Remember the 1941 Abbott and Costello movie, Buck Privates? Maybe. Remember 1942's Private Buckaroo? No? There's a good reason for that. Two, actually. One, it stinks. Two, it has no plot, but we'll do our best. It all opens at a club, where Henry James is giving out with Helen Forrest and his orchestra on "You Made Me … Continue reading Songs, Schtick and Not Much Else
Where Will Henry Spend Eternity?
See you on the other side... Ernst Lubitsch was famous for what film people call "The Lubitsch Touch," that rather nebulous quality that makes a Lubitsch film special. No one can agree on what the Lubitsch Touch is and no one seems to really want to, but that's OK because it's Ernst Lubistch and it's … Continue reading Where Will Henry Spend Eternity?
I Vant Your Shave Lotion
Bela Lugosi was, of course, typecast as Dracula and carried that with him all his life, but he did break out of the mold and play other characters as well. One of these was 1940's The Death Bat. Bela doesn't play a vampire, but there are bats. Big ones. The movie opens with Dr. Paul Carruthers working … Continue reading I Vant Your Shave Lotion
During World War Two: The Strangest War Movie Ever
What if, God forbid, the Axis had won? It's safe to say that no one liked thinking about that too much. However, the possibility was always in the background waiting to rear its terrifying head. It didn't help that at the beginning of the war we were finding Japanese subs on America's west coast, or … Continue reading During World War Two: The Strangest War Movie Ever
My British Buddy
Britannia rules the waves... After V-E Day, Brits were, for the most part, feeling pretty good. There was still a lot of recovery to be done, to be sure, but the fighting in Europe was over and they didn't have to worry about running out to an Anderson shelter or sending loved ones off to … Continue reading My British Buddy
During World War Two: Aftermath
As we talked about last month, Americans knew they had a big job ahead, even after the war ended. It wasn't just a matter of bringing our servicemembers home, but of rebuilding both their lives and helping to rebuild a world that had been devastated by the war. Instead of war bonds, Americans were now … Continue reading During World War Two: Aftermath
Ward Cleaver, Confidence Man
OK. It's completely nuts to marry someone we've just met, right? Danged right it is. But that's what Julie Saunders does in 1948's Money Madness, a B-level indie thriller starring the future Ward Cleaver. No one seemed to have especially high hopes for this movie, but they gave it the old college try, anyway. The movie … Continue reading Ward Cleaver, Confidence Man
During World War Two: Coming Home
Peace is wonderful. Reality, not always. The end of the war obviously wasn't a matter of "See ya," and bolting, but a complicated business in more ways than one, both in the journey home and what waited when a serviceperson got there. Our fighting forces didn't all land on foreign soil overnight, and they wouldn't … Continue reading During World War Two: Coming Home
Frances Langford on Poverty Row
Frances Langford was one of the biggest stars in entertainment between the mid-thirties and the mid-fifties. During the World War Two era, she tirelessly entertained the troops, becoming almost a mascot of the Armed Forces. She did, however, find time to make some movies of varying quality, and on the lower end of the spectrum … Continue reading Frances Langford on Poverty Row
During World War Two: Victory!
Victory. Everyone knew it would come sometime. The Allies just didn't expect the war to end when it did, at least not in the Pacific. To be sure, there were clues, especially in Europe. The Battle of the Bulge is commonly thought to be the Nazis' last-ditch effort to gain back their stolen ground, but … Continue reading During World War Two: Victory!
Don’t Fear the Repo Man
I'm always amazed at how many microbudget, public domain B-movies are floating around out there on streaming services like Amazon, and it's probably a good thing, because the odds are good no one would see them otherwise. One movie that just popped up on my Recs is 1940's Hold That Woman!, a PRC film that's surprisingly exciting, … Continue reading Don’t Fear the Repo Man
During World War Two: War Fatigue and Winding Down
It's pretty common knowledge that people on the home front during the war were fed almost constant reminders of what was at stake, told that the war was happening, that they needed to buy and keep war bonds, and so on. While it was understandable and in many cases necessary, it did get a bit … Continue reading During World War Two: War Fatigue and Winding Down
During World War Two: We’ll Have To Improvise
It's no secret that there were shortages during the war. Nylons were out for the time being and cotton and rayon stockings were in. Magazines of the time reported that skirts were to be only three feet in circumference and trimming was limited. Shoes were rationed. Naturally, none of this kept people from buying clothes. … Continue reading During World War Two: We’ll Have To Improvise
No Room Is Truly Empty
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?
Taking Up Room 