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438,204 | 306,861 | 28,286 | 10 |
Over There With Joe E . Brown
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A mild-mannered stage comedian is most unhappily swept up into the World War One Army and shipped off to France . Fast-moving & fun , SONS O ' GUNS is another example of the comedy picture that Warner Bros . was so expert at producing during the 1930's . Casts & plots could be shuffled endlessly , with very predictable results . While this assembly line approach created few classics , audience enjoyment could usually be assured . Putty-faced comic Joe E . Brown dominates the film with his special brand of wacky humor . Given a good script , Brown could be a very funny fellow indeed and he lives up to his reputation here , his tremendous mouth and mischievous eyes always on the move , waiting to signal the next wisecrack . Many of his jokes vigorously push the boundaries of the Production Code , which only adds to their amusement . Pretty Joan Blondell , playing an innocent French miss ( with a strangely Russian-sounding accent ) , very much takes second fiddle to Brown , letting him dominate nearly all of their scenes . And even her limited screen time has to be shared with Beverly Roberts as Brown's disaffected fiancée & Wini Shaw as one of the women out of his past . Still , Blondell is always lovely to look at and the film is fortunate to have her . Brown's true costar in the movie is Eric Blore , very droll as the respectful British valet who becomes his employer's tough-talking sergeant in the war's front lines . The very different acting styles of these two gentlemen mesh quite well on screen , and , particularly in their first scenes , provide the viewer with some very enjoyable moments . Movie mavens will recognize Mischa Auer in a small role as a jovial German spy .
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437,791 | 306,861 | 23,854 | 10 |
Two Mice On A Girder
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A Walt Disney MICKEY MOUSE Cartoon . Mickey is busy BUILDING A BUILDING . . . until he's distracted by Miss Minnie , who has arrived to sell her box lunches . With a definite nod to Harold Lloyd , this very funny little black & white film had enough laughs and thrills to earn it an Academy Award nomination . Pegleg Pete is suitably black-hearted as Mickey's boss ; Pluto has a cameo as the means of locomotion for Minnie's lunch cart . For the record , Minnie's box lunches contain baloney , macaroni and a huckleberry pie , plus corn on the cob , all for only 15¢ . Walt Disney provided Mickey with his squeaky voice . Walt Disney ( 1901-1966 ) was always intrigued by pictures & drawings . As a lad in Marceline , Missouri , he sketched farm animals on scraps of paper ; later , as an ambulance driver in France during the First World War , he drew comic figures on the sides of his vehicle . Back in Kansas City , along with artist Ub Iwerks , Walt developed a primitive animation studio that provided animated commercials and tiny cartoons for the local movie theaters . Always the innovator , his ALICE IN CARTOONLAND series broke ground in placing a live figure in a cartoon universe . Business reversals sent Disney & Iwerks to Hollywood in 1923 , where Walt's older brother Roy became his lifelong business manager & counselor . When a mildly successful series with Oswald The Lucky Rabbit was snatched away by the distributor , the character of Mickey Mouse sprung into Walt's imagination , ensuring Disney's immortality . The happy arrival of sound technology made Mickey's screen debut , STEAMBOAT WILLIE ( 1928 ) , a tremendous audience success with its use of synchronized music . The SILLY SYMPHONIES soon appeared , and Walt's growing crew of marvelously talented animators were quickly conquering new territory with full color , illusions of depth and radical advancements in personality development , an arena in which Walt's genius was unbeatable . Mickey's feisty , naughty behavior had captured millions of fans , but he was soon to be joined by other animated companions : temperamental Donald Duck , intellectually-challenged Goofy and energetic Pluto . All this was in preparation for Walt's grandest dream - feature length animated films . Against a storm of doomsayers , Walt persevered and over the next decades delighted children of all ages with the adventures of Snow White , Pinocchio , Dumbo , Bambi & Peter Pan . Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse , or that childlike simplicity of message and lots of hard work always pay off .
|
437,648 | 306,861 | 235,057 | 10 |
An Ancient Frosty Flick
|
The students from a young ladies ' school enjoy A WINTER STRAW RIDE through the snowy countryside , eventually exacting revenge upon the young gentlemen who pelted them with snowballs . This little film , from the Edison Manufacturing Company , is a very amusing look back at an innocent bygone era . Notice how the girls manage to fall decorously out of the wagons whenever the camera is pointed their way . That camera was under the co-direction of the celebrated Edwin S . Porter , one of the great names in early cinema history . Al Kryszak provided the score for the video compilation A Christmas Past , in which this film appears .
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438,020 | 306,861 | 13,075 | 10 |
Much Medical Merriment With Mr . Lloyd
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Young DR . JACK tries to save a pretty invalid from the machinations of an unscrupulous medical quack . Silent comedian Harold Lloyd had another success in this wildly funny movie . Healthy servings of sentimental nostalgia mixed into the plot only add to the fun . Playing a doctor whose good humor & common sense make him the most popular fellow in rural Magnolia Meadows , Harold makes full use of his tremendous athletic abilities to propel the storyline , piling one gag on top of another . Whether exiting his moving jalopy to shoo cows from his path , saving a naughty tyke from a spanking or breaking up a poker game in a most unique fashion , Harold is never less than hilarious . Finally , he leads one of his wild trademark chases , this time through a spooky house , a sequence that includes both a wonderful Lon Chaney spoof and one of the funniest enraged dogs to ever appear on film . Mildred Davis has an unusually good role , showing off her acting skills as the spunky invalid . Eric Mayne is appropriately hissable as the bearded villain . Movie mavens will recognize OUR GANG's mischievous Mickey Daniels as Harold's freckle-faced patient and darling old Anna Townsend as the lonely mother of Harold's lawyer friend - both uncredited . Robert Israel has composed an excellent film score which perfectly complements Harold's antics on the screen .
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438,324 | 306,861 | 43,951 | 10 |
Mickey & Pluto Chase Another Critter
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A Walt Disney MICKEY MOUSE Cartoon . A wily raccoon proves to be smarter than either hunter Mickey or R'COON DAWG Pluto . There are humorous moments in this little film , but nothing new or original . Disney has ploughed this field before . . . Walt Disney ( 1901-1966 ) was always intrigued by pictures & drawings . As a lad in Marceline , Missouri , he sketched farm animals on scraps of paper ; later , as an ambulance driver in France during the First World War , he drew comic figures on the sides of his vehicle . Back in Kansas City , along with artist Ub Iwerks , Walt developed a primitive animation studio that provided animated commercials and tiny cartoons for the local movie theaters . Always the innovator , his ALICE IN CARTOONLAND series broke ground in placing a live figure in a cartoon universe . Business reversals sent Disney & Iwerks to Hollywood in 1923 , where Walt's older brother Roy became his lifelong business manager & counselor . When a mildly successful series with Oswald The Lucky Rabbit was snatched away by the distributor , the character of Mickey Mouse sprung into Walt's imagination , ensuring Disney's immortality . The happy arrival of sound technology made Mickey's screen debut , STEAMBOAT WILLIE ( 1928 ) , a tremendous audience success with its use of synchronized music . The SILLY SYMPHONIES soon appeared , and Walt's growing crew of marvelously talented animators were quickly conquering new territory with full color , illusions of depth and radical advancements in personality development , an arena in which Walt's genius was unbeatable . Mickey's feisty , naughty behavior had captured millions of fans , but he was soon to be joined by other animated companions : temperamental Donald Duck , intellectually-challenged Goofy and energetic Pluto . All this was in preparation for Walt's grandest dream - feature length animated films . Against a blizzard of doomsayers , Walt persevered and over the next decades delighted children of all ages with the adventures of Snow White , Pinocchio , Dumbo , Bambi & Peter Pan . Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse , or that childlike simplicity of message and lots of hard work will always pay off .
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437,899 | 306,861 | 13,085 | 10 |
The Sea Sunders True Love In Fine Silent Film
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' Those that go DOWN TO THE SEA IN SHIPS , that do business in great waters ; these see the works of the Lord , and His wonders in the deep . ' Psalms 107 : 23 , 24Filmed on location in and around the old sailing center of New Bedford , Massachusetts , here is a silent film with exciting drama & action . The production values are excellent and the necessary romantic elements do not intrude on the swift flow of the plot . With kidnapping & murder , mutiny at sea & hungry sharks , the pace never slackens . Marguerite Courtot is the pretty heroine who pines at home after her lover , sturdy Raymond McKee , is abducted and spirited off in a whaler . She is given little to do except play with her dolls and fend off a lecherous knave , but Mr . McKee is plunked right into the thick of things , engaged in all the most dangerous tasks which a whaleman must accomplish - and it is obvious that the actor is placed in some jeopardy as well . ( Beautiful Miss Courtot & handsome Mr . McKee were both popular players during silent days . They married a year after the release of DOWN TO THE SEA IN SHIPS . She ended her film career in 1923 , while his did not survive the coming of talkies . They remained married for 61 years , until his death in 1984 at the age of 91 . She died in 1986 , aged 88 . ) The film is also notable as providing the breakout role for 16-year old Clara Bow , playing the spunky niece of Miss Courtot , who becomes a stowaway on the whaler in order to be near the young cabin boy on whom she dotes . Clara is feisty and full of fight & fun and it's easy to see how this film helped make her a star . ( She would enliven the rest of the silent era , but her movie career would be over before her 30th birthday . She died in 1965 at the age of 60 . ) Patrick Hartigan , as a bestial seaman and J . Thornton Baston , as a half-caste Asian disguised as a Quaker , make very fine villains . The film offers interesting insight into the lives of the New England Quakers of the 19th Century . There is also much to be learned about whaling operations and the authentic footage of the capture and dissection of a sperm whale will either fascinate or repulse the viewer . The film's opening credits give special commendation to the brave cameramen who risked their lives to photograph the thrilling footage at sea .
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437,504 | 306,861 | 21,951 | 10 |
Watchin ' Grandma's Store With The Little Rascals
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An OUR GANG Comedy Short . Jackie , Farina , Chubby & the rest of the Gang are HELPING GRANDMA run her little grocery store . After 55 years in business , there's a possibility that a chain store enterprise may buy her out at a good profit . But when a dishonest charlatan gets involved & attempts to cheat the old lady , it's time for serious action . A good little film with both laughs & tears . Notice how the older Rascals vacate the whole midsection of the film , so as to showcase the younger generation . Highlight : Stymie's ' smell test ' . That's Margaret Mann playing Grandma .
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438,009 | 306,861 | 28,272 | 10 |
Madcap Movie Of Marital Mishaps
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A frustrated Broadway playwright finds himself SNOWED UNDER in a Connecticut country house with both of his ex-wives , the flirtatious girl next door , a deputy sheriff and a lawyer . This delightful little comedy is an excellent example of the fluff films that Warner Bros . was so adept at producing during Hollywood's Golden Age . Boasting fine production values , a literate script & some genuinely funny performances , it is a shame that the film is so obscure today . George Brent & Genevieve Tobin have charm to spare as the protagonists whose divorce seems in danger of floundering ; sophisticated & witty , they are a very entertaining duo . Glenda Farrell is hilarious as the boozy floozy after Brent for unpaid alimony - this brassy blonde could always be counted on for some mischievous merriment . Pixilated Frank McHugh is the milkman turned most unlikely deputy . John Eldredge plays the gentle young lawyer ; Patricia Ellis is not gentle at all as the pushy prom princess from next door . Apoplectic producer Porter Hall & sassy housekeeper Helen Lowell add to the amusement . Movie mavens should recognize Mary Treen as a secretary & Olin Howlin as the sheriff , both uncredited .
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438,087 | 306,861 | 45,597 | 10 |
In The Ring With Mr . Duck
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A Walt Disney DONALD DUCK Cartoon . Donald quickly becomes a CANVAS BACK DUCK after getting suckered into going three rounds with boxing thug Peewee Pete . While this is a very routine Duck cartoon in every way , it is still humorous enough . It is interesting to note that this is a rare instance in which Donald's Nephews are totally on his side , doing all they can to help him against the abominable Pete . Clarence Nash provided the unique voices for the entire Duck clan . Walt Disney ( 1901-1966 ) was always intrigued by pictures & drawings . As a lad in Marceline , Missouri , he sketched farm animals on scraps of paper ; later , as an ambulance driver in France during the First World War , he drew comic figures on the sides of his vehicle . Back in Kansas City , along with artist Ub Iwerks , Walt developed a primitive animation studio that provided animated commercials and tiny cartoons for the local movie theaters . Always the innovator , his ALICE IN CARTOONLAND series broke ground in placing a live figure in a cartoon universe . Business reversals sent Disney & Iwerks to Hollywood in 1923 , where Walt's older brother Roy became his lifelong business manager & counselor . When a mildly successful series with Oswald The Lucky Rabbit was snatched away by the distributor , the character of Mickey Mouse sprung into Walt's imagination , ensuring Disney's immortality . The happy arrival of sound technology made Mickey's screen debut , STEAMBOAT WILLIE ( 1928 ) , a tremendous audience success with its use of synchronized music . The SILLY SYMPHONIES soon appeared , and Walt's growing crew of marvelously talented animators were quickly conquering new territory with full color , illusions of depth and radical advancements in personality development , an arena in which Walt's genius was unbeatable . Mickey's feisty , naughty behavior had captured millions of fans , but he was soon to be joined by other animated companions : temperamental Donald Duck , intellectually-challenged Goofy and energetic Pluto . All this was in preparation for Walt's grandest dream - feature length animated films . Against a storm of naysayers , Walt persevered and over the next decades delighted children of all ages with the adventures of Snow White , Pinocchio , Dumbo , Bambi & Peter Pan . Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse , or that childlike simplicity of message and lots of hard work always pay off .
