West of Shanghai (1937) starring Boris Karloff, Gordon Oliver, Beverly Roberts, Ricardo Cortez
West of Shanghai is an excellent movie, dealing with a cast of Western characters who travel to China for a variety of reasons. Once there, they are forced to deal with a warlord named General Fang, played by Boris Karloff. It is Karloff’s performance that makes an otherwise ordinary movie memorable.
The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958) starring Ingrid Bergman, Curt Jurgens, Robert Donat
The Inn of the Sixth Happiness is an exceptional movie. Made even more exceptional by the fact that it’s based on a true story. It’s the story of Gladys Aylward (performed by Ingrid Bergman, Casablanca in a great performance). A British woman in the early 20th century who feels called by God to be a missionary in China.
Since she has no education or qualifications, the Missionary Society refuses to send her. Gladys steadfastly believes that God has called her there. So she works as a servant, putting money aside from each paycheck until she can afford a one-way trip to China. Once she’s there, she swiftly finds that her struggle is only beginning …
Thirty Seconds over Tokyo (1944) starring Van Johnson, Phyllis Thaxter, Spencer Tracy, Robert Walker, Robert Mitchum
The old adage says that you shouldn’t judge a book by its’ cover — and that goes for DVD cases as well. Judging from the DVD case, you would think that Thirty Seconds over Tokyo is starring Spencer Tracy — and you would be wrong. Spencer Tracy does appear, and he does a fine job portraying James Doolittle, the man behind the World War II raid on Tokyo. But the central character in this movie is pilot Ted Lawson. Van Johnsonportrays him excellently. The movie breaks into three parts:
The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse (1938), starring Edward G. Robinson, Humphrey Bogart, Claire Trevor, Allen Jenkins
Editorial review of The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse, courtesy of Amazon.com
The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse is a stylish, often amusing crime drama, this 1938 feature revolves around a central, improbable plot twist that consciously serves its casting against type: as the eponymous doctor, Edward G. Robinson, who had helped define the Warner Bros. style for gritty gangster sagas, jettisons his signature snarl in favor of a plummy, vaguely English accent that underlines his urbane sophistication. Dr. Clitterhouse is a creature of privilege who embarks on a criminal life not out of desperation, but rather through intellectual curiosity; instead of slouch hats and suits, he has marcelled hair and first appears in white tie and tails. He begins pulling off “perfect” jewel thefts as research into the criminal mind, but his gradual immersion in New York’s shadowy demimonde of thieves and fences eventually finds the good doctor between those two worlds.
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. Black Legion
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.”
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 Lost Weekend (1945) starring Ray Milland, Jane Wyman, Howard Da Silva
Although I’m aware of the actor Ray Milland (Starflight One, X: the Man with the X-Ray Eyes), I’m young enough to say that I’d never seen a truly great performance by him. That was before I watched The Lost Weekend.
Five Star Final (1931) starring Edward G. Robinson, Boris Karloff, directed by Mervyn LeRoy
Five Star Final is a film that stands out primarily due to a great performance by Edward G. Robinson, who plays the part of newspaper editor Joe Randall, who is being pressured by his boss to increase the news circulation by running some sensationalistic news stories. Against his better judgement, he does so — and digs out the decades-old story of a convicted murderess, Nancy Voorhees (played well by Frances Starr) — the murder was actually a justifiable homicide, but that doesn’t sell newspapers. In the intervening time, Voorhees has lived quietly, married and changed her last name, and raised a daughter — who is about to be married.
Destination Moon (1950), starring John Archer, Warner Anderson, Tom Powers, Dick Wesson, based on a script by Robert Heinlein
Although I’d heard of Destination Moon years ago, I only saw it for the first time last night. It was enjoyable, but with a strange feeling of nostalgia. Released in 1950, it was an attempt at a look into the future — man’s first landing on the moon.
