To be or not to be 1942 - A controversial classic

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IMDB rating: 8,3

Director: Ernst Lubitsch
Main Cast: Carole Lombard, Jack Benny, Robert Stack, Felix Bressart, Lionel Atwill

"Ernst Lubitsch directs the 1942 political satire classic To Be or Not to Be, which marked the final screen appearance of comedienne Carole Lombard. To Be or Not to Be remains one example of a wartime propaganda film that retains its freshness and entertainment value outside its original historical context. Made during World War II by German expatriate Ernst Lubitsch, the film features anti-fascist themes that never overwhelm the characters, and it allows star Jack Benny to fashion a likeable performance that transcends the story's political content. Where many topical comedies veer into either serious drama or excessive sentimentality, To Be or Not to Be maintains its satiric edge without descending into self-parody. The film works as a comedy, as a political thriller, as an anti-fascist satire, and as an allegorical parable. The dialogue contains sharp, ironic observations aimed at the absurdity of totalitarian dogma. While Nazis and Hitler were Lubitsch's specific targets, the film retains a more universal mockery of government oppression and the willingness of bureaucrats to accept their tasks without questioning them. The movie was remade in 1983 starring Mel Brooks and real-life wife Anne Bancroft." - www.allmovie.com

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The eagle and the hawk 1933 - A forgotten anti-war aviation

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IMDB rating: 7,2

Director: Stuart Walker
Main Cast: Fredric March, Cary Grant, Jack Oakie, Carole Lombard, Guy Standing

"A stirring and accomplished anti-war film, The Eagle and the Hawk is a little-known gem that deserves greater recognition. Although Eagle does have its flaws, including a slight tendency to get on a soapbox about its worthy message, it's told with compassion and skill and is a thoroughly captivating film. Screenwriters Seton Miller and Bogart Rogers have deftly laced the drama with some genuine humor and wit, yet haven't let it interfere with the seriousness of the picture. Seemingly inspired by the story they have adapted, they have produced work that is top drawer and emotionally affecting. Stuart Walker directs carefully; he doesn't imbue the material with a strong directorial vision, but he serves the material very nicely and creates atmosphere and tension that add to the overall effect. The action sequences have drama aplenty, but he can also play up the more romantic moments admirably. Eagle's finest asset, however, is its strong cast. Though the love story involving her is perhaps the film's weakest aspect, Carole Lombard is such a magnificent figure and brings such personality and charm to the film that one scarcely cares about how it all fits in with the rest of the show. Cary Grant, in an early part, is still defining his screen persona; it's mostly there, but there are enough slight rough edges to surprise and delight. Fredric March is simply aces in the lead role, grabbing hold of the drama and running for all it's worth. And Jack Oakie's humor makes the character's ultimate fate the more devastating." - www.allmovie.com

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No man of her own 1932 - The only onscreen pairing of Gable & Lombard

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IMDB rating: 6,7

Director: Wesley Ruggles
Main Cast: Clark Gable, Carole Lombard, Dorothy Mackaill, Grant Mitchell, Elizabeth Patterson

"Many viewers will come away slightly disappointed from No Man of Her Own, a perfectly adequate, moderately entertaining little film that raises unrealized expectations due to its fabled status as the only onscreen pairing of legendary husband and wife Clark Gable and Carole Lombard (at the time the film was made, both were married to other people; their romance and subsequent marriage was several years in the offing). No Man's screenplay is what keeps it from reaching the expected heights; it's perfectly fine, but also a bit odd, shifting a little awkwardly in tone as it goes along and thus creating a certain amount of dissatisfaction. It seems as if the viewer is being set up for a raucous comedy, a 'mating of opposites' situation that promises great clashes of amusement. Instead, what results are chuckles which soon turn into mild amusement as the film ambles its way into a rather standard romance. Perhaps all of this could have been an asset, creating a film that surprised audiences by its shifts in tone, but Wesley Ruggles' direction is not inventive enough to pull off this feat. It is, however, more than capable of framing the performances of its stars, which are the real reason for seeking out No Man of Her Own. Gable and Lombard glisten, and if both have given better performances elsewhere, they're still a treat. So the film is an opportunity not to be missed by latter-day 'Golden Age of Hollywood' aficionados." - www.allmovie.com

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Man of the world 1931 - Powell and Lombard fall in love!

