The prizefighter and the lady 1933 - A must-see for boxing fans

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IMDB rating: 6,5

Director: W. S. Van Dyke
Main Cast: Myrna Loy, Max Baer, Primo Carnera, Jack Dempsey, Walter Huston, Otto Kruger

"Steve Morgan (Max Baer) is a ex-sailor tending bar in a seedy dive when The Professor (Walter Huston), a boxing coach, sees Morgan make short work of a troublesome customer. The Professor convinces Morgan that he has what it takes to be a successful prizefighter, and takes him under his wing. One day, while Morgan is jogging, he's nearly hit by a car operated by an attractive woman named Belle (Myrna Loy), who is making a name for herself as a nightclub singer. Belle has been dating underworld kingpin Willie Ryan (Otto Kruger), but before long Morgan is able to win her away from Ryan, and they get married. Morgan's marriage to Belle turns out to be god for publicity, and soon he's racked up an impressive string of victories, but Morgan can't keep his eyes off other women, and she has reason to believe he's been unfaithful. Belle, despondent, goes back to Ryan, while Morgan starts hitting the bottle, just as he's lined up a championship fight with Primo Carnera.
The Prizefighter and the Lady gave heavyweight contender Max Baer his first leading role; a year after the film was released, Baer faced off against Carnera in a real championship bout, which Baer won by a knockout." - www.allmovie.com

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Ladies they talk about 1933 - Bad girl Stanwyck behind bars

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IMDB rating: 6,7

Directors: Howard P. Bretherton, William Keighley
Main Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Preston Foster, Lyle Talbot, Dorothy Burgess, Lillian Roth

"The women in prison genre reached its peak in the 1950s, but the progenitor of those films can be found in 1933's Ladies They Talk About. Based on a play by actress Dorothy Mackaye, which in turn was loosely based on her actual experiences in a women's prison, Ladies is sheer delight for lovers of hard-boiled dames slinging snappy phrases around like so much hash. As is often the case with films in this genre, the plot has a number of credibility gaps; most of them are passable and add to the general enjoyment, but the final one - in which the heroine shoots and wounds the man she hates, only to immediately declare her love for him, after which he tells the cops that it's nothing and he plans to marry her - does take the cake. The soft country club conditions of the women's prison, which includes dorm-style rooms with lace curtains, is also a bit hard to take. But it doesn't matter, for Ladies has the one and only Barbara Stanwyck on hand to add her special magic to the salty dialogue and to make one happy to overlook any problems with the screenplay. Add in a good supporting cast that includes Lillian Roth warbling a song to a picture of Joe E. Brown, and you have a picture that may not be great but is definitely entertaining." - www.allmovie.com

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Morning glory 1933 - Hepburn's wonderful Oscar-winning performance

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IMDB rating: 6,6

Director: Lowell Sherman
Main Cast: Katharine Hepburn, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Adolphe Menjou, Mary Duncan, C. Aubrey Smith

"Katharine Hepburn won her first Oscar for her portrayal of Eva Lovelace, a small-town community-theatre actress who comes to New York dreaming of theatrical stardom. She amuses producer Adolphe Menjou and playwright Douglas Fairbanks Jr. with her naively pretentious prattle, but neither man takes her too seriously. Both, however are attracted to Eva: Menjou has a brief affair with her, but she yearns for the more reserved Fairbanks. Partly out of sympathy, Fairbanks arranges for Eva to understudy the troublesome star (Mary Duncan) of Menjou's latest production. When the star walks out on opening night, Eva goes on in her stead, and is universally hailed as a brilliant new find. Backstage after her triumph, Eva is warned not to let her sudden success go to her head lest she become a 'morning glory': a briefly spectacular 'bloomer' that withers and dies within a very short time. Proof of this warning is Eva's maid, a middle-aged woman who had also been an instant star years earlier. But Eva is too intoxicated by the thrill of realizing her life's dream; embracing her weeping maid, Eva declares to the world that she doesn't care if she is a morning glory. The film fades as Eva shouts defiantly 'I'm not afraid! I'm not afraid!' Adapted from a stage play by Zoe Akins, Morning Glory was remade in 1957 as Stage Struck, with Susan Strasberg as Eva Lovelace." - www.allmovie.com

