental. Aline MacMahon shines as well.
Lawyer Man (1932) Starring William Powell and Joan Blondell
Warner Brothers’ Lawyer Man (1932) starring William Powell and Joan Blondell is one of a series of pre-code era lawyer films. Loosely based on the life and style of real-life mouthpiece William J. Fallon.
Stranger in Town (1932) – Chic Sale Takes on a Big Grocery Chain
The small grocery Chic Sale runs in Boilsville is threatened in Warner Brothers’ Stranger in Town (1932) when a big competitor comes to town. Also starring Ann Dvorak, David Manners, and Noah Beery.
Call Her Savage (1932) Stars Clara Bow as Pre-Code Dynamite
Celebrating my favorite movie starring the ‘It Girl’ Clara Bow, the talkie Call Her Savage, a 1932 pre-code release from Fox. With Gilbert Roland, Monroe Owsley, Thelma Todd, and Estelle Taylor among others.
Symphony of Six Million (1932) starring Ricardo Cortez
RKO’s Symphony of Six Million (1932) is an interesting David O. Selznick produced film with a then unusual focus on a Jewish family. Ricardo Cortez stars as a young doctor with Anna Appel and Gregory Ratoff as his parents and Irene Dunne as the handicapped girl who’s loved him since childhood.
Devil and the Deep (1932) Starring Charles Laughton and Tallulah Bankhead
A detailed look at Paramount’s Devil and the Deep (1932) starring Tallulah Bankhead and Gary Cooper, with Cary Grant and introducing Charles Laughton to American audiences as the paranoid submarine commander.