The 1948 film, Enchantment has been on my Amazon watchlist so long that I kind of block it out, but this year I decided to take a chance on it. Put it this way: What seems familiar can still surprise us. Enchantment opens in London during the Second World War, with a towncar pulling up to a … Continue reading No Room Is Truly Empty
Sergeant Dodo Goes To Camp
Nowadays, of course, B-pictures are not a thing, but at one time in Hollywood they were a staple. Also at one time in Hollywood, Hal Roach worked with the likes of Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy, and Harold Lloyd. In the nineteen-thirties he was especially known for his Little Rascals series, also known as Our Gang, but … Continue reading Sergeant Dodo Goes To Camp
During World War Two: Women, Children And Animals First
We all know that the home front during the war was by no means idle and everything changed almost overnight. Women did the jobs that men left behind, often in addition to maintaining a household. Children sold war stamps and organized scrap drives. No one was ever supposed to quite forget the war, not that … Continue reading During World War Two: Women, Children And Animals First
During World War Two: Remember the Last War?
Believe it or not, World War One nostalgia was big during World War Two, or at least Hollywood tried to make it that way. Shocking, right? My parents were both little kids during the war and even they were shocked when I told them, but it was a legit thing, although it's not often talked … Continue reading During World War Two: Remember the Last War?
During World War Two: That’s Entertainment
As we all know, it's a tradition to send celebrities to entertain our troops. I can't speak to how it would feel to be deployed and suddenly see, say, Robin Williams or Gary Sinise, but I have a slight idea of how it feels to get an unexpected lift when one is exhausted, far from … Continue reading During World War Two: That’s Entertainment
Stage To Screen: The Man Who Came To Dinner
Kaufman and Hart definitely weren't one-hit wonders. In addition to You Can't Take It With You and several other hits, they also co-authored The Man Who Came To Dinner, which came to Broadway in 1939 and then the silver screen in 1942. Oh, this crazy thing. Among other niceties, Billie Burke is again playing a rich socialite who … Continue reading Stage To Screen: The Man Who Came To Dinner
Over the Target
Time travel, anyone? Happy New Year! Pat O'Brien, who was born on November 11, 1899 could always be counted on to play steady, reliable types with no shortage of toughness and bravery, and between 1930 and 1940 he made a staggering sixty-three movies. After Knute Rockne, All American, O'Brien was at loose ends, having left Warner … Continue reading Over the Target
During World War Two: Christmas Anytime
Due to wartime shortages, Christmas was leaner than it otherwise might have been. Kids were given toys made out of paper and wood instead of metal, and the public was encouraged to give war bonds as Christmas presents. Christmas movies, however, were not in short supply, only they could come out at any old time … Continue reading During World War Two: Christmas Anytime
Shamedown #11: Calendar Girl
2023's ELEVENTH Shamedown. Wow. Wow. Wow. Number Twelve will be here before we know it, and then it'll be time for a whole new slate of Shame. As always, if anyone is just joining us and wants to know what the heck a Shamedown is, CinemaShame's 2023 call to Shame can be found here. Past … Continue reading Shamedown #11: Calendar Girl
Andy Hardy In the Big City
We are family... Few families were as quintessential to the nineteen-thirties and forties as the Hardys, with the focal point, being, of course, Andy Hardy. Between 1937 and 1946, movie audiences could expect to see at least one Andy Hardy film from MGM a year. Since they used mostly existing sets, they were not only … Continue reading Andy Hardy In the Big City
During World War Two: All the Folks At Home
Those who were on American soil, and for that matter, Canadian soil during the war had a different kind of battle to face, as well as an odd kind of limbo. At first there were practice blackouts in major cities and fear that Japanese and German ships would make their way to our shores, but … Continue reading During World War Two: All the Folks At Home
Linda’s Paycheck Movie
Here's Miss Linda... I'll be honest: The only Linda Darnell movie I've ever seen up until now was The Song Of Bernadette, a film that was not without scandal. Right before that, however, Darnell made 1943's City Without Men, a movie that seemed to have a lot going for it but didn't make as big of a … Continue reading Linda’s Paycheck Movie
Hello Boys, I’m Back
OK. Anyone who's seen the original Invisible Man movie with the marvelous Claude Rains knows that it doesn't exactly set itself up for a sequel. Like, at all, kinda like a Titanic movie. There's nowhere to go after the tragedy and the sober aftermath. Then again... So yeah, Invisible Man got a sequel, 1940's The Invisible Man Returns, and it has … Continue reading Hello Boys, I’m Back
Shamedown #9: Submarine Alert
September is already gone, and we're back with another Shamedown. As always, if anyone would like to know what a Shamedown is, CinemaShame's 2023 statement can be found here, and past Shamedowns can be found here. On with our show... Early in the Second World War Americans were very concerned with the presence of Japanese … Continue reading Shamedown #9: Submarine Alert
Faithful Emilie
Welcome back, Ms. Bergman... After Intermezzo, Bergman made her final Swedish film, June Night before making today's film, Adam Had Four Sons, a slow-burn 1941 piece with some surprises and more than a few fireworks, plus we see Fay Wray not screaming her head off. The film starts in 1907, and the Stoddard family of Canada are waiting for their … Continue reading Faithful Emilie
During World War Two: The Good Neighbor Policy
One major aspect of the Second World War is the concept of the Good Neighbor, as Europe and Asia were closed off in more ways than one. Hollywood took advantage of this dynamic, of course, since all things south-of-the-border and tropical were huge trends with audiences, which brought on a shift in how Latin America … Continue reading During World War Two: The Good Neighbor Policy
Noir By Numbers
Not everyone who came back from the Second World War was an angel, of course, and the 1946 film, Nobody Lives Forever is about a fictional less-than-squeaky-clean type. While the movie is supposed to be noir, it's more noir-ish than anything. It may also feel a wee bit familiar. It's the tail end of the Second … Continue reading Noir By Numbers
Taking Up Room 