Classic Film Guide

1934

August 29, 2014 // 0 Comments

1934 1934 Academy Awards (Oscar winners and nominees) (winners listed first in bold print) Best Picture It Happened One Night (1934) The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934) Cleopatra (1934) Flirtation Walk (1934) The Gay Divorcee (1934) Here Comes the Navy (1934) The House of Rothschild (1934) Imitation of Life (1934) One Night of Love (1934) The Thin Man (1934) Viva Villa! (1934) The White Parade (1934) Best Actor in a Leading Role Clark Gable It [...]

I’ll Cry Tomorrow (1955)

August 29, 2014 // 0 Comments

I’ll Cry Tomorrow (1955) Directed by Daniel Mann with a screenplay by Helen Deutsch (Lili (1953)) and Jay Richard Kennedy this slightly above average biographical drama about the rise and fall (& recovery) of singer-actress Lillian Roth earned Susan Hayward who sings her fourth unrewarded Best Actress Oscar nomination (she would win on her fifth & last nomination for I Want to Live! (1958)). Based on an autobiography co-written by [...]

All My Sons (1948) – full review!

August 29, 2014 // 0 Comments

All My Sons (1948) – full review! Producer Chester Erskine wrote the screenplay for this Arthur Miller play about a son that discovers his financially successful father isn’t all that he seems to be; Irving Reis directed. Burt Lancaster plays the son Chris Keller Edward G. Robinson plays his factory owner father Joe (“if you want to know ask Joe”). Mady Christians plays Joe’s wife Kate Louisa Horton plays [...]

Marnie (1964)

August 29, 2014 // 0 Comments

Marnie (1964) Director Alfred Hitchcock had to use Tippi Hedren again when he couldn’t coax Princess Grace Kelly out of retirement in this psychological thriller much like Spellbound (1945). This one involves a woman’s repressed memory that caused her to be frigid which was pretty funny since Sean Connery (after two "James Bond" films) was cast as her husband and he almost rapes her on their wedding night. Oh yeah and [...]

Claudette Colbert

August 29, 2014 // 0 Comments

Claudette Colbert Claudette Colbert was born Lily Claudette Chauchoin in Paris France in 1903; her family moved to the United States when she was three. Her first onscreen appearance was a starring role in her only silent film director Frank Capra’s (now lost) flop For the Love of Mike (1927) her last was a return to the big screen as Troy Donahue’s mother in Parrish (1961). Though she could be seen throughout the latter half of the [...]

When Ladies Meet (1933)

August 29, 2014 // 0 Comments

When Ladies Meet (1933) Excellent dialogue and compelling interpersonal exploration mark this sophisticated pre-code comedy drama with terrific performances by all the principals in the cast including: Ann Harding Robert Montgomery Myrna Loy Alice Brady Frank Morgan even Sterling Holloway (though very briefly & uncredited as a caddy). Directed by Harry Beaumont (The Broadway Melody (1929)) with a screenplay co-written by John Meehan (The [...]

Love (1927)

August 29, 2014 // 0 Comments

Love (1927) One of many films based on Leo Tolstoy’s novel Anna Karenina this silent is one of two versions featuring Greta Garbo in the title role (the other is a “talkie” Anna Karenina (1935)). Directed by Edmund Goulding with continuity assistance provided by the great Frances Marion this slightly above average drama also features Garbo’s frequent leading man John Gilbert as Captain Alexei Vronsky and Brandon Hurst as [...]

Joan Crawford Collection: Volume 2

August 29, 2014 // 0 Comments

Joan Crawford Collection: Volume 2 Purchase this DVD Collection now at Sadie McKee (1934) – is a very good melodrama that features Joan Crawford in the title role. It was directed by Clarence Brown (A Free Soul (1931)) and based on a story by Vina Delmar that was scripted by John Meehan (The Divorcee (1930)). Sadie is the daughter of the well-to-do Alderson’s cook Mrs. McKee (Helen Ware) and when young lawyer Michael Alderson (Franchot Tone) [...]

Family Plot (1976)

August 29, 2014 // 0 Comments

Family Plot (1976) Director Alfred Hitchcock’s final film was not as good as Frenzy (1972) nor as bad as Marnie (1964). It stars William Devane and Karen Black as a couple of kidnappers whose paths cross another couple (Bruce Dern and Barbara Harris) that defrauds people with a fortune teller/clairvoyant setup. The ransoms for those Devane/Black kidnap must be paid in diamonds! The most memorable scenes are those featuring Ms. [...]

Cimarron (1931)

August 29, 2014 // 0 Comments

Cimarron (1931) I have to say that this Academy Award Best Picture winner dates badly especially the acting. I know that The Front Page (1931) was also nominated for Best Picture that year a film I thought was far superior to this one. It is however clearly better than another of the nominees I’ve seen Trader Horn (1931) although that one did provide quite an educational adventure (into Africa) for the time. This film has several old [...]

1 2 3 … 153 »

Proudly sponsored by The Running Guide for Beginners! Learn to RUN now!

Also sponsored by The Best Hiking Gear for Top Hiking Gear Reviews!