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You are here: Home / Archives for First National

Three on a Match (1932), A Second Look: Bogart, Action, Warren William

April 13, 2017 By Cliff Aliperti Leave a Comment

Humphrey Bogart and Ann Dvorak

A second look at pre-Code classic Three on a Match (1932) includes an appraisal of early Humphrey Bogart movies, contemporary reaction, and a checklist of stars. Plus Warren William.

Filed Under: Movie Reviews Tagged With: 1932, Allen Jenkins, Ann Dvorak, Anne Shirley, Bette Davis, Buster Phelps, Clara Blandick, Crime, Edward Arnold, First National, Frankie Darro, Gangsters, Glenda Farrell, Grant Mitchell, Hardie Albright, Herman Bing, Humphrey Bogart, Jack La Rue, Joan Blondell, Lyle Talbot, Mervyn LeRoy, pre-Code, sheila terry, Warner Bros., Warren William

Babbitt (1934) Starring Guy Kibbee, Aline MacMahon

March 3, 2016 By Cliff Aliperti Leave a Comment

Guy Kibbee in Babbitt 1934

The second film adaptation of Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis was released in late 1934. Guy Kibbee is well cast in the title role with Aline MacMahon as his wife Myra Babbitt. Directed by William Keighley for First National-Warner Bros.

Filed Under: Movie Reviews Tagged With: 1934, Addison Richards, Alan Hale, Aline MacMahon, Arthur Aylesworth, berton churchill, Claire Dodd, Comedies, First National, Glen Boles, Guy Kibbee, Harry Tyler, Hattie McDaniel, Mary Treen, Maxine Doyle, Minna Gombell, Minor Watson, Nan Grey, Russell Hicks, Sinclair Lewis, Walter Walker, Warner Bros., William Keighley

The Widow from Chicago (1930) Starring Alice White

December 18, 2015 By Cliff Aliperti 3 Comments

Edward G Robinson and Alice White

Edward G. Robinson in an early gangster role that’s supposed to take a backseat to early talkie attraction Alice White. Film works for fans of both.

Filed Under: Movie Reviews Tagged With: 1930, Alice White, Brooks Benedict, Earl Baldwin, Edward F. Cline, Edward G. Robinson, First National, Flappers, Frank McHugh, Gangsters, Harold Goodwin, John Elliott, Lee Shumway, Neil Hamilton, pre-Code

Wild Boys of the Road (1933) Meets “Boy And Girl Tramps of America”

September 14, 2015 By Cliff Aliperti 9 Comments

Wild Boys of the Road 1933 advertisement

Contemporary reaction to William A. Wellman’s Wild Boys of the Road (1933), plus writer Danny Ahearn, and a peek at Thomas Minehan’s study “Boy and Girl Tramps of America.”

Filed Under: Movie Reviews Tagged With: 1933, Ann Hovey, Arthur Hohl, claire mcdowell, Daniel Ahearn, Dorothy Coonan, Earl Baldwin, Edwin Phillips, First National, Frankie Darro, Grant Mitchell, Minna Gombell, pre-Code, Robert Barrat, Rochelle Hudson, Sterling Holloway, Thomas Minehan, Warner Bros., Willard Robertson, William A. Wellman

aside

Lightning Review: Registered Nurse (1934) Starring Bebe Daniels, Lyle Talbot

July 23, 2015 By Cliff Aliperti Leave a Comment

lightning reviews

Brief look at Registered Nurse (1934) a pre-Code hospital drama from Warner Bros.-First National. Directed by Robert Florey. Starring Bebe Daniels, Lyle Talbot, and a host of familiar supporting players.

