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Black Legion starring Humphrey Bogart, Dick Foran, Ann Sheridan

Black Legion

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Black Legion (1936) starring Humphrey Bogart, Dick Foran, Ann Sheridan, directed by Michael Curtiz

Editorial review of Black Legion, courtesy of Amazon.com

Black Legion – One of Humphrey Bogart‘s earliest starring vehicles, this 1936 melodrama typifies the Warner Bros. touch in its modest but potent production values and Depression-era social acumen. Prompted by contemporary news reports of new neofascist groups targeting political and religious minorities, the script conjures up a shadowy, Klan-like organization preying on factory workers to set them against blue-collar immigrants. Bogart is Frank Taylor, a hard-working drill-press operator hoping for a promotion that can help him better provide for his adoring wife and cherubic young son. Frank’s coworkers reassure him he’ll snag the foreman’s post, but when a studious young Polish American gets the nod, Frank’s bitter disappointment sets the stage for the tragedy that follows.

Babes in Toyland [Annette Funiceello]

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Babes in Toyland (1961) starring Ray Bolger, Annette Funicello, Tommy Sands, Ed Wynn

I am a large fan of Laurel and Hardy’s  March of the Wooden Soldier. It’s a wonderful children’s story for adults. Which, among other things, had a live-action version of Mickey Mouse appear. This was done with Walt Disney’s permission, since he and producer Hal Roach were close friends. In the same way, Walt Disney’s version of the story, Babes in Toyland had a comedy team impersonating Laurel and Hardy. And although I saw it many years ago as a child, I was eager to see it again as an adult.

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea

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Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961) starring Walter Pidgeon, Joan Fontaine, Barbara Eden, Peter Lorre, Robert Sterling, Frankie Avalon, produced by Irwin Allen

 First, I’d like to point of the positive points of Irwin Allen‘s Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. And that begins with the fine acting by all involved. Some of my favorite actors appear here, including Walter Pidgeon (Forbidden Planet), Peter Lorre (M), etc. Also the special effects, and the sets are fine. The scenes on board the submarine actually look like what we would expect a submarine to look like. Even the fantastic effects (giant squid, etc.) look “right.”

The Day the Earth Stood Still

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The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) starring Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Hugh Marlowe, Sam Jaffe

The Day the Earth Stood Still is one of the classic science fiction movies, and with good reason. The acting is excellent, as are the special effects and cinematography – and with a message that still resonates, decades later.

The Great Dictator

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The Great Dictator, starring Charlie Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Jack Oakie, Reginald Gardiner, Henry Daniell, Billy Gilbert

The Great Dictator, possibly the most well-known of Charlie Chaplin’s films, was a timely satire on Nazisim and fascism in general, and Adolph Hitler in particular. In it, Charlie Chaplin plays a double role — Adenoid Hynkel, autocratic dictator of Tomania who blames the Jewish people for all of society’s ills, and a Jewish Barber who happens to be the spitting image of Hynkel. Contrary to what some people believe, the Jewish Barber was not Chaplin’s world-famous tramp character, although they clearly share some of the same traits. The film is a true classic, with the famous “dance with the globe” where Hynkel dances with an oversized inflated image of the globe, fantasizing about his eventual conquests. The film ends with the famous “Look Up, Hannah” speech which is, perhaps, both verbose and even hokey, but it fits properly and plays well.

I’ll Be Seeing You

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I’ll Be Seeing You (1944) starring Joseph Cotten, Ginger Rogers, Shirley Temple

In short, I‘ll Be Seeing You is a wonderful film.  It’s set towards the end of World War II. A veteran (played very well by Joseph Cotten) is suffering from what we would now call PTSD.  He’s jumping at any sound, and thinks that he’s likely to be attacked at any moment. His doctors at the VA are letting him out from the psych ward …. In order to see how well he’s able to function in normal society. On his train ride, he meets a beautiful young lady (played very well by Ginger Rogers). She’s a lady who’s also out on furlough — from prison.

The Clown

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Movie review of The Clown (1953) starring Red Skelton, Tim Consadine, Jane Greer

Having just watched Red Skelton in the serious drama, The Clown, my first reaction is simply, “wow”.  Although it stars Red Skelton, and deals with a clown/comedian as the central character, The Clown is not a comedy. It is a very serious drama, which left me with a new respect for Red Skelton’s acting ability.

The Gold Rush

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The Gold Rush, produced & directed by Charlie Chaplin. Starring Charlie Chaplin, Georgia Hale, Mack Swain, Tom Murray

Synopsis of The Gold Rush

 

The Gold Rush is one of Charlie Chaplin’s greatest films. Like all of his films starring the Little Tramp, it is a silent, and demonstrates very well why the silent move is an art form in its’ own right. Modern clowns would do well to learn from a master of the art of pantomime by watching this film — €“ it’s Chaplin at his finest. Chaplin and his crew do an excellent job of telling the story without dialog, and it moves from funny to poignant to sad to touching and back to funny again.
It details the Little Tramp, who has made his way to Alaska for the Gold Rush, trying to make his fortune. Along the way, he partners with a mad-from-hunger gold digger looking for his lost claim (played by Mack Swain, one of Chaplin’s regulars), falls in love with a young lady from a saloon (played by Georgia Hale), gets on the wrong side of a very dangerous outlaw, and finds his way to happily ever after by the end of the film.

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