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438,301 | 306,861 | 30,657 | 10 |
Another Shirley Temple Crowd Pleaser
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A frantic radio producer must find the perfect Little Miss America for an advertiser's national program . He discovers her in his country neighbor , REBECCA OF SUNNYBROOK FARM , an incredibly talented & precocious moppet , who proceeds to charm all around her & bring happiness into the lives of those who love her . Little Shirley Temple turns in another crowd-pleasing performance in this pleasant family film - which bears almost no resemblance to the Kate Douglas Wiggin classic . It's easy to see why the little tyke was Hollywood's top star for years . Her smile & vivacity are still stunning decades later . This time Shirley is surrounded by a plethora of male talent : rugged Randolph Scott , giving a slightly wooden performance no doubt caused by the chagrin of playing second fiddle to a ten-year-old ; peppy Jack Haley , always eager to please ; veteran William Demerest , displaying some of his best pratfalls ; laconic comic Slim Summerville , the unlikeliest lover ; flustered Franklin Pangborn , as a very nervous organist ; and the great Bill ' Bojangles ' Robinson , given distressingly little to do in his role as a farmhand - until the film's final moments when he gets to shine in a tap routine with Shirley . Helen Westley is great fun as grumpy Aunt Miranda ; lovely Gloria Stuart is given little to do except look , well , lovely . That's champion character actress Eily Malyon as the Reverend's cake-eating wife . Movie mavens will recognize old Clarence Wilson as a shyster attorney . Shirley sings ' An Old Straw Hat ' & ' Come And Get Your Happiness ' , as well as a medley of her past hits . Query : Why do film makers think radio audiences are thrilled by listening to tap dancing ? In films like this you don't ask questions like that .
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437,928 | 306,861 | 41,767 | 10 |
Orson Welles & Sir Felix Aylmer Revel Amid Medieval Pomp & Panoply
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A cunning young soldier of fortune finds himself in the employ of Cesare Borgia , THE PRINCE OF FOXES . The young man is sent on a diplomatic mission to pave the way for Borgia's conquest of Italy , but instead he falls in love - exposing himself to the full force of his master's wrath . . . Strangely overlooked & underrated , this is a wonderful film , full of swashbuckling action , intrigue & adventure . The acting is mostly first rate and the production values & photography are both sumptuous . But beyond this , PRINCE OF FOXES is blessed with a literate , intelligent script & story line in which it is an actual pleasure to immerse oneself . Intelligent viewers are amply rewarded for their time & attention . Tyrone Power is the valiant hero and he gives a good performance , even if his American accent seems a bit out of place . Always concerned that his handsome looks were more appreciated than his thespian abilities , he finds himself here surrounded by co-stars replete with protean skills . What can one say about Orson Welles ? That he takes the small role of Cesare Borgia and turns it into a fascinating character study ? This is only to be expected . But there is more . Welles ' oversized talent & personality nearly overwhelm the screen - the medium was almost too small to contain him . He imbues his part with such sardonic humor & sly cunning as to almost make Borgia - and this is high praise indeed - stand on a par with his forthcoming Harry Lime . In fact , Cesare & Harry have much in common , beyond the fact that they were both portrayed by the same splendid actor . They both reveal human evil in all its charming rapacity . Both are utterly , deadly ruthless . Borgia is Lime with an army . A further joy in watching PRINCE OF FOXES is the chance to see the wonderful old actor Sir Felix Aylmer in a role worthy of his skill . For nearly four decades this quiet , unassuming man appeared in a multitude of British films , usually in small , unexciting parts . Here , he is given a generous role as an elderly count who must contend with Borgia . Deftly underplaying his scenes & giving his lines full justice with his unique voice , Sir Felix gives a master's class in good acting . Everett Sloane , Welles ' old buddy from their Mercury Theater days , gives a finely nuanced performance as a hired assassin - his face a mask of treacherous villainy . As Power's peasant mother , Katina Paxinou is powerful in her small role . Filmed throughout Italy in various magnificent Renaissance locations , it is the fairy tale walls of San Marino which stand out in particular , doubling for the fictitious Citta del Monte . This tiny republic , the world's oldest , spreads its 23 square miles over Mount Titano , east of Florence , and is completely surrounded by Italy . ( Ironically , San Marino was actually captured by Cesare Borgia at one time ) . The triple fortresses of its capital , crowning the heights of Titano , provide the film with its most memorable vistas . And herein lies an interesting bit of cinematic trivia . Although it had been a safe haven for anti-Mussolini dissidents during the Second World War , the Republic had suffered damage to its majestic walls after being mistakenly bombed by the Allies near the end of the conflict . When the folks from Twentieth Century Fox arrived wanting to make PRINCE OF FOXES and use San Marino as a pivotal backdrop , the Republic agreed , on condition that the film company repair the bomb damage to the fortifications on Mount Titano . Which is why San Marino reminds some tourists today of a Hollywood set . . . The film ends very ambiguously as to the fate of Cesare Borgia , but history is not so vague . The illegitimate son of Pope Alexander VI , Cesare ( 1475-1507 ) started his rise to power early , first in his ancestral Spain and later in Italy . At the age of seven he was created prothonotary & canon of the cathedral of Valencia - but it was in 1491 at the age of sixteen that his career really started to move . Over the course of the next two years Cesare was quickly created bishop , archbishop & cardinal . In 1498 he renounced his cardinalate to become Captain General of the Papal Army . Working hand in glove with the Pope , they furthered their schemes towards wresting a northern Italian kingdom for Cesare . A marriage that same year with the sister of the King of Navarre and the acceptance of a French dukedom , gave Cesare & Alexander the French support they would need for their plots of conquest . The film begins in 1500 , by which time Cesare was fully immersed in his generally successful campaigns . ( The opening scene shows the funeral of Cesare's brother-in-law , Duke Alfonso of Bisceglie , the husband of Cesare's wicked sister Lucrezia ; that unlucky gentleman had been stabbed by a quartet of Cesare's assassins and subsequently strangled in his sickbed by Cesare's servant . ) Hated & despised by the rank and file of the citizenry of Italy , Alexander & Cesare had to constantly fight against the overwhelming tide of public opinion . Surviving one rebellion in his army - and treacherously murdering the ringleaders after feigning peace - Cesare's fortunes at last crumbled with the death of his father in 1503 . The new pope , Julius II , was an implacable enemy and demanded the release of Cesare's dominions . Cesare was eventually captured by the Spanish , imprisoned in Spain , and made a daring escape . He now offered his services to his brother-in-law , the King of Navarre . Cesare Borgia's short , violent , utterly fascinating life came to an end in 1507 when he was killed in a skirmish with rebels .
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437,111 | 306,861 | 21,933 | 10 |
An Excellent Little Murder Mystery
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Can Lionel Barrymore commit the perfect crime , for the sake of his daughter's honor , and get by with it ? That's the question posed in this fine film which is NOT a " whodunit " . Almost forgotten by nearly 7 decades of bigger , splashier movies , fans of crime films will not want to miss this little gem . Tightly plotted and suspenseful , GUILTY HANDS ( yes , the title is important ) rewards the thoughtful viewer . Barrymore is great , as always . Kay Francis is a shady lady with too much past . Alan Mowbray - in a welcome departure from his comic butler roles - is suave and evil . Madge Evans , Polly Moran & Sir C . Aubrey Smith round out the supporting cast . And what a great ending - unexpected and appropriate .
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437,118 | 306,861 | 43,964 | 10 |
A Story That Is Told In Dublin
|
Driving to Dublin late one night , Orson Welles stops to pick-up a stranded motorist . The man proceeds to tell Welles about what happened to him late one evening at that very spot in the road , when he was flagged down by two women . As his tale continues , it wraps back to enfold Welles and the viewer in its skein of mystery - inviting us all to RETURN TO GLENNASCAUL . . . In 1951 , during a hiatus in the production of his OTHELLO , two of the actors in the Shakespearean film asked Welles , their old friend , to appear in a short film they were producing . They were Hilton Edwards & Micheál Mac Liammóir , the founders of the famed Dublin Gate Theatre . They thought Welles would be the perfect choice to tell their little ghost tale . They were right - his magnificent voice still worked its magic as it had in radio's heyday . Others in the cast , all excellent , were Michael Laurence ( also on leave from OTHELLO ) , Shelah Richards & Helena Hughes . This Irish two-reeler is a superb example of what can be done in a very short amount of screen time . Beautifully crafted , not a frame of film or line of dialogue is wasted . Intriguing & entertaining , it's a shame this little gem is so obscure today .
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437,978 | 306,861 | 23,857 | 10 |
An Early Peek At Robert Taylor
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An MGM CRIME DOES NOT PAY Short Subject . An imprisoned embezzler begins to worry about the $200 , 000 in BURIED LOOT he's secreted in New Jersey . This two-reeler was the first in a series featuring true crime stories told in a compelling , hard-hitting fashion . It is well plotted & acted , with no dull moments or unnecessary subplots . No cast credits are given , but movie mavens will enjoy the ripe performance of Robert Taylor , only steps away from discovery & stardom , as the bad guy consumed not by conscience but by fears of ultimate failure to enjoy his ill-gotten gains . Many of the prison shots were lifted right out of MGM's classic feature THE BIG HOUSE ( 1930 ) . Often overlooked or neglected today , the one and two-reel short subjects were useful to the Studios as important training grounds for new or burgeoning talents , both in front & behind the camera . The dynamics for creating a successful short subject was completely different from that of a feature length film , something like writing a topnotch short story rather than a novel . Economical to produce in terms of both budget & schedule and capable of portraying a wide range of material , short subjects were the perfect complement to the Studios ' feature films .
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437,608 | 306,861 | 26,362 | 10 |
Fighting A French Duel With Mr . Laurel & Mr . Hardy
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A LAUREL & HARDY Comedy Short . Parisian Christmas Card salesmen Stan & Ollie become THE FIXER UPPERS when they try to help a distraught woman who thinks she's lost the affections of her husband . Ollie agrees to play the part of her lover , but is too convincing & arouses the man's extreme jealousy . When he challenges Ollie to a duel , the Boys ' troubles are just beginning . . . A very funny little film - the Boys ' reactions to Mae Busch's passionate kisses are hilarious . Charles Middleton plays her furious spouse .
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437,613 | 306,861 | 23,858 | 10 |
Wood Working With Mr . Laurel & Mr . Hardy
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A LAUREL & HARDY Comedy Short . Stan & Ollie have taken a job at a lumber mill . Arriving for work , they quickly become BUSY BODIES by making a shambles of their carpentry shop & antagonizing both their foreman and a bullying co-worker . A fun little film , with good slapstick . Once again , Ollie's gracefulness during the physical comedy is nothing less than astonishing .
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438,316 | 306,861 | 41,753 | 10 |
A Knitted Problem For Pluto
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A Walt Disney PLUTO Cartoon . PLUTO'S SWEATER , a gift from Minnie , gives him no end of trouble . Although not one of Disney's classics , this little film offers some funny moments as the Pup deals with his hideous new possession . Minnie Mouse is given a few moments to shine as the dreadfully dedicated sweater knitter . Making one of his limited appearances in a cartoon short , Pinocchio's pal Figaro proves to be a good antagonist for Pluto . Look fast for a cameo by Butch the bully bulldog . Walt Disney ( 1901-1966 ) was always intrigued by pictures & drawings . As a lad in Marceline , Missouri , he sketched farm animals on scraps of paper ; later , as an ambulance driver in France during the First World War , he drew comic figures on the sides of his vehicle . Back in Kansas City , along with artist Ub Iwerks , Walt developed a primitive animation studio that provided animated commercials and tiny cartoons for the local movie theaters . Always the innovator , his ALICE IN CARTOONLAND series broke ground in placing a live figure in a cartoon universe . Business reversals sent Disney & Iwerks to Hollywood in 1923 , where Walt's older brother Roy became his lifelong business manager & counselor . When a mildly successful series with Oswald The Lucky Rabbit was snatched away by the distributor , the character of Mickey Mouse sprung into Walt's imagination , ensuring Disney's immortality . The happy arrival of sound technology made Mickey's screen debut , STEAMBOAT WILLIE ( 1928 ) , a tremendous audience success with its use of synchronized music . The SILLY SYMPHONIES soon appeared , and Walt's growing crew of marvelously talented animators were quickly conquering new territory with full color , illusions of depth and radical advancements in personality development , an arena in which Walt's genius was unbeatable . Mickey's feisty , naughty behavior had captured millions of fans , but he was soon to be joined by other animated companions : temperamental Donald Duck , intellectually-challenged Goofy and energetic Pluto . All this was in preparation for Walt's grandest dream - feature length animated films . Against a blizzard of doomsayers , Walt persevered and over the next decades delighted children of all ages with the adventures of Snow White , Pinocchio , Dumbo , Bambi & Peter Pan . Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse , or that childlike simplicity of message and lots of hard work always pay off .
