Family Friendly Movies

The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse

by user
February 16, 2016June 12, 2022

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

by user
February 16, 2016April 9, 2021

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. Read More »Black Legion

Predictions for the series finale of Gravity Falls

by user
February 15, 2016May 2, 2022

Since the series finale of Gravity Falls is about to air, I wanted to post my predictions:

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

Babes in Toyland [Annette Funiceello]

by user
February 14, 2016June 12, 2022

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

by user
February 14, 2016April 21, 2024

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

Walter Pidgeon, Robert Taylor and Peter Lorre discuss the Admiral's plan in Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea

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

by user
February 13, 2016February 26, 2024

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

by user
February 12, 2016June 13, 2022

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

by user
February 12, 2016November 29, 2022

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

by user
February 12, 2016August 4, 2021

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.

Dracula vs Frankenstein

by user
February 11, 2016June 12, 2022

Dracula vs Frankenstein (1971) starring J. Carrol Naish, Lon Chaney Jr.

Before talking about Dracula vs Frankenstein itself, I would like to point out that it was the final appearance by two excellent actors: J. Carrol Naish (Sahara, Annie Get Your Gun) and Lon Chaney Jr. (The Wolf Man, The Defiant Ones) — and both frankly deserved better. Lon Chaney Jr. was mute in the film, due to the damage done by throat cancer. Although I doubt that it would have improved the film very much if he had been able to speak. Yes, Dracula vs Frankenstein is that bad.

The plot is …

Lon Chaney Jr. as Groton, the axe murderer

The basic plot for Dracula vs Frankenstein, such as it is, is as follows: the lovely and successful Judith Fontaine (Regina Carrol) is looking for her missing sister, Joan (Maria Lease, St. Elsewhere) who has disappeared into the hippie community of Venice, California. However, Joan has become the victim of Groton (Lon Chaney Jr.), a mute, axe-wielding homicidal maniac who alternates with playing with little puppies. Groton, in turn, is working for Dr. Durea (J. Carrol Naish), a wheelchair-bound mad scientist who is experimenting with re-attaching decapitated heads and resuscitating the victims. Dr. Durea is secretly the last descendant of Dr. Frankenstein and is running a house of horrors by the beach as a cover, assisted by Grazbo the Evil Dwarf (yes, that’s the character’s name, portrayed by Angelo Rossitto).