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Female 1933 - Fast and amusing comedy with a modern plot

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IMDB rating: 6,8

Directors: Michael Curtiz, William Dieterle, William Wellman
Main Cast: Ruth Chatterton, George Brent, Lois Wilson, Johnny Mack Brown, Ruth Donnelly

"A fast-paced, funny, and surprisingly frank comedy about sex and power from a woman's point-of-view, Female was one the pictures that helped put director Michael Curtiz on the map early in his career. The screenplay by Gene Markey and Kathryn Scola gets into some very truthful territory in its treatment of Ruth Chatterton's character, Alison Drake, an automobile company president with a libidinal side every bit as pronounced as her considerable professional skills. Drake is all business, and good at it, except when she's at home, and then she's the complete hedonist, right down to the succession of lovers that she recruits from the ranks of her employees. Chatterton is convincing as this brilliant and supremely sensuous woman, presenting those two sides in a compelling portrayal, through which she dominates the entire picture from beginning to end. It's a mark of George Brent's ability as an actor that he rises to the challenge of convincing us that he's her equal, even though he's in barely half the movie. The brisk pacing, the extraordinary art deco design of Drake's home, and the beautifully staged party scene are other highlights in this hour-long jewel of a picture, which is every bit as striking in its way as George Cukor's The Women." - www.allmovie.com

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Flying down to Rio 1933 - Historically important for its star making pairing of Astaire & Rogers

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IMDB rating: 6,8

Director: Thornton Freeland
Main Cast: Dolores Del Rio, Gene Raymond, Ginger Rogers, Fred Astaire

"The top-billed stars in the extravagant RKO musical Flying Down to Rio are Dolores Del Rio and Gene Raymond. Forget all that: this is the movie that first teamed Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. We're supposed to care about the romantic triangle between aviator/bandleader Raymond, Brazilian heiress Del Rio and her wealthy fiance Raul Roulien, but the moment Fred and Ginger dance to a minute's worth of 'The Carioca', the film is theirs forever. Other musical highlights include Rogers' opening piece 'Music Makes Me' and tenor Roulien's lush rendition of 'Orchids in the Moonlight'. Then there's the title number. The plot has it that Del Rio' uncle has been prohibited from having a floor show at his lavish hotel because of a Rio city ordinance. Astaire and Raymond save the day by staging the climactic 'Flying Down to Rio' number thousands of feet in the air, with hundreds of chorus girls shimmying and swaying while strapped to the wings of a fleet of airplanes. It is one of the most outrageously brilliant numbers in movie musical history, and one that never fails to incite a big round of applause from the audience - no matter what the date is. Together with King Kong, Flying Down to Rio saved the fledgling RKO Radio studios from bankruptcy in 1933. The film was a smash everywhere it played, encouraging the studio to concoct future teamings of those two stalwart supporting players Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers." - www.allmovie.com

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Three cornered moon 1933 - A slightly screwball tale of the Great Depression

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IMDB rating: 6,8

Director: Elliott Nugent
Main Cast: Claudette Colbert, Richard Arlen, Mary Boland, Wallace Ford, Lyda Roberti, Tom Brown, Joan Marsh

"The golden age of screwball comedy was brief but glorious, and exactly when it began and ended is a source of some debate. Three-Cornered Moon is often cited as the first real example of the genre, but whether screwball or not, it's a delightful and charming comedy that, at 77 minutes, knows better than to outstay its welcome. The script is literate and sophisticated, making comedic a situation that at the time would have been rather desperate. Claudette Colbert is winning as the relative center of calm and sanity in the storm of lunacy. Her soft, round face is a mask of sensibility covering both determination and exasperation. She holds her own against the scene-stealing efforts of Mary Boland, who creates a character whose obliviousness and ditziness could be irritating in less expert hands. Boland knows quite well how to deliver her laugh lines so they land exactly where they're supposed to, as well as how to clear them out to make room for the next one - while at the same time giving them a freshness to disguise the technique beneath it all. Altogether Moon is a bit too soft to be the kind of knockabout it wants to be, but it's a pleasing trifle nonetheless." - www.allmovie.com