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437,880 | 306,861 | 41,752 | 10 |
This Box Walks
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A Walt Disney PLUTO Cartoon . PLUTO'S SURPRISE PACKAGE consists of a very stubborn little turtle , which makes the Pup's job of bringing in the mail rather difficult . This is an enjoyable cartoon , but the plot is certainly nothing new - Pluto meets yet another small critter with a mind of its own . Notice that the Pup is rather rusticated in this film , which makes one wonder if Mickey has moved to the woods , or if this is his vacation home . Walt Disney ( 1901-1966 ) was always intrigued by pictures & drawings . As a lad in Marceline , Missouri , he sketched farm animals on scraps of paper ; later , as an ambulance driver in France during the First World War , he drew comic figures on the sides of his vehicle . Back in Kansas City , along with artist Ub Iwerks , Walt developed a primitive animation studio that provided animated commercials and tiny cartoons for the local movie theaters . Always the innovator , his ALICE IN CARTOONLAND series broke ground in placing a live figure in a cartoon universe . Business reversals sent Disney & Iwerks to Hollywood in 1923 , where Walt's older brother Roy became his lifelong business manager & counselor . When a mildly successful series with Oswald The Lucky Rabbit was snatched away by the distributor , the character of Mickey Mouse sprung into Walt's imagination , ensuring Disney's immortality . The happy arrival of sound technology made Mickey's screen debut , STEAMBOAT WILLIE ( 1928 ) , a tremendous audience success with its use of synchronized music . The SILLY SYMPHONIES soon appeared , and Walt's growing crew of marvelously talented animators were quickly conquering new territory with full color , illusions of depth and radical advancements in personality development , an arena in which Walt's genius was unbeatable . Mickey's feisty , naughty behavior had captured millions of fans , but he was soon to be joined by other animated companions : temperamental Donald Duck , intellectually-challenged Goofy and energetic Pluto . All this was in preparation for Walt's grandest dream - feature length animated films . Against a storm of naysayers , Walt persevered and over the next decades delighted children of all ages with the adventures of Snow White , Pinocchio , Dumbo , Bambi & Peter Pan . Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse , or that childlike simplicity of message and lots of hard work always pay off .
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437,958 | 306,861 | 36,939 | 10 |
Entertaining Award Winning Short Subject
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A Warner Brothers Short Subject . The biggest liar in the Marine Corps claims to be a musical genius , but his buddies get mighty sore when a piano is delivered to their South Seas island base and the fellow says ' I WON'T PLAY . ' Propelled by the wise guy personality of Dane Clark and the loveliness of Janice Paige ( who gets to sing ' Body and Soul ' ) , here is an enjoyable , lighthearted little film which still should entertain viewers today . This is the type of fast-moving escapist fare that was so valued by weary movie audiences as World War Two dragged into its sixth year . Often overlooked or neglected today , the one and two-reel short subjects were useful to the Studios as important training grounds for new or burgeoning talents , both in front & behind the camera . The dynamics for creating a successful short subject was completely different from that of a feature length film , something like writing a topnotch short story rather than a novel . This particular film was the winner of the Academy Award for the Best 2-Reel Live Action Short for 1944 .
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437,631 | 306,861 | 36,933 | 10 |
One More Kick At The Old Pigskin
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A Walt Disney GOOFY Cartoon . Those two mighty bastions of collegiate sports , Taxidermy Tech . & Anthropology A . & M . , show HOW TO PLAY FOOTBALL - very badly . A multitude of Goofys spoof many of the finer points of the game , while strangely never really showing what the sport is actually all about . Gridiron fans will probably enjoy the jokes more than the uninitiated . Walt Disney ( 1901-1966 ) was always intrigued by pictures & drawings . As a lad in Marceline , Missouri , he sketched farm animals on scraps of paper ; later , as an ambulance driver in France during the First World War , he drew comic figures on the sides of his vehicle . Back in Kansas City , along with artist Ub Iwerks , Walt developed a primitive animation studio that provided animated commercials and tiny cartoons for the local movie theaters . Always the innovator , his ALICE IN CARTOONLAND series broke ground in placing a live figure in a cartoon universe . Business reversals sent Disney & Iwerks to Hollywood in 1923 , where Walt's older brother Roy became his lifelong business manager & counselor . When a mildly successful series with Oswald The Lucky Rabbit was snatched away by the distributor , the character of Mickey Mouse sprung into Walt's imagination , ensuring Disney's immortality . The happy arrival of sound technology made Mickey's screen debut , STEAMBOAT WILLIE ( 1928 ) , a tremendous audience success with its use of synchronized music . The SILLY SYMPHONIES soon appeared , and Walt's growing crew of marvelously talented animators were quickly conquering new territory with full color , illusions of depth and radical advancements in personality development , an arena in which Walt's genius was unbeatable . Mickey's feisty , naughty behavior had captured millions of fans , but he was soon to be joined by other animated companions : temperamental Donald Duck , intellectually-challenged Goofy and energetic Pluto . All this was in preparation for Walt's grandest dream - feature length animated films . Against a blizzard of doomsayers , Walt persevered and over the next decades delighted children of all ages with the adventures of Snow White , Pinocchio , Dumbo , Bambi & Peter Pan . Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse , or that childlike simplicity of message and lots of hard work always pay off .
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438,239 | 306,861 | 23,814 | 10 |
A Tour de Force For Mr . Asther
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A young missionary finds herself swept into a world of Oriental intrigue & power , after being ? rescued ' by a Chinese warlord . With THE BITTER TEA OF GENERAL YEN , Columbia Pictures & director Frank Capra created a small cinematic gem . Not only does the film boast of superb production values , a first-class script & excellent performances , but it enwraps its audience in a sensual romance which rewards intelligent viewing , while offering a liberal dash of pre-Code sensibilities . Miscegenation , so soon to become absolutely taboo in Hollywood , here is made palatable & attractive , indeed , reasonable , the natural outcome of passions molded by tumultuous times . Although billed second , Nils Asther takes acting honors in the title role . A matinee idol during silent days , Asther found it difficult to find good roles in talking pictures , hampered by his exotic looks which made him hard to cast to his advantage . But with BITTER TEA he found the role of a lifetime . Although tall & Swedish , he completely inhabits the skin of his Asian character , making the General at once believable & sympathetic . His every movement , shift of the eyes , even the way he chews his food are all part of his persona . Nearly forgotten now , Asther shows with this one performance what he was capable of achieving . As the missionary captive , Barbara Stanwyck gives the kind of competent , skillful & engaging interpretation which she would bring to all of her roles over the course of several decades . Capra's favorite actress , the dramatic flames she lights are an intriguing counterpoint to the repressed emotions of Asther's Yen . Loud , brash Walter Connolly , as the General's financial advisor , makes a good contrast to Asther ; his plainspoken character often gives voice to what the others are thinking . Lovely Toshi Mori graces the role of the General's unfaithful concubine . A young Richard Loo is her secret lover . Movie mavens will recognize Clara Blandick in the role of the feisty missionary hostess at the beginning of the film & Willie Fung as the rebel train engineer , both uncredited . While meant to be funny and introduce the plot , the opening scenes are a bit unfair to Western missionaries in China , portraying them as rather fatuous , repressed & gossipy . By in large , missionaries lived lives full of self-sacrifice & devotion . In return , not a few were rewarded with penury and an early grave . That today the ? Underground Church ' in China numbers many millions of Christian believers stands as a witness to the faithfulness of these good people . The era of the Chinese warlord - such as General Yen in the film - was brief but colorful and extremely violent . The Qing dynasty , China's last , was overthrown in 1911 and the Republic of China was formed . Its despotic president , Yüan Shih-kai , relied more on military force than democratic principles to maintain his authority over China's vast stretches & huge population . Upon his death in 1916 , the country was thrown into confusion & chaos , with numerous military officers & powerful bandit kings all using their armies to control districts and even whole provinces , constantly warring with each other amid a swirling sea of ever-changing alliances and bitter feuds . Foreign powers ( Soviet Russia , Imperial Japan & Great Britain ) only made matters worse by supporting various factions . It was the ordinary Chinese citizen who suffered most , with the depredations of war's brutality & the inevitable famines rained upon them . It was not until 1928 , with the capture of Peking by Republican General Chiang Kai-shek , and the reunification of China , that the power of the warlords was finally broken .
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437,238 | 306,861 | 36,932 | 10 |
Sailing Rough Seas With The Goof
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A Walt Disney GOOFY Cartoon . Goofy demonstrates HOW TO BE A SAILOR in the worst possible way . Some practical information may be gleaned between the laughs in this funny little film . The viewer learns about the origin of the paddle and the oar , navigating by the stars , pirates , semaphore flags , knots & the hornpipe . The story ends on an appropriately patriotic note , as befits this wartime cartoon . John McLeish narrates in his best documentarian manner . Walt Disney ( 1901-1966 ) was always intrigued by pictures & drawings . As a lad in Marceline , Missouri , he sketched farm animals on scraps of paper ; later , as an ambulance driver in France during the First World War , he drew comic figures on the sides of his vehicle . Back in Kansas City , along with artist Ub Iwerks , Walt developed a primitive animation studio that provided animated commercials and tiny cartoons for the local movie theaters . Always the innovator , his ALICE IN CARTOONLAND series broke ground in placing a live figure in a cartoon universe . Business reversals sent Disney & Iwerks to Hollywood in 1923 , where Walt's older brother Roy became his lifelong business manager & counselor . When a mildly successful series with Oswald The Lucky Rabbit was snatched away by the distributor , the character of Mickey Mouse sprung into Walt's imagination , ensuring Disney's immortality . The happy arrival of sound technology made Mickey's screen debut , STEAMBOAT WILLIE ( 1928 ) , a tremendous audience success with its use of synchronized music . The SILLY SYMPHONIES soon appeared , and Walt's growing crew of marvelously talented animators were quickly conquering new territory with full color , illusions of depth and radical advancements in personality development , an arena in which Walt's genius was unbeatable . Mickey's feisty , naughty behavior had captured millions of fans , but he was soon to be joined by other animated companions : temperamental Donald Duck , intellectually-challenged Goofy and energetic Pluto . All this was in preparation for Walt's grandest dream - feature length animated films . Against a blizzard of doomsayers , Walt persevered and over the next decades delighted children of all ages with the adventures of Snow White , Pinocchio , Dumbo , Bambi & Peter Pan . Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse , or that childlike simplicity of message and lots of hard work always pay off .
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438,319 | 306,861 | 41,751 | 10 |
Pluto Versus The Gopher - Round 2
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A Walt Disney PLUTO Cartoon . PLUTO AND THE GOPHER he catches in Miss Minnie's garden create quite a disturbance inside & out . Although enjoyable , this is a routine film in which Pluto chases yet another canny little critter . The Gopher makes the second ( and final ) appearance in a Disney cartoon here , having previously provoked Pluto in BONE BANDIT ( 1948 ) . Minnie Mouse has a small cameo role . Walt Disney ( 1901-1966 ) was always intrigued by pictures & drawings . As a lad in Marceline , Missouri , he sketched farm animals on scraps of paper ; later , as an ambulance driver in France during the First World War , he drew comic figures on the sides of his vehicle . Back in Kansas City , along with artist Ub Iwerks , Walt developed a primitive animation studio that provided animated commercials and tiny cartoons for the local movie theaters . Always the innovator , his ALICE IN CARTOONLAND series broke ground in placing a live figure in a cartoon universe . Business reversals sent Disney & Iwerks to Hollywood in 1923 , where Walt's older brother Roy became his lifelong business manager & counselor . When a mildly successful series with Oswald The Lucky Rabbit was snatched away by the distributor , the character of Mickey Mouse sprung into Walt's imagination , ensuring Disney's immortality . The happy arrival of sound technology made Mickey's screen debut , STEAMBOAT WILLIE ( 1928 ) , a tremendous audience success with its use of synchronized music . The SILLY SYMPHONIES soon appeared , and Walt's growing crew of marvelously talented animators were quickly conquering new territory with full color , illusions of depth and radical advancements in personality development , an arena in which Walt's genius was unbeatable . Mickey's feisty , naughty behavior had captured millions of fans , but he was soon to be joined by other animated companions : temperamental Donald Duck , intellectually-challenged Goofy and energetic Pluto . All this was in preparation for Walt's grandest dream - feature length animated films . Against a blizzard of doomsayers , Walt persevered and over the next decades delighted children of all ages with the adventures of Snow White , Pinocchio , Dumbo , Bambi & Peter Pan . Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse , or that childlike simplicity of message and lots of hard work will always pay off .
