A look at the very specific time and place of King Kong’s March 2, 1933 premiere at Radio City Music Hall and the Roxy in New York City.
Captains Courageous (1937) Starring Freddie Bartholomew and Spencer Tracy
MGM Golden Age classic Captains Courageous is highlighted by a heavily modernized and modified adaptation of Kipling’s novel that provides opportunity for Spencer Tracy and Freddie Bartholomew to shine in the leading roles.
Somerset Maugham’s The Narrow Corner (1933) Starring Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.
A personal look at this Somerset Maugham fan’s discovery of The Narrow Corner (1933) from Warner Brothers starring Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Patricia Ellis, and Ralph Bellamy. A Maugham tale of the South Seas on film with all the sex and sin of the pre-code era.
Captain Blood (1935) Action Energized by Errol Flynn and Korngold’s Score
A look at my own favorite action adventure movie of all time, Captain Blood starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland, both in breakout roles. A tale of piracy, slavery, patriotism and romance, Korngold’s score keeps you cheering for Blood throughout.
China Seas (1935) starring Clark Gable and Jean Harlow
The Clark Gable and Jean Harlow teaming peaks in China Seas, the 4th of their 6 MGM pairings, a tale of love and piracy at sea also starring Wallace Beery and Rosalind Russell.
Robert Donat stars in Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps (1935)
Hitchcock brings action and adventure, mystery and romance to The 39 Steps (1935) starring Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll.
Tyrone Power in Son of Fury: The Story of Benjamin Blake (1942)
Twentieth Century-Fox’s “Son of Fury” plays as a 98 minute epic tale of redemption which opens with a fight, leads to an escape, turns into a brief tale at sea, then an island romance and adventure, a return for vengeance, even a spectacle of a courtroom trial, before, of course, culminating in yet another big fight with the intervening years leading to a different outcome.
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) starring Errol Flynn
Far from being simply the greatest swashbuckler since Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., and with all apologies to Tyrone Power fans, none to top him since, Flynn played in variety of roles, and played them well.