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Hold your man 1933 - A truly sweet romance

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IMDB rating: 7,0

Director: Sam Wood
Main Cast: Jean Harlow, Clark Gable, Stuart Erwin

"The first two-thirds of Hold Your Man is a snappy romantic comedy with a bit of an edge, and it's a shame that the powers that be at MGM couldn't have left good enough alone. Unfortunately, though this was made before the Production Code really had power, MGM decided to police itself and so the final third of the film becomes moralistic. There's nothing necessarily wrong with telling a moral story, but the filmmakers have to believe in it, and that's clearly not the case here. As a result, Man comes across rather schizoid, and the final third not only lacks punch and power, it dilutes the effectiveness of what came before it. Script problems - and the by-the-numbers direction of Sam Wood - aside, Man is an entertaining way to spend the time, primarily because of the unbeatable chemistry between stars Jean Harlow and Clark Gable. The two were a marvelous team, creating that indefinable 'something' that is pure gold. Just watch the way her eyes will linger over him a fraction of a second too long, or his body language when the two are in the middle of sparring with each other. They're both good actors, but what they create is something that's beyond drama and technique." - www.allmovie.com

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Bureau of missing persons 1933 - Fast paced, excellent B-movie from Warners

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IMDB rating: 7,2

Director: Roy Del Ruth
Main Cast: Bette Davis, Lewis Stone, Pat O'Brien, Glenda Farrell, Allen Jenkins, Ruth Donnelly, Hugh Herbert

"Although claiming to be based on actual cases, this mild crime drama appears to have been derived more from a screenwriter's manual than a police blotter. Newly transferred from robbery to missing persons, glib Butch Saunders (Pat O'Brien) is like the proverbial bull in a china shop at first, but quickly gets the hang of things. In walks pretty Norma Roberts (Bette Davis), claiming to be missing her new husband, whom she accuses of shipping out. Despite being married to nagging Belle (Glenda Farrell), Butch falls in love with the dame, until, that is, he learns the truth. Norma's last name isn't Roberts at all, but Williams, and she is wanted in Chicago for the murder of her boss, Therme Roberts. Begging Butch to cover for her - 'just for a little while. I'll explain everything later' - Norma does a disappearing act herself and makes it look like suicide. But Butch refuses to buy the act and with the help of his boss, Captain Webb (Lewis Stone), the fast-talking cop arranges for a corpse to be lying in state at a local funeral parlor under the name of Norma Williams, hoping to flush out the real Norma. Norma walks right into the trap with another cockamamie story at the ready. But this time, it may just be the truth and Butch becomes determined to clear the lady of murder.
'Bureau of Missing Persons' is a solid B-movie programmer of the type that Warner Brothers did so well, featuring excellent lead performances by Bette Davis (not yet at her full stardom) and MGM stalwart Lewis Stone (on loan-out to Warners) as Captain Webb, the head of the Missing Persons department of New York City's police force. Pat O'Brien, in his cynical tough-guy mode, plays a hardboiled cop who's been excessively violent in his previous assignments, and who is re-assigned to Webb's division. There's a fine scene early on, in which Stone informs O'Brien that the Bureau of Missing Persons is different from the other police divisions ... because they specialise in finding people rather than making arrests.
Bette Davis later claimed to have disliked making Bureau of Missing Persons, but she is fine in it and even gets to change her hair color from bleach blond to brunette within a reel or two. The Warner Bros. stock company is working at a fever pitch this time around and the lines come fast and furious. One of the highlights is Allen Jenkins' remark to sour-faced funeral director Charles Sellon: 'How's business these days? Has the depression bothered you much?'" - www.allmovie.com

