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.
I Married a Doctor (1936) Attempts to Update Main Street
Main Street by Sinclair Lewis was published in 1920. In 1936 Warner Bros. attempted to update the Lewis story with I Married a Doctor, starring Josephine Hutchinson and Pat O’Brien. The movie is entertaining but it is no Main Street choosing to focus more on the love angle than it does Carol’s battle against the small town.
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.
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.”
Public Enemy’s Wife (1936) and Bullets for O’Hara (1941)
Continuing the G-man cycle with Warner Brother’s Public Enemy’s Wife (1936) and its 1941 remake, Bullets for O’Hara. Reuniting Robert Armstrong and Margaret Lindsay from G Men with Pat O’Brien, Public Enemy’s Wife is a worthwhile Warner’s crime film, while the low budget O’Hara is worth a try for fans of the original.
Freddie Bartholomew is Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936)
A look at Selznick International’s faithful 1936 screen adaptation of Little Lord Fauntleroy starring Freddie Bartholomew and C. Aubrey Smith.
The Voice of Bugle Ann (1936) Starring Lionel Barrymore with Maureen O’Sullivan
MGM’s The Voice of Bugle Ann (1936) with Lionel Barrymore provides a look at Missouri foxhunting. Post includes some background on American foxhunting and a bit about the quote Barrymore’s Spring Davis attributes to Senator Vest during his murder trial.
The Devil Is a Sissy (1936) Starring Freddie Bartholomew, Jackie Cooper, Mickey Rooney
A somewhat bizarre gem released by MGM in 1936 The Devil Is a Sissy features Freddie Bartholomew, Jackie Cooper and Mickey Rooney hitting their teens and finding trouble on the East Side.
Piccadilly Jim (1936) Starring Robert Montgomery and Madge Evans
Looking at MGM’s 1936 adaptation of P.G. Wodehouse’s Piccadilly Jim starring Robert Montgomery and directed by Robert Z. Leonard. With Madge Evans, Frank Morgan and Eric Blore.
Stage Struck (1936) Starring Dick Powell and Joan Blondell
Busby Berkeley’s Stage Struck (1936) is a Warner Brothers musical missing the typical Berkeley flare. Starring Dick Powell and Joan Blondell with Warren William it’s an at times bizarre movie that doesn’t measure up to earlier classics Berkeley worked on, but still entertaining at times providing a few laughs.