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437,784 | 306,861 | 36,934 | 10 |
An Eagle - No Divot
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A Walt Disney GOOFY Cartoon . The Goof demonstrates HOW TO PLAY GOLF very badly . Here is one of the very earliest of the Goofy Sports Cartoons , and , with its fast action and fine animation , it remains one of the best . Along with other golfing esoterica , the viewer should forever remember the game's Golden Rule : Always play the ball where it lies . The demonstration stick figure makes an interesting & funny character . Walt Disney ( 1901-1966 ) was always intrigued by pictures & drawings . As a lad in Marceline , Missouri , he sketched farm animals on scraps of paper ; later , as an ambulance driver in France during the First World War , he drew comic figures on the sides of his vehicle . Back in Kansas City , along with artist Ub Iwerks , Walt developed a primitive animation studio that provided animated commercials and tiny cartoons for the local movie theaters . Always the innovator , his ALICE IN CARTOONLAND series broke ground in placing a live figure in a cartoon universe . Business reversals sent Disney & Iwerks to Hollywood in 1923 , where Walt's older brother Roy became his lifelong business manager & counselor . When a mildly successful series with Oswald The Lucky Rabbit was snatched away by the distributor , the character of Mickey Mouse sprung into Walt's imagination , ensuring Disney's immortality . The happy arrival of sound technology made Mickey's screen debut , STEAMBOAT WILLIE ( 1928 ) , a tremendous audience success with its use of synchronized music . The SILLY SYMPHONIES soon appeared , and Walt's growing crew of marvelously talented animators were quickly conquering new territory with full color , illusions of depth and radical advancements in personality development , an arena in which Walt's genius was unbeatable . Mickey's feisty , naughty behavior had captured millions of fans , but he was soon to be joined by other animated companions : temperamental Donald Duck , intellectually-challenged Goofy and energetic Pluto . All this was in preparation for Walt's grandest dream - feature length animated films . Against a storm of naysayers , Walt persevered and over the next decades delighted children of all ages with the adventures of Snow White , Pinocchio , Dumbo , Bambi & Peter Pan . Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse , or that childlike simplicity of message and lots of hard work always pay off .
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438,019 | 306,861 | 26,313 | 10 |
Beguiling Version Of Classic Story
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Four unhappy women leave dreary London to spend an ENCHANTED APRIL in a castle on the coast of Italy . Elizabeth von Arnim's novel comes alive in this charming little film which beautifully demonstrates the virtues of a literate script and ensemble acting . All the elements come together to produce a movie that , although nearly forgotten now , still produces a feeling of appreciation at the story's appropriate resolution . The actresses each acquit themselves splendidly . Ann Harding is the free-spirited wife longing for ' wisteria & tranquillity ' far from foggy London . Katharine Alexander plays the quiet housewife wishing for the elegant responsibility of acting as hostess in the castle . Jane Baxter is the beautiful young noblewoman temporarily escaped from her throng of male admirers . Jessie Ralph steals every scene she's in as an old lady wanting only to be alone with her memories of the past . The men in the story are also well cast . As Miss Harding's husband , Frank Morgan has a rather complex role as a mousy researcher who has a disturbing personality change when he becomes a successful writer . Reginald Owen , as Miss Alexander's spouse , is marvelously pompous as a man well equipped to bore for England ( his hilarious attempt to take an English bath in an Italian bathtub is made even funnier with the assistance of Charles Judels & Rafaela Ottiano as the castle's harried servants ) . Finally , Ralph Forbes , one of the decade's finest forgotten actors , is joyously eccentric as the ladies ' lighthearted landlord . Movie mavens will recognize an uncredited Ethel Griffies playing the proprietress of the Hampstead Housewives Club .
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437,105 | 306,861 | 279,784 | 10 |
Enjoyable Two-Reeler
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A SHIRLEY TEMPLE Short Subject . Taking his musical students with him , a school teacher goes on live radio to promote DORA'S DUNKING DOUGHNUTS - a specialty snack invented by his sweetheart . This is an amusing little film , with lots of slapstick worked into the plot . Miss Shirley is sweet & adorable , but really has not much to do . The real star is Scottish comic actor Andy Clyde , who played slightly befuddled or cantankerous gentlemen for years in films and later on television . Appearing all too briefly is English actress Florence Gill , playing herself in her film debut ; this lady , who had the odd talent of being able to sing like a chicken , voiced the formidable Clara Cluck for a handful of Walt Disney cartoons in the 1930's & ' 40's . Often overlooked or neglected today , the one and two-reel short subjects were useful to the Studios as important training grounds for new or burgeoning talents , both in front & behind the camera . The dynamics for creating a successful short subject was completely different from that of a feature length film , something akin to writing a topnotch short story rather than a novel . Economical to produce in terms of both budget & schedule and capable of portraying a wide range of material , short subjects were the perfect complement to the Studios ' feature films .
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438,026 | 306,861 | 43,925 | 10 |
A Doggie Dream
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A Walt Disney PLUTO Cartoon . Mickey's hound Pluto dreams of a remarkable PLUTOPIA , where he is the master and Milton the cat is his obedient , obsequious servant . This is an enjoyable little film with an exceptionally funny performance by Milton , in his first of three Disney cartoon appearances . Mickey's participation the film is very limited . Walt Disney ( 1901-1966 ) was always intrigued by drawings . As a lad in Marceline , Missouri , he sketched farm animals on scraps of paper ; later , as an ambulance driver in France during the First World War , he drew figures on the sides of his vehicle . Back in Kansas City , along with artist Ub Iwerks , Walt developed a primitive animation studio that provided animated commercials and tiny cartoons for the local movie theaters . Always the innovator , his ALICE IN CARTOONLAND series broke ground in placing a live figure in a cartoon universe . Business reversals sent Disney & Iwerks to Hollywood in 1923 , where Walt's older brother Roy became his lifelong business manager & counselor . When a mildly successful series with Oswald The Lucky Rabbit was snatched away by the distributor , the character of Mickey Mouse sprung into Walt's imagination , ensuring Disney's immortality . The happy arrival of sound technology made Mickey's screen debut , STEAMBOAT WILLIE ( 1928 ) , a tremendous audience success with its use of synchronized music . The SILLY SYMPHONIES soon appeared , and Walt's growing crew of marvelously talented animators were quickly conquering new territory with full color , illusions of depth and radical advancements in personality development , an arena in which Walt's genius was unbeatable . Mickey's feisty , naughty behavior had captured millions of fans , but he was soon to be joined by other animated companions : temperamental Donald Duck , intellectually-challenged Goofy and energetic Pluto . All this was in preparation for Walt's grandest dream - feature length animated films . Against a blizzard of doomsayers , Walt persevered and over the next decades delighted children of all ages with the adventures of Snow White , Pinocchio , Dumbo , Bambi & Peter Pan . Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse , or that simplicity of message and lots of hard work will always pay off .
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437,167 | 306,861 | 39,109 | 10 |
The Singing Cetacean
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A Walt Disney Cartoon . Endowed with tremendous vocal powers , WILLIE THE OPERATIC WHALE dreams of leaving his ocean home and becoming a success on the stage of the New York Met . This heart touching little film , originally the closing segment of MAKE MINE MUSIC ( 1946 ) , is buoyed along by the colorful animation and a prodigious vocal performance by Nelson Eddy who enacts all the roles - young & old , male & female , human & animal . The ending couldn't be better . Walt Disney ( 1901-1966 ) was always intrigued by pictures & drawings . As a lad in Marceline , Missouri , he sketched farm animals on scraps of paper ; later , as an ambulance driver in France during the First World War , he drew comic figures on the sides of his vehicle . Back in Kansas City , along with artist Ub Iwerks , Walt developed a primitive animation studio that provided animated commercials and tiny cartoons for the local movie theaters . Always the innovator , his ALICE IN CARTOONLAND series broke ground in placing a live figure in a cartoon universe . Business reversals sent Disney & Iwerks to Hollywood in 1923 , where Walt's older brother Roy became his lifelong business manager & counselor . When a mildly successful series with Oswald The Lucky Rabbit was snatched away by the distributor , the character of Mickey Mouse sprung into Walt's imagination , ensuring Disney's immortality . The happy arrival of sound technology made Mickey's screen debut , STEAMBOAT WILLIE ( 1928 ) , a tremendous audience success with its use of synchronized music . The SILLY SYMPHONIES soon appeared , and Walt's growing crew of marvelously talented animators were quickly conquering new territory with full color , illusions of depth and radical advancements in personality development , an arena in which Walt's genius was unbeatable . Mickey's feisty , naughty behavior had captured millions of fans , but he was soon to be joined by other animated companions : temperamental Donald Duck , intellectually-challenged Goofy and energetic Pluto . All this was in preparation for Walt's grandest dream - feature length animated films . Against a blizzard of doomsayers , Walt persevered and over the next decades delighted children of all ages with the adventures of Snow White , Pinocchio , Dumbo , Bambi & Peter Pan . Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse , or that childlike simplicity of message and lots of hard work always pay off .
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437,182 | 306,861 | 35,317 | 10 |
Holmes Saves Old England Once Again
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The evil Professor Moriarty plots to gain control of both SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE SECRET WEAPON which could win the war for the Nazis . Basil Rathbone & Nigel Bruce return to the screen as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's beloved detective and sidekick , Sherlock Holmes & Dr . Watson , in this entertaining little mystery . Universal Studios wasted no money on either fancy production values or a sensible script , knowing that its two stars would be all the attraction an audience would need . Indeed Rathbone , as the cerebral ego , and Bruce , as the bumbling id , seem to actually become the characters they are creating , gleefully keeping their faces straight while engaged in the most utter nonsense . Dennis Hoey makes his first appearance as the dogged Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard ; teamed with Bruce , these two good-hearted but pedantic fellows actually get to save the intellectually superior Holmes ' life twice . Lionel Atwill , a master of the sinister who deserves more recognition for his talent , does a fine job as Moriarty , making the wicked rascal a foe worthy of Holmes ' steel , relishing the scenes in which he gets to inflict torture & pain . William Post Jr . and Kaaren Verne play the Swiss scientist and his girlfriend who are at the heart of the mystery , but they're not given much to do . Sweet Mary Gordon makes a token appearance as Holmes ' landlady Mrs . Hudson . Rathbone spices up his already classic interpretation of Holmes by getting to appear in disguise three times during the story , thereby revealing to the viewer that the great sleuth was a bit of a ham actor at heart . This film - - which is based very loosely on elements in Sir Arthur's short stories ' The Dancing Men ' and ' The Empty House ' - - followed SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE VOICE OF TERROR ( 1942 ) and preceded SHERLOCK HOLMES IN WASHINGTON ( 1943 ) .
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438,307 | 306,861 | 35,318 | 10 |
Holmes & Watson - - Updated
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Sherlock Holmes strives to destroy the band of Nazi saboteurs whose actions are extolled by THE VOICE OF TERROR . After a hiatus of three years , and a change of studios from Fox to Universal , Basil Rathbone & Nigel Bruce returned to portray the beloved characters they had embodied twice before on the screen . And there was one other significant change - - the stories were now set during World War Two and served as morale boosters as well as cinematic entertainment . This leap ahead of nearly 50 years does no violence to Holmes & Watson , although purists might lament the absence of late Victorian ambiance . Indeed , if Shakespeare can be performed in modern dress and become the basis for Broadway musicals , then the inhabitants of 221B Baker Street are served no injustice by this updating . The film offers this explanation as its preamble : ' Sherlock Holmes , the immortal character of fiction created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle , is ageless , invincible and unchanging . In solving significant problems of the present day he remains - as ever - the supreme master of deductive reasoning . ' Here , in a plot very loosely based on Conan Doyle's short story ? His Last Bow , ' Rathbone & Bruce play their roles as comfortably as one might wear an old pair of well-worn slippers . Rathbone , triumphantly cerebral , and Bruce , comfortingly common , are simply perfect for their roles , actually seeming to become Holmes & Watson , rather than just enacting them . In the tiny exchange , where Watson stops Holmes from leaving their flat wearing his famed deerstalker rather than modern headgear , the actors give a wink and a nod to the original conceptions of their celebrated characters . Kindly Reginald Denny and angry Henry Daniell give their usual stalwart performances as high government officials struggling with the Nazi depredations . Evelyn Ankers adds a bit of spice as the Limehouse lassie who has her own motives for helping Holmes . Thomas Gomez gives a compelling portrayal as a Nazi agent with strange delusions of grandeur . Movie mavens will recognize an uncredited & lovable Mary Gordon as Mrs . Hudson , Holmes landlady , who has also been time transported along with her tenants . That's Edgar Barrier , excellent as the Voice of Terror . This was the third in the Sherlock Holmes film series , following THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES ( 1939 ) , and preceding SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE SECRET WEAPON ( 1942 ) .
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437,398 | 306,861 | 41,737 | 10 |
Next Stop , Burgundy !
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This very funny British comedy shows what might happen if a section of London , in this case Pimlico , were to declare itself independent from the rest of the UK and its laws , taxes & post-war restrictions . Merry mayhem is what would happen . The explosion of a wartime bomb leads to the discovery of ancient documents which show that Pimlico was ceded to the Duchy of Burgundy centuries ago , a small historical footnote long since forgotten . To the new Burgundians , however , this is an unexpected opportunity to live as they please , free from any interference from Whitehall . Stanley Holloway is excellent as the minor city politician who suddenly finds himself leading one of the world's tiniest nations . Dame Margaret Rutherford is a delight as the history professor who sides with Pimlico . Others in the stand-out cast include Hermione Baddeley , Paul Duplis , Naughton Wayne , Basil Radford & Sir Michael Hordern . Welcome to Burgundy !