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Night flight 1933 - An all star cast aviation spectacle

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IMDB rating: 6,4

Director: Clarence Brown
Main Cast: John Barrymore, Helen Hayes, Clark Gable, Lionel Barrymore, Robert Montgomery, Myrna Loy, William Gargan, C. Henry Gordon, Leslie Fenton, Irving Pichel

"This long-forgotten, long-unavailable MGM aviation drama (produced under the aegis of David O. Selznick) is an adaptation of flier-turned-belletrist Antoine de Saint-Exupery's slim 1931 novel of the same name, which dramatizes the adventures of the South American night mail aviation service in the early years of the 20th century. The studio enlisted a top-drawer cast for this one, including Clark Gable, Robert Montgomery, Myrna Loy, brothers John and Lionel Barrymore (in their final onscreen appearance together), and Helen Hayes. Selznick and his brass were obviously hoping to produce another hit on par with Wings or Grand Hotel, and thus pinned empyrean hopes on the novella. To say that the adaptation didn't live up to their box office expectations would be an understatement, and probably explains the obscurity into which the picture sank. But all told, this film represents a happy, eminently enjoyable surprise. Scriptwriter Oliver H.P. Garret builds the drama around a plot contrivance not found in the original text - the attempts of the said pilots to deliver a precious vaccine to the infantile paralysis unit at the City Hospital in Rio de Janeiro, before one child in particular expires. De Saint-Exupery purists may scoff, but this ingenious narrative addition works beautifully - it functions as the hook necessary to sustain suspense in the audience's mind and maintain an involving through-line. All of the actors do stellar work here, particularly Gable and Montgomery (both cast as noble pilots), who give the picture the star power and the dramatic weight that it needs. A number of scenes feel stilted and overly theatrical, and others threaten to interrupt the film's momentum just a bit, but for the most part, what's onscreen is both involving and exciting. The film doesn't recreate de Saint-Exupery's majestic scenic tableaux - how could it? - and director Clarence Brown relies too heavily on 'wipes' to segue from one aerial shot to another. But the film compensates with special effects that feel downright revolutionary for the period in question, and that anticipate Howard Hawks's Only Angels Have Wings - including gorgeous, convincing shots of aircraft during nocturnal voyages (done with miniatures) and a magnificent storm sequence, set in the Andes and lifted directly from the text. Of greatest curiosity are the period images of such cities as Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Santiago, Chile, presented as sterile-white, WASP-staffed utopian communities with nothing but the most luxurious surroundings. Why the absence of Hispanic citizens, and why the careful resistance to any signs of local squalor? (It may simply be a reflection on the nativism of the era that produced this film). The movie suffers just a bit from one of the most risible final shots of any film in memory (with 'ghost pilots' emerging from the sea and soaring up to the heavens); until then it's an engrossing entertainment and does justice to its source material." - www.allmovie.com

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The power and the glory 1933 - A precursor to Citizen Kane and a wonderful performance by Spencer Tracy

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IMDB rating: 7,0

Director: William K. Howard
Main Cast: Spencer Tracy, Colleen Moore, Ralph Morgan, Helen Vinson

