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.
Attorney for the Defense (1932) – Edmund Lowe’s Fallon for Columbia
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.
Ten Cents a Dance (1931) Starring Barbara Stanwyck
A pre-Code set around a dance hall starring Barbara Stanwyck with Monroe Owsley and Ricardo Cortez, and I didn’t like it? Uh uh. Here’s what I didn’t like about Ten Cents a Dance (1931).
Child of Manhattan (1933) Starring Nancy Carroll, John Boles
Adapted by Columbia from a critically savaged Broadway play by Preston Sturges. Child of Manhattan is saved on screen by its captivating star, Nancy Carroll, who plays taxi-dancer Madeleine McGonagle. With John Boles, Buck Jones, and Jessie Ralph. Directed by Edward Buzzell.
Lady by Choice (1934) Starring Carole Lombard and May Robson
Columbia attempts to repeat May Robson’s success in Lady for a Day the following year in Lady by Choice with Carole Lombard. Without Frank Capra or Damon Runyon it’s not as colorful. Production Code enforcement pales it a bit more. Well acted and worth catching despite its flaws.
The Corpse Came C.O.D. (1947) and the Hollywood Gossip Columnists
Columbia’s The Corpse Came C.O.D. (1947) was the most interesting of my blizzard viewing, though not because of stars George Brent and Joan Blondell but the quick flashes of Hollywood Gossip Columnists which helped put faces to a few more names.
Washington Merry-Go-Round (1932) with Lee Tracy and Constance Cummings
Lee Tracy stars in Washington Merry-Go-Round (1932), Columbia’s pre-Code precursor to Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) with Constance Cummings, Alan Dinehart and Walter Connolly.
8 Questions for Author Dan Van Neste About The Whistler Film Series
Dan Van Neste, author of The Whistler: Stepping Into the Shadows, answers 8 questions about Columbia’s film series The Whistler starring Richard Dix.
Freddie Bartholomew Complete Biography of the 1930’s MGM Child Star
The most complete Freddie Bartholomew biography in existence. Now a single entry, over 10,000 words with bibliography about MGM’s popular child star of the 1930’s. What happened to the star of David Copperfield, Little Lord Fauntleroy and Captains Courageous after he grew up? It’s all here.
Warner Baxter as The Crime Doctor: A Crime Doctor Episode Guide
A guide to the individual entries to Columbia’s Crime Doctor mystery series of the 1940’s. Each of the ten films star Warner Baxter. Packed with details yet spoiler free.