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438,308 | 306,861 | 21,889 | 10 |
Acting Up
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The FRIENDS AND LOVERS of a duplicitous female nearly have their lives destroyed by her wicked ways . This well-acted piece of fluff makes no attempt at serious entertainment but manages to engage the viewer nonetheless , mainly because of its unique cast . Lily Damita plays the sultry vamp who has no difficulty in enticing every man she meets . She is the female star of the picture , but her character is completely detestable . It says nothing positive about the moral discernment or intelligence level of the lead male players in the film that they are so completely seduced , for a time . Adolphe Menjou and Laurence Olivier play the two British officers , firm friends , who both fall into Damita's web . Making no pretense at behaving British , Menjou plays the debonair captain who must decide between carnality & comradeship . Olivier , who looks astonishingly young ( he turned 24 in 1931 ) is bright & energetic , projecting shadows of the future Lord Olivier as he advises Menjou as to the proper cut of tailored lapels . Whimsical Hugh Herbert puts his gentle humor to good use as Menjou's Scots valet . Acting as a sort of Greek Chorus to the proceedings around him , he easily steals most of his scenes . Erich von Stroheim , that Teutonic master of menace , dominates the screen with a cunning portrayal of Damita's vile husband . Like an uncoiled snake ready to strike , von Stroheim slithers about the screen , alert to deliver the maximum discomfort to his victims . As always , he is a joy to watch . Alas , that his role is so brief . Frederick Kerr as a boisterous old general , and Blanche Frederici as his straitlaced titled sister provide a few moments of sparkle at the end of the film . The action during the scenes set in India takes place entirely within the walls of a rather dull fort . The Studio , Radio Pictures , apparently were unwilling to spend an extra dime on ambiance .
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437,388 | 306,861 | 288,414 | 10 |
Jazz Pizzazz
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A Walt Disney Cartoon . The Benny Goodman Quartet and the Disney animators give a wildly syncopated swing to the popular tune AFTER YOU'VE GONE . Originally , along with ALL THE CATS JOIN IN , part of TWO FOR THE RECORD , which was Goodman's contribution to Disney's MAKE MINE MUSIC ( 1946 ) , this exuberantly improvisational three-minute film is a feast for the ears & eyes . The Quartet's clarinet , bass , piano & drums come to life and embark on a jaunt through their own animated universe , with constant variations in color & shape which perfectly matches the music . Walt Disney ( 1901-1966 ) was always intrigued by pictures & drawings . As a lad in Marceline , Missouri , he sketched farm animals on scraps of paper ; later , as an ambulance driver in France during the First World War , he drew comic figures on the sides of his vehicle . Back in Kansas City , along with artist Ub Iwerks , Walt developed a primitive animation studio that provided animated commercials and tiny cartoons for the local movie theaters . Always the innovator , his ALICE IN CARTOONLAND series broke ground in placing a live figure in a cartoon universe . Business reversals sent Disney & Iwerks to Hollywood in 1923 , where Walt's older brother Roy became his lifelong business manager & counselor . When a mildly successful series with Oswald The Lucky Rabbit was snatched away by the distributor , the character of Mickey Mouse sprung into Walt's imagination , ensuring Disney's immortality . The happy arrival of sound technology made Mickey's screen debut , STEAMBOAT WILLIE ( 1928 ) , a tremendous audience success with its use of synchronized music . The SILLY SYMPHONIES soon appeared , and Walt's growing crew of marvelously talented animators were quickly conquering new territory with full color , illusions of depth and radical advancements in personality development , an arena in which Walt's genius was unbeatable . Mickey's feisty , naughty behavior had captured millions of fans , but he was soon to be joined by other animated companions : temperamental Donald Duck , intellectually-challenged Goofy and energetic Pluto . All this was in preparation for Walt's grandest dream - feature length animated films . Against a storm of naysayers , Walt persevered and over the next decades delighted children of all ages with the adventures of Snow White , Pinocchio , Dumbo , Bambi & Peter Pan . Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse , or that childlike simplicity of message and lots of hard work always pay off .
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438,005 | 306,861 | 13,099 | 10 |
Mr . Keaton's Electrifying Experience
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A BUSTER KEATON Silent Short . THE ELECTRIC HOUSE Buster has just retrofitted with modern appliances is about to have a chaotic debut when some wires get crossed . . . One sight gag after another keeps this wonderful little film humming along . All of Buster's gadgets are funny when they operate correctly - they slip over the line into hilarity when things go wrong . Highlight : Buster trying to beat an obstinate escalator . Born into a family of Vaudevillian acrobats , Buster Keaton ( 1895-1966 ) mastered physical comedy at a very early age . An association with Fatty Arbuckle led to a series of highly imaginative short subjects and classic , silent feature-length films - all from 1920 to 1928 . Writer , director , star & stuntman - Buster could do it all and his intuitive genius gave him almost miraculous knowledge as to the intricacies of film making and of what it took to please an audience . More akin to Fairbanks than Chaplin , Buster's films were full of splendid adventure , exciting derring-do and the most dangerous physical stunts imaginable . His theme of a little man against the world , who triumphs through bravery & ingenuity , dominates his films . Through every calamity & disaster , Buster remained the Great Stone Face , a stoic survivor in a universe gone mad . In the late 1920's Buster was betrayed by his manager / brother-in-law and his contract was sold to MGM , which proceeded to nearly destroy his career . Teamed initially with Jimmy Durante and eventually allowed small roles in mediocre comedies , Buster was for 35 years consistently given work far beneath his talent . Finally , before lung cancer took him at age 70 , he had the satisfaction of knowing that his classic films were being rediscovered . Now , well past his centenary , Buster Keaton is routinely recognized & appreciated as one of cinema's true authentic geniuses . And he knew how to make people laugh . . .
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438,095 | 306,861 | 26,328 | 10 |
Fishing For Dummies
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A Vitaphone EDGAR BERGEN Short Subject . An eye specialist must examine a peculiar and most loquacious young fellow . Master ventriloquist Edgar Bergen found a brief showcase for his talents in THE EYES HAVE IT , a humorous little film which provided some funny lines for wooden gadfly Charlie McCarthy . Unsurprisingly , McCarthy tends to dominate the proceedings . Talking films were the perfect medium for Bergen & McCarthy , although they would have an amazing success on the radio as well . Christina Graver plays Bergen's pretty nurse .
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438,211 | 306,861 | 35,323 | 10 |
Faster Than A Streak Of Lightning
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A SUPERMAN Cartoon . Someone , disguised as Superman , is pulling off a series of daring robberies throughout Metropolis and it's time for the real Man of Steel to force a SHOWDOWN with the Big Boss behind it all . . . This was another in the series of excellent cartoons initially created by Max Fleischer for Paramount Studio . They feature great animation and taut , fast-moving plots . Meant to be shown in movie theaters , they are miles ahead of their Saturday Morning counterparts . Bud Collyer is the voice of Superman ; Joan Alexander does the honors for Lois Lane .
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437,397 | 306,861 | 19,489 | 10 |
An Epic Silent Film Of The Klondike Gold Rush
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In 1896 gold was discovered on a small creek in the Klondike district of Canada's Yukon region . Despite the extreme remoteness of the location and the tremendous difficulties involved in getting there , over the next four years 30 , 000 people would travel to the boom town of Dawson City , desperate for wealth . Eventually , $100 , 000 , 000 in gold would be discovered by these hardy argonauts . THE TRAIL OF ' 98 tells their story . One of the last epic silent films , MGM spared no expense and filmed largely on location . Although almost forgotten today , this is a wonderful movie full of romance & adventure . Its most famous scenes involve the hideous climb over Chilkoot Pass , which separated the disembarkation point of Skagway from the Yukon River , where the gold seekers had to build their own boats and run the rapids down to Dawson . The shots of the long line of men & women , toiling like ants up the steep slope of Chilkoot , with the weak dying along the way , isn't soon forgotten . The cast is first rate , although many of them are forgotten now : Dolores Del Rio , Ralph Forbes , Harry Carey , Karl Dane , Emily Fitzroy , Roscoe Karns , Tully Marshall & Doris Lloyd . Playing saints or sinners , they help make this film truly memorable . Tragedy struck during the filming of the short river rapids sequence . A cord was strung across the river , but the safety loops hanging from it were allowed to become knotted & slippery , thus giving the stuntmen nothing to grab and cling to as they swept beneath it . Of the eight stuntmen shown in the film running the rapids , four were to drown ; two of the bodies were never recovered .
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437,617 | 306,861 | 23,825 | 10 |
Comic Riot With Miss Jean Harlow & Mr . Lee Tracy
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Lola Burns is Hollywood's greatest Blonde BOMBSHELL - but her life is a chaotic wreck thanks to eccentric relatives , sassy staff and studio publicity director Space Hanlon . Jean Harlow & Lee Tracy are wonderfully matched in this pre-Code Comedy , one of the funniest films of the 1930's , and another proof - if one was needed - that Hollywood had an endless appetite for self-ridicule . With her platinum hair and couturier's parade of billowy fashions , Harlow is still essentially playing a parody of her own unhappy private life . Her constant high-decibel groans of complaint as to her celebrity's misuse at the hands of those closest to her have the ring of veracity . And no one gives her greater grief than Tracy , who is determined to wring every last drop of publicity out of her , even if his meddling in her personal life drives her insane . Immovable object meets irresistible force . Result : laughter . A most impressive gathering of character actors appear in the supporting cast : sturdy Pat O'Brien as Harlow's director pal ; delightful Frank Morgan as her dyspeptic father ; Ted Healy as her shiftless brother ; Una Merkel as her conniving secretary ; and Louise Beavers as Harlow's plain talking maid . Franchot Tone adds a touch of class to the proceedings as a sophisticated fellow who takes a shine to Harlow ; Mary Forbes & marvelous old Sir C . Aubrey Smith are his wealthy parents . Ivan Lebedeff gives some laughs as a penniless marquis who is happy to live off of Harlow's money . Movie mavens will recognize boxing champ Primo Carnera in the opening montage ; Greta Meyer as Harlow's masseuse ; Gus Arnheim as the Coconut Grove band leader ; Ethel Griffies as one of the orphanage representatives ; and Billy Dooley as the lunatic who claims Harlow is his wife - all uncredited . Although the action takes place in the imaginary Monarch Studios , all the real stars & films mentioned are pure MGM . This was one of five films Lee Tracy made for MGM in 1933 ( CLEAR ALL WIRES ! , THE NUISANCE , TURN BACK THE CLOCK , DINNER AT EIGHT , BOMBSHELL ) , and arguably the best role of his career . It was certainly the culmination of nearly all the other roles he'd had over the past couple of years in various studios , where he'd perfected the depiction of shyster lawyers , unscrupulous talent agents , snoopy reporters & disreputable gossip columnists . There is certainly no telling how far he might have gone with MGM , but his career literally went south in 1934 after a few moments of drunken indiscretion . While in Mexico for location shooting for VIVA VILLA ! , Tracy stepped out onto his hotel balcony and urinated on a passing military parade . He was immediately arrested and deported from the country . Embarrassed & furious , Louis B . Mayer fired him instantly from MGM . With only the smaller studios willing to hire him , Tracy's film career largely slipped into obscurity . Years later , no longer young , he did some television work . He had a short comeback , of sorts , in 1964 , when he was nominated for a Supporting Actor Oscar for THE BEST MAN . This was to be his cinematic swan song ; old and tired , he no longer resembled the hot shot who delighted audiences in the early 1930's . Lee Tracy died in 1968 of cancer , at the age of 70 .
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437,329 | 306,861 | 24,032 | 10 |
Babysittin ' With The Little Rascals
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An OUR GANG Comedy Short . The Gang coerces Spanky into watching their younger siblings . Caring for these FORGOTTEN BABIES turns out to be quite a chore , leaving the little nipper with no choice but to come up with some ingenious solutions to the baby-sitting problem . . . Spanky is in his glory in this hilarious little film , arguably his best . Highlight : Spanky's retelling the plot of the TARZAN movie he's recently seen to the audience of infants . Movie mavens will recognize Billy Gilbert's voice in the radio drama .
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438,277 | 306,861 | 272,944 | 10 |
Silliness At Sea
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A Warner Brothers Vitaphone Short Subject . With music provided by Roger Wolfe Kahn & His Orchestra , THE YACHT PARTY provides some snappy music for a few idle rich guests . Without enough plot to hang a yachtsman's hat on , this short film is simply an excuse for a few minutes of silly songs . Highlights are comic singer Gertrude Niesen's impersonation of Lyda Roberti and incredibly double-jointed Melissa Mason performing a solo dance in which she does things with her legs which scarcely seem human . Rich kid Kahn produces some enjoyable music ; the final moments , in which he supposedly conducts his orchestra from a biplane , presages his eventual career change to airplane design & testing . Music mavens will spot an unbilled Artie Shaw playing the clarinet . Often overlooked or neglected today , the one and two-reel short subjects were useful to the Studios as important training grounds for new or burgeoning talents , both in front & behind the camera . The dynamics for creating a successful short subject was completely different from that of a feature length film , something akin to writing a topnotch short story rather than a novel . Economical to produce in terms of both budget & schedule and capable of portraying a wide range of material , short subjects were the perfect complement to the Studios ' feature films .