"Frequently cited as the precursor to Citizen Kane, Power and the Glory is the first major Hollywood film to extensively utilize narrated flashbacks to tell its story. Though the 'narrative' technique used to relate the plotline of Power and the Glory is interesting, though the film itself is a bit too cut-and-dried (suicide seems to be a logical solution rather than a last desperate move) and far too short (76 minutes) to do justice to its central character.
Long considered one of the great lost classics of Hollywood's Golden Age, The Power And The Glory has recently resurfaced, marking a coup for lovers of cinema history, and the film itself still proves to be a landmark. First of all, it is the first screenplay produced by the great writer (and future director) Preston Sturges, modeled on the family of his then-wife. Sturges has crafted a powerful drama about the life of the wealthy in America. Second, it is a remarkable foreshadowing of Citizen Kane, itself still eight years in the future. The film tells the tale of a man's life after his death, portraying his rise from a humble railworker to a railroad magnate and how he deals with those around him during his ascent. This element is also very prevalent, indeed it's the centerpiece, of Kane. Third, this is the film that put Spencer Tracy on the map of Hollywood stardom, propelling him to the legendary status that he enjoys even to this day. He plays the character of Tom Garner with utter believability, including the character's faults. This is unusual, particularly for 1933, and the credit for that can fall to Sturges. Colleen Moore plays Sally Garner and the only word to describe her performance, without danger of overstatement, is magnificent. She gives Tracy a sure-handed run for his money. The film also features Ralph Morgan, better known for his portrayal of villains in B-movies, who here produces another excellent role for his large canon." - www.allmovie.com

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The little giant 1933 - Full of laughs and wonderful moments

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IMDB rating: 7,1

Director: Roy Del Ruth
Main Cast: Edward G. Robinson, Mary Astor, Helen Vinson, Russell Hopton

"Retiring bootlegger Edward G. Robinson wishes to go straight and has recently become, as he puts it, 'positively crawling with culture'. 'Ever seen anything like that before?' He inquires of former henchman Russell Hopton, proudly displaying a newly obtained abstract. 'Not since I've been off cocaine', comes the deadpan answer. Ah, yes, nothing beats pre-production code Warner Bros. for tough talk or, for that matter, for spoofing its own blockbusters. And a spoof Little Giant certainly is, what with Robinson turning his Little Caesar character upside-down and inside out. That the comedy is still funny today is not only due to Robinson's virile performance but also to writers Robert Lord and Wilson Mizner, who took a topical event, the repeal of the 18th amendment, and created one of the era's livelier parodies." - www.allmovie.com

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Lady killer 1933 - Cagney as a Hollywood gangster

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IMDB rating: 7,1

Director: Roy Del Ruth
Main Cast: James Cagney, Mae Clarke, Margaret Lindsay, Leslie Fenton

"Mae Clarke, in her autobiography Featured Player (1996), claimed that James Cagney and director William Wellman basically created the famous grapefruit incident in The Public Enemy (1931) without her consent and that the viciousness of the attack had shocked her. The scene is, of course, unforgettable and a follow-up inevitable. It came two-thirds of the way through Lady Killer when gangster-turned-movie star Cagney discovers a kittenish Miss Clarke in his bedroom - much to the consternation of his movie-star girlfriend Margaret Lindsay. Despite his newfound sophistication, Cagney acts as he would have in Hell's Kitchen: He drags the unwelcome guest out of the room by her hair! This time, happily, Clarke was in on the gag and she is visibly holding on for dear life to Cagney's wrists. The scene is still startling in its brutality, especially coming in what is really a comedy. And despite this act of physical abuse and a climactic shootout that leaves bodies scattered all over what appears to be Mulholland Highway in Los Angeles, Lady Killer is a comedy and a good one. As always, the Warner Bros. stock company is in high gear throughout and there are especially enjoyable performances by Douglas Dumbrille as Cagney's former partner-in-crime and Herman Bing as an autocratic director of Western movies. Lady Killer is vintage Cagney, throwing virtually every one of his star-making attributes (including one cute reference to his legendary 'grapefruit scene' in 1931's The Public Enemy) into one entertaining 76-minute stew." - www.allmovie.com

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Penthouse 1933 - The gangster lawyer and his gang

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IMDB rating: 7,0

Director: W. S. Van Dyke
Main Cast: Warner Baxter, Myrna Loy, Charles Butterworth, Mae Clarke, Phillips Holmes