Filed Under: Lightning Reviews Tagged With: 1934, Bebe Daniels, Beulah Bondi, Edward Gargan, First National, Gordon Westcott, Irene Franklin, John Halliday, Lyle Talbot, Mayo Methot, medical drama, Minna Gombell, pre-Code, Renee Whitney, Robert Florey, Sidney Toler, Tor Johnson, Vince Barnett, virginia sale

The Patent Leather Kid (1927) Starring Richard Barthelmess and Molly O’Day

May 13, 2015 By Cliff Aliperti 5 Comments

Richard Barthelmess in The Patent Leather Kid

Silent film from First National Pictures, directed by Alfred Santell. The Patent Leather Kid is a boxing-war-romance that earned Richard Barthelmess and Academy Award nomination and features a breakout performance by Molly O’Day.

Filed Under: Movie Reviews Tagged With: 1927, Alfred Santell, Arthur Stone, Boxing, First National, Lawford Davidson, Matthew Betz, Molly O'Day, Ray Turner, Richard Barthelmess, Romance, Rupert Hughes, Silent Film, Sports, War, World War I

The Mind Reader (1933) Starring Warren William

March 18, 2015 By Cliff Aliperti 1 Comment

Warren William and Constance Cummings

Warren William stars as a Depression-era hustler who turns carnival psychic until the love of a good woman tames him. He can’t pay the bills selling brushes though so his old partner lures him back into the mind reading racket. Warren William stars in The Mind Reader (1933) with Constance Cummings, Allen Jenkins, and Clarence Muse. Directed by Roy Del Ruth.

Filed Under: Movie Reviews Tagged With: 1933, Allen Jenkins, carnivals, Clara Blandick, Clarence Muse, Constance Cummings, Earle Foxe, First National, Mayo Methot, Natalie Moorhead, pre-Code, psychics, Robert Greig, Roy Del Ruth, Warner Archive, Warren William

Dark Hazard (1934) Starring Edward G. Robinson and Genevieve Tobin

December 10, 2014 By Cliff Aliperti 21 Comments

Edward G Robinson and War Cry

Edward G. Robinson stars as a flawed yet likeable gambler who takes a shine to a champion greyhound in Dark Hazard, a 1934 pre-Code release from First National.

Filed Under: Movie Reviews Tagged With: 1934, Adaptations, Alfred E. Green, Edward G. Robinson, Emma Dunn, First National, gambling, Genevieve Tobin, Glenda Farrell, Gordon Westcott, Hobart Cavanaugh, pre-Code, Robert Barrat, Sidney Toler, W.R. Burnett, Warner Archive, Warner Bros., William V. Mong

One Night at Susie’s (1930) – Movie Compared to Short Story, Plus Helen Ware Biography

October 9, 2014 By Cliff Aliperti 12 Comments

Helen Ware in One Night at Susies

A look at First National’s One Night at Susie’s, a 1930 crime film starring Billie Dove and Douglas Fairbanks Jr., but really showing off Helen Ware to advantage. Frederick Hazlitt Brennan’s 1929 short story from Liberty magazine is discussed and a biography of Miss Ware is also included. Plus, just exactly how long is this movie?

Filed Under: Movie Reviews Tagged With: 1930, Billie Dove, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Ernest Haller, First National, Gangsters, Helen Ware, John Francis Dillon, pre-Code, Tully Marshall, Warner Archive

She Had to Say Yes (1933) Starring Loretta Young

September 23, 2014 By Cliff Aliperti 2 Comments

She Had to Say Yes 1933 Newspaper ad

She Had to Say Yes is a pre-Code film so outrageous that it’s bound to bother men and women alike. An expose on the life of the “customer’s girl,” the Depression era’s version of a high class call girl in business circles. Starring Loretta Young, who manages to be pawed by Regis Toomey, Lyle Talbot, and Hugh Herbert, all in the same movie.

Filed Under: Movie Reviews Tagged With: 1933, Busby Berkeley, Ferdinand Gottschalk, First National, George Amy, Helen Ware, Hugh Herbert, Loretta Young, Lyle Talbot, pre-Code, Regis Toomey, Suzanne Kilborn, Warner Bros., Winnie Lightner

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