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437,831 | 306,861 | 37,024 | 10 |
Mania , Murder & Melodrama
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With all England horrified by the fiendish exploits of Jack the Ripper , a London family slowly becomes concerned by the strange habits of THE LODGER who has rented rooms upstairs . . . Atmospheric & creepy , this is one of the great suspense films . Based on the celebrated 1913 horror novel of Marie Belloc Lowndes , the movie memorably captures the panic & paranoia which reigned in London during the Ripper crimes . Using the full palette of shades available to black & white cinematography , the movie creates a chilling , eerie , atmosphere in which one can walk Whitechapel's narrow streets with the murderer . Laird Cregar mesmerizes in the title role , his great , strange eyes following the viewer like those in the portraits he detests . He is the very picture of obsession & madness . Although lovely Merle Oberon & stalwart George Sanders do very well as the romantic leads , it is Cregar , his tremendous bulk moving silently through the shadows , who will remain in viewers ' imaginations . As the landlords , Sara Allgood & Sir Cedric Hardwicke are exceptional , portraying basically quiet people who come to the alarming conclusion that all is not right in their household . A solid group of character actors - Queenie Leonard , Helena Pickard , Anita Sharp-Bolster , Lumsden Hare - also give vivid performances . Movie mavens will recognize uncredited turns by Billy Bevan as a bartender and , behind the mustache , little Charlie Hall , veteran of many a Laurel & Hardy comedy , as the music hall comedian whose song is interrupted by the Ripper's last attack . Special mention should be made of British Doris Lloyd ( 1896-1968 ) , an excellent actress usually seen only in tiny bit roles , often uncredited . Here , unforgettably , she gets to deliver a short , sharp lesson in utter terror as the last of the Ripper's victims . Arriving in Hollywood during the Silent Era , Miss Lloyd would continue to grace small movie moments for decades to come . Laird Cregar is one of the great What Ifs ? of American cinema . Arising out of obscurity , this young actor quickly showed a remarkable talent and was quite soon given featured & starring roles , of which THE LODGER is the most memorable . Alas , his star was to blink out as fast as it rose . Wishing to move into leading & romantic parts , he subjected his 300-pound frame to an extreme crash diet . His body responded with a massive heart attack , killing him only a few months after THE LODGER's release . He was 28 years old . The film gives a somewhat fictionalized account of the depredations of Jack the Ripper , his identity & the true names of his victims being the most obvious changes . From August 7th to November 10th , 1888 , a killer who would become known as Jack the Ripper horrifically butchered seven prostitutes in London's East End , committing acts of such barbaric savagery on the bodies as to be positively bestial . He was never caught , despite a huge public outcry and tremendous efforts from Scotland Yard . In the intervening years there have been numerous suggestive solutions to his identity put forward , some quite fanciful , but no proofs have ever been posited . Jack took his terrible secrets with him to the grave .
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437,811 | 306,861 | 17,483 | 10 |
Covering The Miles With Mr . Langdon
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Desperately in need to pay the rent , a naive young fellow begins the long TRAMP , TRAMP , TRAMP of a walking race across the United States for the prize money . Harry Langdon brings his own brand of minimalist comedy to this charming little silent film . Eschewing most manifestations of slapstick , Harry instead portrayed his famous character as an innocent child-man , a kind of adult baby , who reacts with insouciant naiveté to the perils the wicked world flings at him . Here he must compete with his devious landlord for the prize money , while the race itself confronts him with prison gangs , wild weather & honest-to-goodness cliffhangers . All the while Harry never loses the daffy optimism which continues to propel him along . A talented supporting cast adds to the film's success : Alec B . Francis as Harry's crippled , impoverished shoemaker father ; Tom Murray as the belligerent landlord , who also just happens to be the world's champion race walker ; and Edward Davis as the shoe tycoon who sponsors the race . As his lovely daughter , Joan Crawford doesn't have much to do except encourage Langdon in his endeavors , but her few romantic scenes with him manage to be both poignant & ludicrous simultaneously . Harry's production company burnished the film up nicely , with the cyclone sequence particularly effective . One of the story writers was a young Frank Capra , who would be a big contributor to Harry's short-lived stardom .
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438,174 | 306,861 | 38,975 | 10 |
A Well-Crafted Thriller
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It is a dark & stormy night . The old mansion stands alone in the driving rain . Inside wait eight people , driven apart by their animosities & fears . For they have much to be frightened about . Somewhere out in the storm there lurks a maniacal killer of young handicapped women - a murderer who has slain before & is ready to strike again . The pretty mute maid knows this . But does she know what is watching - and waiting - in the shadows of THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE ? This is a very fine chiller , most effective in the mood of mounting terror which it builds . A Gothic thriller of this sort is rather rare in the second half of the 1940's when , after the War , a new realism had settled on Hollywood . The performers do very nicely with their roles : Dorothy McGuire , young & vulnerable as the girl who hasn't spoken since witnessing her parents ' horrific deaths ; Kent Smith as the gallant doctor who wants to protect her ; George Brent & Gordon Oliver as the two half-brothers of the household , mistrustful & envious of each other's position ; wonderful old Ethel Barrymore , the dying matriarch , acid-tongued & suspicious of nearly everyone ; Sara Allgood as her nurse , resentful of her mistreatment ; Rhonda Fleming , the beautiful secretary , who may arouse passions once too often ; Elsa Lanchester & Rhys Williams as the domestics , she an alcoholic and he bitter and withdrawn . ( Film mavens will spot Ellen Corby as the woman at the boarding house murder scene . ) Special mention should be made of the mansion itself . In many ways it becomes a character in its own right . From top floor to cellar , we get to know its rooms & spaces well - with that twisting staircase tying all the nooks & crannies together .
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437,361 | 306,861 | 21,885 | 10 |
Lionel Barrymore Gives An Oscar Winning Acting Lesson
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They are alike , this father & daughter . Liberal , passionate , willful - they live life on their own terms , disdaining their narrow-minded relations . Few regrets & even fewer apologies cloud either conscious - yet each harbors a character trait that threatens to destroy them . Hers is emotional instability ; his , acute alcoholism . Although both will make bad choices that will haunt them , each will continue to see their reflection in the other , unique & individual , A FREE SOUL . Based on a book by Adela Rogers St . Johns , Norma Shearer gets top billing in this aged but enjoyable soap opera , and she is very good , turning on the histrionics most effectively . But it is Lionel Barrymore who gets full honors - and a Best Actor Oscar - for his portrayal of her brilliant , tragic , lawyer father . Masterfully , he dominates his every scene . His final appearance , a tempestuous summation to a murder trial jury , is considered a classic . Playing the two very different men in Shearer's life are Clark Gable & Leslie Howard . Gable is excellent , oozing the virility that was about to make him a huge star . Howard deftly underplays his less flashy role and becomes the film's calm center . James Gleason as Barrymore's factotum , and Lucy Beaumont as Barrymore's patrician mother , both give memorable performances . Film mavens will spot Edward Brophy as one of Gable's henchmen & master stutterer Roscoe Ates as the man in the washroom window .
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437,008 | 306,861 | 41,978 | 10 |
A Yuletide Duck Tale With Chipmunks
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A Walt Disney DONALD DUCK Cartoon . Chip ' n ' Dale become TOY TINKERS after discovering the treasures spread out under Donald's Christmas tree . Although enjoyable , this little Oscar nominated Duck versus Chipmunks Holiday film is unremarkable as far as animation & storyline are concerned . Clarence " Ducky " Nash supplies Donald's unique voice ; the Chipmunks are largely unintelligible . Walt Disney ( 1901-1966 ) was always intrigued by drawings . As a lad in Marceline , Missouri , he sketched farm animals on scraps of paper ; later , as an ambulance driver in France during the First World War , he drew figures on the sides of his vehicle . Back in Kansas City , along with artist Ub Iwerks , Walt developed a primitive animation studio that provided animated commercials and tiny cartoons for the local movie theaters . Always the innovator , his ALICE IN CARTOONLAND series broke ground in placing a live figure in a cartoon universe . Business reversals sent Disney & Iwerks to Hollywood in 1923 , where Walt's older brother Roy became his lifelong business manager & counselor . When a mildly successful series with Oswald The Lucky Rabbit was snatched away by the distributor , the character of Mickey Mouse sprung into Walt's imagination , ensuring Disney's immortality . The happy arrival of sound technology made Mickey's screen debut , STEAMBOAT WILLIE ( 1928 ) , a tremendous audience success with its use of synchronized music . The SILLY SYMPHONIES soon appeared , and Walt's growing crew of marvelously talented animators were quickly conquering new territory with full color , illusions of depth and radical advancements in personality development , an arena in which Walt's genius was unbeatable . Mickey's feisty , naughty behavior had captured millions of fans , but he was soon to be joined by other animated companions : temperamental Donald Duck , intellectually-challenged Goofy and energetic Pluto . All this was in preparation for Walt's grandest dream - feature length animated films . Against a blizzard of doomsayers , Walt persevered and over the next decades delighted children of all ages with the adventures of Snow White , Pinocchio , Dumbo , Bambi & Peter Pan . Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse , or that simplicity of message and lots of hard work always pay off .
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437,048 | 306,861 | 26,145 | 10 |
Delightful Disney Cartoon For A Christmas Season Long Ago
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A Walt Disney SILLY SYMPHONY Cartoon Short . Landing in a dump , a lively sailor doll finds the place has become the home for a collection of discarded BROKEN TOYS who have all given up hope of finding happiness again . Instilling new enthusiasm & dignity in them , the sailor doll helps get them repaired & cleaned-up . He even replaces the button eyes on a beautiful blind doll , finding romance in the bargain . But now , with Winter coming on , the sailor doll has big plans for the toys ' future . . . This very charming film was Disney's Christmas cartoon for 1935 . Good animation & story are a real plus . A few Hollywood celebrities are caricatured amusingly : Ned Sparks , Zasu Pitts , W . C . Fields & Stepin Fetchit ( in unedited versions ) . The SILLY SYMPHONIES , which Walt Disney produced for a ten year period beginning in 1929 , are among the most interesting of series in the field of animation . Unlike the Mickey Mouse cartoons in which action was paramount , with the Symphonies the action was made to fit the music . There was little plot in the early Symphonies , which featured lively inanimate objects and anthropomorphic plants & animals , all moving frantically to the soundtrack . Gradually , however , the Symphonies became the school where Walt's animators learned to work with color and began to experiment with plot , characterization & photographic special effects . The pages of Fable & Fairy Tale , Myth & Mother Goose were all mined to provide story lines and even Hollywood's musicals & celebrities were effectively spoofed . It was from this rich soil that Disney's feature-length animation was to spring . In 1939 , with SNOW WHITE successfully behind him and PINOCCHIO & FANTASIA on the near horizon , Walt phased out the SILLY SYMPHONIES ; they had run their course & served their purpose .
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437,379 | 306,861 | 30,481 | 10 |
Sonja Skates Circles Around Simplistic Plot
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A pretty Norwegian coed finds plenty of romantic complications while working as an undercover campus mannequin at old Plymouth University . Sonja Henie was Norway's ice queen when she won Olympic gold medals in 1928 , 1932 & 1936 . After going professional , she began a celebrated movie career at 20th Century Fox in 1936 with ONE IN A MILLION , which was her American film debut . Beautiful & talented , as well as being a natural in front of the cameras , she carved out her niche during Hollywood's Golden Age . Although Henie's ice routines may look antiquated by comparison to modern champions , there was nothing antique about her dazzling smile or sparkling personality . In this regard , some of today's snowflake princesses could still learn a great deal from her . As her career progressed , it became increasingly difficult for Fox to find decent stories for Henie and the excuses for the lavish ice dancing numbers were often implausible . No matter . Audiences did not flock to her films to watch Sonja recite Shakespeare . The movies were meant to be pure escapist fantasy , plain & simple . MY LUCKY STAR is no exception and its story is often quite silly - relying a bit heavily on impromptu singing from its middle-aged college student cast , and borrowing too much from its predecessor , HAPPY LANDING . However , the moments on the ice never bore ( especially the Alice in Wonderland sequence - with music from Victor Herbert's Babes in Toyland - which closes the film ) and the co-stars are rather interesting . Stalwart Richard Greene is fine as Sonja's romantic interest , while Cesar Romero once again gets to display his comedic talents as a zany Romeo . Joan Davis grabs a lot of the laughs as Sonja's rubber-limbed roommate ; Buddy Ebsen is her slow-talking , fast-dancing beau . George Barbier is enjoyable as an apoplectic tycoon , as is laconic Arthur Treacher as his factotum . Miffed minx Gypsy Rose Lee and gung-ho student Elisha Cook Jr . are given little to do , but Billy Gilbert easily steals his few scenes as a soda jerk besotted by pistachio nuts . Ultimately , though , this is Sonja's show . She glides effortlessly into the viewer's heart , while balancing on a thin edge of silver , suspended over frozen water .
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437,540 | 306,861 | 21,873 | 10 |
Pre-Code Tale Stops The Presses
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The muckraking editor of The Gazette revives an old murder case ( with a FIVE STAR FINAL ) to increase the paper's circulation . Movies have long been fascinated with the fast-paced action of the journalistic newsroom and have mined stories about newspaper shenanigans for both comedies & dramas . Here , from First National Pictures , was one of the earliest talkies to have a real success in exploring the medium . The action is fast and the dialogue fits . The film goes further , however , reaching beyond the newspaper staff and focusing on a family who becomes the victim of untrammeled yellow journalism . Pugnacious Edward G . Robinson gives a vivid portrayal of the unscrupulous editor who slowly begins to develop a soul when he is confronted by the turmoil his decisions have on the lives of innocent folks . Seemingly incapable of giving a bad performance , Robinson fascinates as he chews the scenery with his full-throttle performance . The always sterling Aline MacMahon scores as his wise , levelheaded secretary who nurses a secret love for him . Their scenes together are riveting . In supporting roles , creepy Boris Karloff plays an alcoholic reporter without any morals whatsoever . Wisecracking Ona Munson has fun with her role of a floozy who becomes a girl reporter . Oscar Apfel is good as the paper's spineless owner . Rat-faced George E . Stone is rather repulsive as the guy who sends out the goons to strong-arm newspaper vendors on the street . H . B . Warner & Frances Starr both shine as an innocent couple whose lives are made a misery by the rapacious Gazette . Playing their daughter , Marian Marsh has a terrific scene at the film's climax when she confronts the three newspapermen who destroyed her home . Sturdy Anthony Bushell appears as her steadfast society boyfriend . Movie mavens will recognize little Frank Darien as an eager undertaker . And that's blonde Polly Walters as the Gazette's kooky-voiced telephone operator .
