It's always interesting to see where a franchise goes after the first movie, and the original Frankenstein series is no exception, as it was mostly a matter of finding new situations for the monster to lurch into. 1942's The Ghost of Frankenstein seems as if it would break new ground for the character, and while … Continue reading Frankenstein’s Ghost
Not the Same Mr. Gable
When Clark Gable came back from the his overseas service, MGM was, of course, chomping at the bit to put him in a movie and recapture some of the old magic. Adventure was the name of that first movie, and Greer Garson was Gable's costar, with "Gable's back and Garson's got him!" as the tagline. … Continue reading Not the Same Mr. Gable
Dial “O” For O’Malley
Welcome back, Miss Ingrid... I don't know about anyone else, but my parents and I watched a lot of movies when I was growing up, and they were the ones to introduce me to classic Hollywood. They were both born in the early forties and remembered a lot of these movies from their childhood and … Continue reading Dial “O” For O’Malley
The Student Surpasses the Master
Saddle up, y'all... When a genre is soaked with titles, it can take a lot for a movie to stand out. Westerns are probably the most saturated in this regard, because they were often cheap to make, didn't need a lot of sets, and there was always a ready crowd of real cowboys waiting outside … Continue reading The Student Surpasses the Master
During World War Two: Postwar Movie Recs
Almost immediately after the ending of the war, and for that matter, even before that, Hollywood tried to make sense of it and offer commentary on all that happened. Of course, countless movies have been made about the war, too many for any one listing, and some are done better than others. This list, however, … Continue reading During World War Two: Postwar Movie Recs
During World War Two: 1946 Movie Recs (And a Short Watchlist)
OK, this might seem kinda like cheating because the war ended in 1945, but a lot of the films on this list were in production while the war was still going on, so they count. Obviously, this rec list is a lot shorter than past years, but this post has something those other lists haven't … Continue reading During World War Two: 1946 Movie Recs (And a Short Watchlist)
Kirk Douglas’s Comedy Debut
After the Second World War, Kirk Douglas really began to get noticed, and his first comedy was 1948's My Dear Secretary. Also starring Laraine Day and Keenan Wynn, the film is a pale imitation of Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn's cinematic powerhouses, but we all have to start somewhere. Owen Waterbury (Kirk Douglas) is a … Continue reading Kirk Douglas’s Comedy Debut
During World War Two: 1945 Movie Recs
In 1945 with the war finally nearing its end, Americans were exhausted but starting to feel buoyant again. While the war news remained grim, and with the further confirmation of Nazi atrocities and Japanese atrocities, even more grim, but we were now on the downhill slope. It helped that movies, while many still reflected the … Continue reading During World War Two: 1945 Movie Recs
During World War Two: 1944 Movie Recs
How is it that our 1944 recs list is longer than the one for 1943? Yet here we are. There was a lot of crazy stuff happening that year, movie-wise and news-wise, so obviously this list isn't exhaustive. I saw a bunch of movies in IMDb's advanced search results that I want to add to … Continue reading During World War Two: 1944 Movie Recs
Close To Home
Grab the Kleenex... There was no shortage of tearjerker movies during the World War Two period, and one of the most successful was 1943's The Human Comedy. The public loved it. The critics loved it. It was also reputed to be Louis B. Mayer's favorite movie. How does it hold up today? Surprisingly well in a … Continue reading Close To Home
You Saw It Here First
Remember that TV show, Early Edition? The one about the guy who always got tomorrow's news a day early? Well, 1944's It Happened Tomorrow is a pretty similar concept, and as King Solomon once said, there's nothing new under the sun. It all opens in the then-present day, when Lawrence and Sylvia Stevens are celebrating … Continue reading You Saw It Here First
During World War Two: 1943 Movie Recs
1943 was, obviously, the height of the war, and it was also the year in which the most war-related movies were released in the United States, with a whopping one-hundred eighty-seven films. Yep, it was pretty hard to get away from the war, but escapism was occasionally a thing as well, and there were a … Continue reading During World War Two: 1943 Movie Recs
During World War Two: 1942 Movie Recs
1942 was quite the year for obvious reasons. America had entered the war, and while we were raring to go, morale was very low and the news was worse. Bataan fell to the Japanese in April of that year, followed a month later by Corregidor, and many Americans were wracked with guilt that we had … Continue reading During World War Two: 1942 Movie Recs
It Thinks It’s January
February has come and gone...hard to believe, isn't it? Things are going too fast, and I don't really want them to. My son is graduating from high school in May, and right now it's all about applying to college and going for scholarships and all that type of stuff. I'm not ready for this. In … Continue reading It Thinks It’s January
During World War Two: 1941 Movie Recs
1941 has always seemed like the calm before the storm to me in terms of how the war was playing out, at least for America, which was rather insulated. Europe was mostly taken over by the Nazis, Japan was greedily eyeing the various parts of Asia, and Hitler stupidly decided to invade Russia in Operation … Continue reading During World War Two: 1941 Movie Recs
For the Boys
Strike up the band... Big star showcases were a staple of the World War Two era, and one of them was 1943's Thousands Cheer. MGM's trade paper, The Lion's Roar, declared, "On all the Broadways of America, there’s a milling to get into the most extravagant extravaganza in years entitled “Thousands Cheer”." On one hand, Lion's hyperbole is … Continue reading For the Boys
During World War Two: 1940 Movie Recs
1939 gets all the buzz as the most successful year in film history, and rightly so, but 1940 sported quite a few gems of its own. As World War Two was now a thing, movies naturally included references to it in some way, although, as we've discussed in the past, studios tended to shy away … Continue reading During World War Two: 1940 Movie Recs
Taking Up Room 