Loose ankles 1930 - Young and Fairbanks are charming, but character actresses shine

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0021087/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
IMDB rating: 5,9

Director: Ted Wilde
Main Cast: Loretta Young, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Louise Fazenda, Otis Harlan

"The story concerns a group of society people hearing a will read to them. The deceased's niece (Loretta Young) has most of the luck when an estate is left to her under the condition that she find a husband and no scandal be brought to the family. Everyone else's inheritance depends on this clause, but Ann (Young) doesn't want her share. In fact, she's determined to force everyone out of theirs because she thinks the family is too greedy. Off she goes to put an ad in the paper for a boy to 'compromise her'. Andy (Edward Nugent) finds it in the paper and thinks he'd be perfect for the role, but instead thinks maybe his room mate Gil (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) would be better suited. In a very funny scene, Gil goes to Ann's home and is taken advantage of by the maid (Daphne Pollard). Somehow, they all end up at a speakeasy where Ann's uptight aunts Katherine (Ethel Wales) and Sarah (Louise Fazenda) steal the show during a drunken spectacle where Andy tries to control his laughter.
Heady with too much dialogue, as were so many of the first talkies, it tends to creak badly, leaving the performers to strain a bit for laughs. Very little more is required from the two leads than to look attractive and recite their lines. However, there are some fun performances from the supporting cast which makes the film worthwhile."

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(double feature with The Naughty Flirt 1931)

The dawn patrol or The flight commander 1930 - Early talkie Top Gun

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0020815/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2
IMDB rating: 8,1

Director: Howard Hawks
Main Cast: Richard Barthelmess, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Neil Hamilton, Frank McHugh

"Howard Hawks' 1930 film The Dawn Patrol (retitled Flight Commnander because of the 1938 remake) plays remarkably well in the twenty-first century, considering its age. As with most movies made at the dawn of the sound era, the camera work is a bit static at times, and some theatrical artificiality creeps into the performances - there are moments where the viewer rightfully feels as though they're watching a silent movie, with just a bit too much visual emoting. But despite a few creaky joints, the film never loses its forward momentum, and Hawks makes good use of the available camera movement as well as music - specifically as source music, to excellent dramatic effect, and this would have been a new feature in movies of the era that holds up well eight decades later. There are still inter-titles to explain scene changes, and a few other artifacts of the period, but otherwise this version of The Dawn Patrol stands fairly well next to its remake - Neil Hamilton is fine as the harried commander of a Royal Flying Corp squadron during the middle of World War I, and Richard Barthlemess gives a good performance as his friend-turned-nemesis, the top pilot in the squadron but also his harshest critic. On them, with some help from Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. as Barthlemess's best friend, rests most of this drama, and that drama, despite its age, is still compelling. Where this film does differ somewhat from the remake is its relative brevity - 82 minutes versus 103 - and also a tighter focus on the grimness of the story. Owing to differences in the script and their approaches to acting, Barthlemess's Courtney shows little of the devil-may-care spirit with which Errol Flynn (being Errol Flynn) couldn't help but imbue his character with in the remake. There are some moments of comedy, and out-and-out joy, but as a product of 1930 as opposed to 1938, eight years closer to what most adults regarded as a shattering event, the overall tone of this picture is, understandably, more thoroughly earnest. Indeed, not even James Finlayson - best remembered across the four subsequent generations for his comedy work in association with Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy - is totally believable to modern audiences as a tough ground crew sergeant, without the picture losing a beat of its message and atmosphere." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-dawn-patrol-v88836/

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The rage of Paris 1938 - 'There's nothing wrong with you that a nice rich husband couldn't cure'

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0030652/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
IMDB rating: 7,2

Director: Henry Koster
Main Cast: Danielle Darrieux, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Mischa Auer, Louis Hayward, Helen Broderick

"A lovely screwball gem that, while not obscure, is also not as widely known as it well deserves to be, The Rage of Paris is a great antidote to the blues. Indeed, this frothy, bubbly, escapist delight is so charming that the only real response is to totally surrender. Sure, there are a few flaws. As with any screwball comedy, one has to be willing to suspend logic a wee bit here and there and to accept extreme coincidences as an everyday occurrence. But this artifice is part of the genre's appeal, and Paris is especially artful in its artifice. As an actress, Danielle Darrieux is perhaps not in the same league as other screwball stars (such as Carole Lombard), but it doesn't matter. She has more than enough acting chops for the part, and more importantly, she has the requisite personality and charisma that enables her to handle the role with the lightest of touches. Douglas Fairbanks Jr. is a great foil for her, Louis Hayward is near-perfect, and Helen Broderick and Mischa Auer are dependable as always. Throw in sleek Art Deco sets, beautiful costumes, and well-pitched direction, and the result is an enchanting laugh-fest." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-rage-of-paris-v40092/

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