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437,847 | 306,861 | 21,874 | 10 |
Tearful Troubles For Marion Davies
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The daughter of a FIVE AND TEN store mogul is accused of trying to crash high society when she falls in love with a handsome architect . As mistress of William Randolph Hearst & chatelaine of San Simeon , California's most fabulous residence , Marion Davies was a Very Important Star at MGM in the early 1930's . A good actress & extremely talented comedienne , she longed to venture out into strongly dramatic roles . Unfortunately , Hearst preferred seeing her in lightweight fluff films , and even soap operas , which FIVE AND TEN unmistakably is , still left her with some silly plots to wade through . Hearst's crushing grasp on her career at MGM , and later at Warner's - even with an occasional good picture - explains as well as anything else why her films have remained so obscure for decades . Despite lavish production values , Davies & her romantic interest , Leslie Howard , are bogged down by the turgid story line , making it difficult for the audience to find much empathy with their wealthy woes . Davies ' infectious good spirits and Howard's trademark sophistication only rarely are allowed to escape . Their one good sequence - locked on the rooftop of the world's tallest building for a night - comes too late . Irene Rich , as Davies lonely mother , fares little better . The film does boast two excellent performances , however , which should be noted . Veteran stage actor Richard Bennett ( 1872-1944 ) is splendid as Davies ' distracted father , a man so obsessed with accumulating more power that he doesn't notice the disintegration of his own family . As Davies ' disillusioned younger brother , Kent Douglass ( 1907-1966 ) is first-rate in a role which has him descend from giddy youth into eventual depression & madness . Both gentlemen rescue the film from completely sinking into melodramatics . Movie mavens will recognize Henry Armetta as a cabby , and the wonderful Halliwell Hobbes as Bennett's butler , both uncredited .
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437,692 | 306,861 | 151,839 | 10 |
Visiting Canadian Lakes & A Mighty Big Waterfall
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An MGM TRAVELTALK Short Subject . During this short tour of ONTARIO , LAND OF LAKES , we are taken first to Ottawa , to view the government buildings of the Dominion of Canada . Then it's on to the Shrine of the Martyrs , where the ashes of Jesuit priests , slain during Indian massacres , are buried . We then get to travel along two of the province's beautiful lakes . Arriving in Toronto , we are shown the edifices of the provincial government & we enjoy Scottish Highland lassie bagpipers . Finally , we end our tour at mighty Niagara Falls . This is one of a large series of succinct travelogues turned out by MGM , beginning in the 1930's . They featured Technicolor views of beautiful & unusual sights around the globe , as well as vivid , concise commentary . These films were produced & narrated by James A . FitzPatrick .
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437,126 | 306,861 | 21,878 | 10 |
A Very Funny Our Gang Comedy
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An OUR GANG Comedy Short . Grandma , the Rascals ' sweet old neighbor lady , is being victimized by her scoundrel of a stepson . He wants to seize her property & put her in the county poor house . Most of all , he wants her suddenly very valuable corporate shares , which she believes are worthless . Using them as weights , she ties the papers to the tail of Chubby's kite . When the wicked wastrel tries to steal the kite , the Rascals & Grandma teach him a painful lesson he won't soon forget . ' Hey , Mister , do you wanna FLY MY KITE ? ' A very funny little film . The Rascals handle the bad guy in a most satisfying manner . That's Margaret Mann as Grandma .
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437,343 | 306,861 | 21,879 | 10 |
Bert Crashes - - Charlotte Soars
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A slightly unscrupulous promoter hopes to be FLYING HIGH after selling stock in a half-crazed inventor's aerocopter . The rather bizarre humor of comic Bert Lahr is showcased in this fast-moving little comedy . Rather an acquired taste , Lahr's antics will either delight or depress the viewer , who should not be expecting to see an early version of the Cowardly Lion . Lahr's style of humor might be best described as moronic and those who enjoy laughing at the feebleminded should find him quite amusing . What helps to ameliorate Lahr's antics is his teaming for much of the film with the great Charlotte Greenwood , who excelled in deadpan physical comedy . With her long legs and horsy features , Greenwood makes her man-crazy character into a real source of fun . Whether it's chasing Lahr around an airport , enduring a riotous Wedding Morning , or flailing about in his contraption thousands of feet in the air , Miss Greenwood never fails to pack in the laughs . Pat O'Brien seems rather uncomfortable as Lahr's straight man and his romantic scenes with spunky Kathryn Crawford are somewhat less than enthralling . Charles Winninger catches the viewer's attention as a naughty , pre-Code doctor interested in examining a bevy of young aviatrixes . Cherubic Guy Kibbee & stately Hedda Hopper do credit to their short screen time as Miss Crawford's parents . Movie mavens will recognize an uncredited Clarence Wilson as Greenwood's bad-tempered lunch counter boss . Busby Berkeley has provided some fairly decent dance sequences whose sole motivation seems to be to reveal as much feminine flesh as possible , but the overhead kaleidoscopic shots are pleasant harbingers of the classic work he would perform a few years later at Warner's . Lahr's aerocopter , which may or may not be technically feasible , is based on the gyrocopter or Autogiro , both of which actually did fly but have now been almost completely superseded by the helicopter .
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437,059 | 306,861 | 80,230 | 10 |
Superb Look Back At Silent Cinema
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Here is the definitive video history of the art of the American silent film . This 13-episode documentary was literally produced in the nick of time , as many of those interviewed would be deceased in a few short years - their wonderful memories lost forever . Produced in 1980 for Thames Television , this is certainly one of the crowning achievements of the British team of Kevin Brownlow & David Gill , who together have done so much to preserve not only the history of silent cinema , but also the actual films themselves . The one great lesson of the series is that non-talking films were a distinct art form , complete & satisfying , which had developed a universal language , understood everywhere , through the perfected medium of mime . This was all swept away with the arrival of Talk . So complete was the dismissal of silent films ( which were never really silent ) that within a short period of time they would be disparaged as intrinsically valueless & technically inferior . As HOLLYWOOD triumphantly shows , nothing could have been further from the truth . Films of enormous expertise & intense emotional impact were almost routinely created by the pioneers who were perfecting their new invention . The achievements of Silent Cinema's 35 years constitute a new cultural renaissance . Episodes focus on such topics as Westerns , comedies , war films , stunts , camera techniques & scandals . Not only do we hear from such luminaries as Lillian Gish , Gloria Swanson , Douglas Fairbanks Jr . & even John Wayne , but we are also enchanted by the recollections of Viola Dana , Leatrice Joy , Bessie Love , Colleen Moore & Blanche Sweet , performers in danger of obscurement due to the fact that their careers were so very long ago and their films are largely unavailable or lost . Hearing Miss Dana discuss the death of the stunt pilot she loved , or Miss Joy recollecting a tender note from husband John Gilbert , or Miss Moore hilariously describing her voice lessons when talkies arrived , is to inculcate real human personalities into what would otherwise be only historical footnotes . A parade of directors , cameramen , stunt men & theater musicians also reminisce , as do writer Adela Rogers St . Johns & choreographer Agnes de Mille , who between them seem to have been everywhere & known everyone . Even Lord Louis Mountbatten recalls his memories of halcyon days at Pickfair . While some fans may not want to have all the mysteries revealed as to how Douglas Fairbanks & Harold Lloyd achieved some of their most famous stunts , it is still fascinating information and detracts not a whit from the stars ' prestige . It is rather sad , however , to see such stars as John Gilbert , Roscoe Arbuckle , James Murray & Ramon Novarro in their prime , with the knowledge of what Fate had in store for them . . . Fans of HOLLYWOOD will be pleased to know that in the decades that have passed since its production many of the silent films it highlights have been fully restored and show now to much greater advantage that the rather faded appearance they make in the documentary . Much appreciation must go to two men whose contributions go very far in contributing to the success of the series . Carl Davis provides a wonderfully evocative score for HOLLYWOOD , his use of traditional tunes & his own lilting melodies a splendid match for what is taking place on screen . James Mason's narration is absolutely perfect - his rich voice , so warm & intimate , ironically proving that there is a place for talking pictures after all .
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437,387 | 306,861 | 45,779 | 10 |
Matador Mirth
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A Walt Disney GOOFY Cartoon . Hapless tourist Goofy finds himself facing the meanest toro in all of Old Mexico . This gentle spoof of bullfighting has plenty of chuckles as the Goof continues to get himself into increasingly dangerous difficulties . Although Goofy emerges triumphant , he appears to be literally ' cowed ' by the sight of a bovine henceforth . It is interesting to compare this short with Disney's classic FERDINAND THE BULL ( 1938 ) . Walt Disney ( 1901-1966 ) was always intrigued by pictures & drawings . As a lad in Marceline , Missouri , he sketched farm animals on scraps of paper ; later , as an ambulance driver in France during the First World War , he drew comic figures on the sides of his vehicle . Back in Kansas City , along with artist Ub Iwerks , Walt developed a primitive animation studio that provided animated commercials and tiny cartoons for the local movie theaters . Always the innovator , his ALICE IN CARTOONLAND series broke ground in placing a live figure in a cartoon universe . Business reversals sent Disney & Iwerks to Hollywood in 1923 , where Walt's older brother Roy became his lifelong business manager & counselor . When a mildly successful series with Oswald The Lucky Rabbit was snatched away by the distributor , the character of Mickey Mouse sprung into Walt's imagination , ensuring Disney's immortality . The happy arrival of sound technology made Mickey's screen debut , STEAMBOAT WILLIE ( 1928 ) , a tremendous audience success with its use of synchronized music . The SILLY SYMPHONIES soon appeared , and Walt's growing crew of marvelously talented animators were quickly conquering new territory with full color , illusions of depth and radical advancements in personality development , an arena in which Walt's genius was unbeatable . Mickey's feisty , naughty behavior had captured millions of fans , but he was soon to be joined by other animated companions : temperamental Donald Duck , intellectually-challenged Goofy and energetic Pluto . All this was in preparation for Walt's grandest dream - feature length animated films . Against a storm of naysayers , Walt persevered and over the next decades delighted children of all ages with the adventures of Snow White , Pinocchio , Dumbo , Bambi & Peter Pan . Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse , or that childlike simplicity of message and lots of hard work always pay off .
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437,599 | 306,861 | 45,778 | 10 |
Pigskin Panache
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A Walt Disney Cartoon . To illustrate the differences between FOOTBALL NOW AND THEN a grandfather imaginatively details a game between the Moderns and the Oldtimers . Although the usual gang of Disney cartoon characters do not appear in this little film , any fan of gridiron sports should find it very amusing . Both eras of the game are well depicted by the slightly stylized animation . The black & white TV commercials for the Whirling Dervish Dishwasher are hilarious . Walt Disney ( 1901-1966 ) was always intrigued by pictures & drawings . As a lad in Marceline , Missouri , he sketched farm animals on scraps of paper ; later , as an ambulance driver in France during the First World War , he drew comic figures on the sides of his vehicle . Back in Kansas City , along with artist Ub Iwerks , Walt developed a primitive animation studio that provided animated commercials and tiny cartoons for the local movie theaters . Always the innovator , his ALICE IN CARTOONLAND series broke ground in placing a live figure in a cartoon universe . Business reversals sent Disney & Iwerks to Hollywood in 1923 , where Walt's older brother Roy became his lifelong business manager & counselor . When a mildly successful series with Oswald The Lucky Rabbit was snatched away by the distributor , the character of Mickey Mouse sprung into Walt's imagination , ensuring Disney's immortality . The happy arrival of sound technology made Mickey's screen debut , STEAMBOAT WILLIE ( 1928 ) , a tremendous audience success with its use of synchronized music . The SILLY SYMPHONIES soon appeared , and Walt's growing crew of marvelously talented animators were quickly conquering new territory with full color , illusions of depth and radical advancements in personality development , an arena in which Walt's genius was unbeatable . Mickey's feisty , naughty behavior had captured millions of fans , but he was soon to be joined by other animated companions : temperamental Donald Duck , intellectually-challenged Goofy and energetic Pluto . All this was in preparation for Walt's grandest dream - feature length animated films . Against a blizzard of doomsayers , Walt persevered and over the next decades delighted children of all ages with the adventures of Snow White , Pinocchio , Dumbo , Bambi & Peter Pan . Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse , or that childlike simplicity of message and lots of hard work will always pay off .