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IMDB rating: 6,3

Director: Richard Wallace
Main Cast: William Powell, Carole Lombard, Wynne Gibson

"A minor but fairly entertaining romance among the 'sophisticates', Man of the World is probably of most interest to fans of Carole Lombard interested in seeing the beautiful actress while she was still trying to define her screen persona. Regrettably, this is not one of Lombard's best performances. She does everything that is asked of her and does it perfectly well, but it's a performance that dozens of other attractive young women could have supplied. It lacks distinction and is a bit hesitant. Little of the vibrant radiance that would mark her in later roles is present here. Opposite her, her soon-to-be husband William Powell comes off much better, turning in a carefully shaded performance that is deceptive in its depth. It's Powell's picture, and he carries it beautifully; what he's asked to do in terms of plot and character is often ridiculous and forced by a writer's desire rather than by genuine sensibility, yet Powell makes it all work. A thinner than usual Guy Kibbee is also good, and Wynne Gibson's not-to-be-trifled with Irene is quite believable. Herman Mankiewicz's screenplay lacks credibility in its story and plot, but he turns out some crackling dialogue that makes up for its other shortcomings.
In real life, William Powell and Carole Lombard became husband and wife shortly after filming Man of the World." - www.allmovie.com

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Fast and loose 1930 - Funny early comedy presenting Miriam Hopkins' film debut

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0020873/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2
IMDB rating: 6,8

Director: Fred C. Newmeyer
Main Cast: Miriam Hopkins, Carole Lombard, Frank Morgan, Charles Starrett, Ilka Chase

"This - the second cinematic version of The Best People, a play by Avery Hopwood and David Gray that was first staged in 1924 and filmed in 1925 - is a period piece that glides over the best efforts of time, its serio-comic point of view intact, a smartly paced affair presenting a strong opportunity for role development beneath its frothy Roaring Twenties backdrop.
Paramount casts new contractee Miriam Hopkins for her film debut as wealthy Marian Lenox, along with Charles Starrett as her chauffeur and beau, Carole Lombard, Frank Morgan and whimsical Ilka Chase, all in top form, whilst Preston Sturges reconditions an already witty storyline. The setting is Long Island, where the Lenox clan resides, and where agitation reigns due to prospects of the family's adult son and daughter marrying below their station (to a chauffeur and a chorus girl), culminating with the entire family unintentionally meeting at a roadhouse speakeasy, whereupon a police raid adds to the growing embarrassment and consternation for two generations of Lenox family members.
The film is smartly directed, and acted with verve by all cast members, Hopkins a lively delight and reliable Morgan as solid as ever, although it is Broadway standout Chase who steals acting honors with her uninhibited performance, each benefiting from the pungent dialogue of Sturges that maintains an airy tone for a sophisticated romp, this version topping its silent screen predecessor in all elements except for Warner Baxter's memorable playing of the prideful and lovelorn chauffeur."

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Nothing sacred 1937 - See the big fight! Lombard vs. March!