"The leads, plus some very frank dialogue and W. S. Van Dyke's breezy direction, are the main selling points for Penthouse - but also in the plus column are some great art-deco settings and a truly suspenseful denouement with a genuinely surprising (and bitter-sweet) twist, followed by a sorting out of the romantic complications that is refreshingly carnal, twist-laden, and honest.
Warner Baxter plays a lawyer who has a reputation of getting guilty men off with murders but in reality he takes those who look guilty and proves their innocents. After getting a gangster off for murder, he gets involved with a new case where a friend of his is accused of murder and the only way to break through the case is by taking up with a gangster moll (Myrna Loy).
This film was made a year before Myrna Loy catapulted to super-stardom with the Thin Man movies. At this point in her career, she was still a relatively unknown actress with a long but generally undistinguished track record. Warner Baxter, on the other hand, was the bigger star - with starring roles in 42nd Street, The Cisco Kid (and its sequel) and The Squaw Man.
Stylistically, the film is actually a lot like Baxter's B-movie series, The Crime Doctor, though in this case he plays a defense attorney who investigates crimes instead of a criminal psychiatrist who investigates crimes. Additionally, Penthouse has a bit more style, polish and better acting than the Columbia Pictures series."

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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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Secret of the blue room 1933 - Atmospheric mystery with good performances

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IMDB rating: 6,6

Director: Kurt Neumann
Main Cast: Lionel Atwill, Gloria Stuart, Paul Lukas, Edward Arnold

"This tight little melodrama opens with a group of wealthy people staying at a luxurious European mansion. According to legend, the mansion's 'blue room' is cursed - everyone who has ever spent the night in that room has met with an untimely end. The fact that Universal made it has awarded this tight little whodunit status as a horror film. There are indeed some horror elements (spooky rooms, secret panels, etc.) but the mysterious goings-on are subsequently explained to everyone's satisfaction, except perhaps the viewer who is forced to grabble with a couple of loose ends. The Secret of the Blue Room was indeed one of Universal's cheapest releases of 1933 - a Depression year that did not call for extravagance anywhere - but good utilization of standing sets, including the mansion from James Whale's far superior The Old Dark House (1932), adds production values not matched by its Poverty Row competitors, of which there were many. Also leftover from The Old Dark House, so to speak, is Gloria Stuart, who makes the perfect foil for Lionel Atwill's troubled estate owner. Remade twice by Universal, Secret of the Blue Room was based on the German Geheimnis des Blauen Zimmers, produced by Engels & Schmidt Tonfilm in 1932." - www.allmovie.com

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The bitter tea of general Yen 1933 - Capra's most atypical and sensual film

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IMDB rating: 7,2

Director: Frank Capra
Main Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Nils Asther, Toshia Mori, Walter Connolly, Gavin Gordon

"The Bitter Tea of General Yen is the oddest, least characteristic talkie effort of director Frank Capra. Barbara Stanwyck stars as the intended of an American missionary (Gavin Gordon) who is sent to spread the good word in China. During a military revolution, Stanwyck and her fiance inadvertently wander into forbidden territory while trying to help a group of orphans escape. The couple is forcibly detained by elegant warlord General Yen (played by Swedish actor Nils Ashter), who relies upon the financial advice of drunken American expatriate Walter Connolly. Yen is overcome with desire at the sight of Stanwyck; at first repulsed by his attentions, Stanwyck finds herself strangely drawn in by his charisma. When everyone but Connolly deserts Yen when he needs them most, Stanwyck offers to stay behind with the General. Fearing that he will never be able to truly attain the woman he so loves, the honorable General Yen commits suicide by drinking poisoned tea rather than put her in harm's way. The one scene that everyone remembers takes place during one of Stanwyck's fevered dreams, in which she imagines Yen as a Fu Manchu-type rapist, who then melts into a gentle, courtly suitor. Directed with the exotic aplomb of a Josef von Sternberg by the usually down-to-earth Frank Capra, The Bitter Tea of General Yen was unfortunately a box office failure, due in great part to its miscegenation theme (this was still 1933)." - www.allmovie.com

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