Brief look at RKO “B” movie CURTAIN CALL. Naive playwright set loose in New York when producers use her terrible play with hopes of taming their only star. Stars Barbara Read, Alan Mowbray, Helen Vinson. Directed by Frank Woodruff.
The Wedding Night (1935) Starring Gary Cooper and Anna Sten
Another slice of America in his time offered by Vidor in The Wedding Night (1935), a romance starring Gary Cooper and Anna Sten. Helen Vinson also impresses as Cooper’s wife.
Lightning Review: The Life of Vergie Winters (1934) Starring Ann Harding
Brief look at RKO’s The Life of Vergie Winters (1934) starring Ann Harding, John Boles, and Helen Vinson, directed by Alfred Santell.
Helen Vinson Biography – A Socialite Specializing in Socialites
Born Helen Rulfs in Beaumont, Texas, this biography traces Helen Vinson’s life and career through Houston to New York, Hollywood, and beyond. Born to money, Vinson excelled at playing icy socialites in the movies. Married three times including her 1930s union with Wimbledon champ Fred Perry.
Real-Life Society ‘Honor Slaying’ Inspires Two 1932 Films
A look at two pre-Code courtroom melodramas, Unashamed and Two Against the World, compared to the sensational real-life society murder that inspired the movies. Unashamed stars Helen Twelvetrees, Robert Young, and Monroe Owsley, while Two Against the World stars Constance Bennett and Neil Hamilton.
Frank Capra’s Broadway Bill (1934) Starring Warner Baxter and Myrna Loy
A look at Frank Capra’s follow-up to It Happened One Night, the 1934 holiday release Broadway Bill starring Warner Baxter, Myrna Loy and a horse named Broadway Bill. With comparison to 1950 remake Riding High and explanation of why Bill wound up out of circulation until 1992.
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.
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.