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029322/
IMDB rating: 7,5

Director: William A. Wellman
Main Cast: Carole Lombard, Fredric March, Charles Winninger, Walter Connolly

"Nothing Sacred is among the best screwball comedies of the 1930s, and one of the few to have been filmed in Technicolor (avoid those two-color reissue prints), allowing modern viewers to see what New York City looked liked back in 1937. Carole Lombard and Fredric March lead a strong, versatile cast, and William Wellman's crisp direction keeps the story brisk and peppy. Screenwriter Ben Hecht gives the story an unusually sardonic edge, with fine dialogue and interesting secondary plot twists. Overall, the film plays well for current-day audiences, and the New York location gives the film a distinctive visual texture. The musical score by Oscar Levant both mocks and celebrates the George Gershwinesque musical style then in vogue. Nothing Sacred was later adapted into a Broadway musical, Hazel Flagg, which in turn was filmed by Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis as Living It Up (1954), with Lewis in the Carole Lombard role." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/nothing-sacred-v35733/

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My man Godfrey 1936 - One of the landmark screwball comedies of the 30's

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028010/
IMDB rating: 8,1

Director: Gregory La Cava
Main Cast: William Powell, Carole Lombard, Alice Brady, Gail Patrick, Eugene Pallette

"My Man Godfrey is one of the 1930's most delightful, classic screwball comedies. It was directed by Gregory La Cava for Universal and is now considered the definitive screwball comedy, with its social commentary on life during the 30s. The film, filled with marvelous character actors (Alice Brady, Eugene Pallette, Gail Patrick, and Mischa Auer), resonated with Depression era audiences for its statements on morality and class. [On a side note, the real-life divorced couple of Powell and Lombard were married previous to the film's making, from 1931 to 1933.] The screenplay by Morrie Ryskind - a co-screenwriter for the Marx Bros.' A night at the opera (1935) - and Eric Hatch was based on Hatch's own short novel 1011 Fifth Avenue.
The film displays the mad-cap personalities of a wildly rich, eccentric family. One of its members - a flighty socialite/heiress, finds a down-and-out 'forgotten man' tramp in a hobo colony during a scavenger hunt, and hires him as the family's butler. The bum teaches them the realities of life, ultimately regenerates their confused, scattered lives, and reverses the nobility of rich and poor.
The entertaining film was both a commercial and critical success, with six Academy Award nominations (but no wins), including Best Actor (William Powell), Best Actress (Carole Lombard with her sole Oscar nomination), Best Supporting Actor (Mischa Auer), Best Supporting Actress (Alice Brady), Best Director, and Best Screenplay. However, it set a milestone as the first film to receive nominations in all four acting categories and it remains one of the few films with that distinction in addition to not being nominated for Best Picture.
In the same year, another William Powell film - The Great Ziegfeld - won the Best Picture and Best Actress awards, and Powell also appeared in Libeled Lady (1936) and After the Thin Man (1936). The film was remade in 1957 with David Niven as the 'forgotten man' and June Allyson (in her next-to-last film) as the Lombard character."

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Twentieth century 1934 - The movie which invented screwball comedy

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0025919/
IMDB rating: 7,9

Director: Howard Hawks
Main Cast: John Barrymore, Carole Lombard, Walter Connolly, Roscoe Karns

"Based on the Broadway play by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, Twentieth Century is 'screwball comedy' at its screwiest. Director Howard Hawks once claimed that he was the first to treat his romantic leads like comedians: whether he was or not, it is true than Barrymore and Lombard deliver two of the funniest performances of the 1930s.
Poking fun at his master thespian image, Barrymore's hammy Broadway impresario Oscar alternately threatens to shut 'the Iron Door' on his associates or kill himself to get his way, but ultra-spirited Lombard as shopgirl-Mildred-turned-diva-Lily proves his equal in acting chops and screen strength. With most of the action confined to the eponymous train, Oscar's machinations to get the estranged Lily to star in his next show rise in hysterical pitch as the quarters get increasingly close, culminating in another Oscar death spectacle for an audience of passengers. Swiftly paced by Hawks, the rapid-fire jokes and arguments never let up, setting the standard for the genre's speed and humor. With equally superb supporting performances from Walter Connolly and Roscoe Karns, Twentieth Century became a box office hit, turning Lombard into a star comedienne and joining It Happened One Night (1934) as the prototype for the screwball genre." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/twentieth-century-v51294

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