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437,443 | 306,861 | 41,953 | 10 |
Goofy Devastates Another Sport
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A Walt Disney GOOFY Cartoon . Goofy uses his TENNIS RACQUET to create merry mayhem all over the court . . . This amusing little film is another entrant in the long series of Sports Goofy cartoons . Tennis fans will particularly appreciate the way in which their pastime is mercilessly mangled by the Goof . Doodles Weaver is the excitable narrator . Walt Disney ( 1901-1966 ) was always intrigued by drawings . As a lad in Marceline , Missouri , he sketched farm animals on scraps of paper ; later , as an ambulance driver in France during the First World War , he drew figures on the sides of his vehicle . Back in Kansas City , along with artist Ub Iwerks , Walt developed a primitive animation studio that provided animated commercials and tiny cartoons for the local movie theaters . Always the innovator , his ALICE IN CARTOONLAND series broke ground in placing a live figure in a cartoon universe . Business reversals sent Disney & Iwerks to Hollywood in 1923 , where Walt's older brother Roy became his lifelong business manager & counselor . When a mildly successful series with Oswald The Lucky Rabbit was snatched away by the distributor , the character of Mickey Mouse sprung into Walt's imagination , ensuring Disney's immortality . The happy arrival of sound technology made Mickey's screen debut , STEAMBOAT WILLIE ( 1928 ) , a tremendous audience success with its use of synchronized music . The SILLY SYMPHONIES soon appeared , and Walt's growing crew of marvelously talented animators were quickly conquering new territory with full color , illusions of depth and radical advancements in personality development , an arena in which Walt's genius was unbeatable . Mickey's feisty , naughty behavior had captured millions of fans , but he was soon to be joined by other animated companions : temperamental Donald Duck , intellectually-challenged Goofy and energetic Pluto . All this was in preparation for Walt's grandest dream - feature length animated films . Against a blizzard of doomsayers , Walt persevered and over the next decades delighted children of all ages with the adventures of Snow White , Pinocchio , Dumbo , Bambi & Peter Pan . Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse , or that simplicity of message and lots of hard work always pay off .
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437,874 | 306,861 | 33,152 | 10 |
A Thousand And One Adventures
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Abu , THE THIEF OF BAGDAD , helps King Ahmed regain his kingdom from a wicked sorcerer . As Europe was going to war and significant sections of the world was going up in flames , Sir Alexander Korda's London Films unveiled this lavish escapist fare from the legends of The Arabian Nights . Replete with swords & sorcery , it gave audiences in 1940 a short respite from the headlines . It also is a fine piece of film making , featuring good acting and an intelligent script . Conrad Veidt gets top billing and he deserves it , playing the evil magician Jaffar . His saturnine face with its piercing eyes makes one recall the macabre roles he played with such relish during Silent days . Here is a villain worth watching . As the boyish Thief , Sabu is perfectly cast in this , his third film . While not a hero in the typical sense of the word , his character is certainly heroic in deed & action . The rest of the cast do fine work . John Justin is both energetic & sensitive as the unenlightened king who must learn about the realities of live the hard way ; Sabu gets a significant part of the action ( when he's not transformed into a dog ) but Justin is appropriately athletic when needs must . Lovely June Duprez plays the endangered Princess of Basra , coveted by two very different men . Appearing late in the film , massive Rex Ingram shakes things up as a genie with an attitude . Allan Jeayes uses his fine voice to good advantage as the Storyteller . Miles Malleson gets another eccentric role as the childlike Sultan of Basra , forever dithering on about his mechanical toys ( Malleson was also responsible for the film's screen play & dialogue ) . Aged Morton Selten portrays the benevolent King of Legend . Mary Morris , later an exceptional stage actress , plays the dual roles of Jaffar's accomplice and the six-armed Silver Dancer . The film was begun in Britain , but wartime difficulties made Korda move it to Southern California , which probably explains the presence of American Ingram in the cast . The art direction , in vibrant Technicolor , is most attractive , especially the fairy tale architecture in blues , whites & pinks . Born Sabu Dastagir in 1924 , Sabu was employed in the Maharaja of Mysore's stables when he was discovered by Korda's company and set before the cameras . His first four films ( ELEPHANT BOY-1937 , THE DRUM-1938 , THE THIEF OF BAGDAD-1940 , JUNGLE BOOK-1942 ) were his best and he found himself working out of Hollywood when they were completed . After distinguished military service in World War II he resumed his film career , but he became endlessly confined for years playing ethnic roles in undistinguished minor films , BLACK NARCISSUS ( 1947 ) being the one great exception . His final movie , Walt Disney's A TIGER WALKS ( 1964 ) was an improvement , but it was too late . Sabu had died of a heart attack in late 1963 , only 39 years of age .
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437,354 | 306,861 | 41,959 | 10 |
Murder , Mystery & Harry Lime
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Post-war Vienna . A dangerous city , full of intrigue , crime & sudden death . Notorious American racketeer Harry Lime starts to cross a street . There is an accident and he is killed instantly . Or is he ? His body is carried to the sidewalk by two friends . Or does another man assist them ? If so , who is THE THIRD MAN and what does he know about Lime's suspicious death ? Such is the puzzle at the beginning of what many consider to be the greatest film ever made . Its glories are so obvious that it is almost futile to pick out any for observation : the marvelous sewer chase , the balloon man , the little boy with the ball , the giant wheel , the cuckoo clock speech & the long closing walk across the cemetery . All of these linger in the mind , becoming permanent residents of our cinematic subconscious . The entire cast is excellent : Joseph Cotton as Lime's American friend trying to piece together what has happened ; Trevor Howard as the stalwart British Major of Police ; gorgeous Valli as Harry's faithful lover ; Bernard Lee as the tragic Police Sergeant ; Wilfrid Hyde-White as a dithering English cultural attaché . And then there's Orson Welles . . . The character of Harry Lime , alive or dead , on-screen or not , is one of cinema's most fascinating villains . Charming & deadly as any cobra , he attracts & repels at the same moment . It is interesting to note that BBC Radio resurrected the character for the series ' The Lives of Harry Lime ' very shortly after the film's release . Harry was not allowed to stay in his grave for long . . . Three more items of note : ( 1 ) The cinematography is first-rate , making Vienna by night look almost lunar . ( 2 ) Orson Welles ' first appearance on screen is a real dandy . ( 3 ) Above & around & through everything is the famous zither music of Anton Karas , which becomes like a Greek Chorus , commenting on the action . Its complete silence during the sewer chase only underscores the starkness of the sequence .
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438,340 | 306,861 | 21,871 | 10 |
Mr . Mouse Hooks The Bait
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A Walt Disney MICKEY MOUSE Cartoon . Mickey & Pluto find plenty of trouble while FISHIN ' AROUND on the lake . This is a fun little black & white cartoon , with plenty of humor . The fish our pals encounter are certainly a strange breed - they all have navels . Walt Disney supplies Mickey's voice . Walt Disney ( 1901-1966 ) was always intrigued by drawings . As a lad in Marceline , Missouri , he sketched farm animals on scraps of paper ; later , as an ambulance driver in France during the First World War , he drew figures on the sides of his vehicle . Back in Kansas City , along with artist Ub Iwerks , Walt developed a primitive animation studio that provided animated commercials and tiny cartoons for the local movie theaters . Always the innovator , his ALICE IN CARTOONLAND series broke ground in placing a live figure in a cartoon universe . Business reversals sent Disney & Iwerks to Hollywood in 1923 , where Walt's older brother Roy became his lifelong business manager & counselor . When a mildly successful series with Oswald The Lucky Rabbit was snatched away by the distributor , the character of Mickey Mouse sprung into Walt's imagination , ensuring Disney's immortality . The happy arrival of sound technology made Mickey's screen debut , STEAMBOAT WILLIE ( 1928 ) , a tremendous audience success with its use of synchronized music . The SILLY SYMPHONIES soon appeared , and Walt's growing crew of marvelously talented animators were quickly conquering new territory with full color , illusions of depth and radical advancements in personality development , an arena in which Walt's genius was unbeatable . Mickey's feisty , naughty behavior had captured millions of fans , but he was soon to be joined by other animated companions : temperamental Donald Duck , intellectually-challenged Goofy and energetic Pluto . All this was in preparation for Walt's grandest dream - feature length animated films . Against a blizzard of doomsayers , Walt persevered and over the next decades delighted children of all ages with the adventures of Snow White , Pinocchio , Bambi , Peter Pan and Mr . Toad . Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse , or that simplicity of message and lots of hard work always pay off .
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437,408 | 306,861 | 30,465 | 10 |
Walt Disney's Salute To Hollywood
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A Walt Disney SILLY SYMPHONY Cartoon Short . MOTHER GOOSE GOES Hollywood when a collection of animated celebrities spoof the characters in wacky interpretations of famous old Nursery Rhymes . Aided by excellent voice artists , the Disney animators get to display their caricaturing talents in this very enjoyable cartoon . This was not as easy as it looks , melding the personality of the celebrity with the persona of the Nursery character and leaving them both recognizable . And it gets even more complicated than that . In the 3 Men In A Tub sequence , the celebrity is also spoofing a famous movie role they've played ( Charles Laughton as Captain Bligh in MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY , Spencer Tracy as Manuel in CAPTAINS COURAGEOUS & Freddie Bartholomew as David COPPERFIELD ) . That Disney was able to pull off these characterizations in the space of only a few seconds speaks volumes for the high level of expertise attained by the Studio . Movie mavens will love spotting & naming each animated celebrity . Others will have a difficult time , since many of these stars are now rather obscure . Here , for the record , is a listing of the celebrity spoofs : Katharine Hepburn as Little Bo Peep ; Hugh Herbert as Old King Cole ; Groucho , Chico & Harpo Marx as the Fiddlers Three ; Ned Sparks as the King's Jester ; Joe Penner as the King's Servant ; Donald Duck as himself ; Charles Laughton , Spencer Tracy & Freddie Bartholomew as the 3 Men In A Tub ; W . C . Fields as Humpty Dumpty ; Charlie McCarthy as himself ; Stan Laurel as Simple Simon ; Oliver Hardy as the Pieman ; Edward G . Robinson & Greta Garbo in See Saw Margery Daw ; Wallace Beery as Little Boy Blue ; Edna May Oliver , Mae West & ZaSu Pitts as the trumpeters ; Clark Gable as the flautist ; George Arliss as the saxophonist ; Joe E . Brown & Martha Raye as the jitterbug dancers . Apparently , unedited versions of the cartoon also feature ' appearances ' by Fred Astaire , Cab Calloway , Eddie Cantor , Stepin Fetchit & Fats Waller . The SILLY SYMPHONIES , which Walt Disney produced for a ten year period beginning in 1929 , are among the most interesting of series in the field of animation . Unlike the Mickey Mouse cartoons in which action was paramount , with the Symphonies the action was made to fit the music . There was little plot in the early Symphonies , which featured lively inanimate objects and anthropomorphic plants & animals , all moving frantically to the soundtrack . Gradually , however , the Symphonies became the school where Walt's animators learned to work with color and began to experiment with plot , characterization & photographic special effects . The pages of Fable & Fairy Tale , Myth & Mother Goose were all mined to provide story lines and even Hollywood's musicals & celebrities were effectively spoofed . It was from this rich soil that Disney's feature-length animation was to spring . In 1939 , with SNOW WHITE successfully behind him and PINOCCHIO & FANTASIA on the near horizon , Walt phased out the SILLY SYMPHONIES ; they had run their course & served their purpose .
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437,442 | 306,861 | 24,057 | 10 |
Mickey's Adventure In The Sky
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A Walt Disney MICKEY MOUSE Cartoon . Mickey regales his young audience with a description of how he climbed a beanstalk into the clouds and confronted the monstrous King of GIANTLAND . This splendid little black & white film boasts of a lively story and very fine animation . Mickey's squeaky voice is supplied by Walt Disney , who would explore the theme of Mickey versus giants again in the classic BRAVE LITTLE TAILOR ( 1938 ) & the ' Mickey and the Beanstalk ' sequence in FUN AND FANCY FREE ( 1947 ) . Walt Disney ( 1901-1966 ) was always intrigued by drawings . As a lad in Marceline , Missouri , he sketched farm animals on scraps of paper ; later , as an ambulance driver in France during the First World War , he drew figures on the sides of his vehicle . Back in Kansas City , along with artist Ub Iwerks , Walt developed a primitive animation studio that provided animated commercials and tiny cartoons for the local movie theaters . Always the innovator , his ALICE IN CARTOONLAND series broke ground in placing a live figure in a cartoon universe . Business reversals sent Disney & Iwerks to Hollywood in 1923 , where Walt's older brother Roy became his lifelong business manager & counselor . When a mildly successful series with Oswald The Lucky Rabbit was snatched away by the distributor , the character of Mickey Mouse sprung into Walt's imagination , ensuring Disney's immortality . The happy arrival of sound technology made Mickey's screen debut , STEAMBOAT WILLIE ( 1928 ) , a tremendous audience success with its use of synchronized music . The SILLY SYMPHONIES soon appeared , and Walt's growing crew of marvelously talented animators were quickly conquering new territory with full color , illusions of depth and radical advancements in personality development , an arena in which Walt's genius was unbeatable . Mickey's feisty , naughty behavior had captured millions of fans , but he was soon to be joined by other animated companions : temperamental Donald Duck , intellectually-challenged Goofy and energetic Pluto . All this was in preparation for Walt's grandest dream - feature length animated films . Against a blizzard of doomsayers , Walt persevered and over the next decades delighted children of all ages with the adventures of Snow White , Pinocchio , Dumbo , Bambi & Peter Pan . Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse , or that simplicity of message and lots of hard work always pay off .
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437,243 | 306,861 | 43,890 | 10 |
Master Of All He Surveys
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A Walt Disney DONALD DUCK Cartoon . Donald wants nothing OUT OF SCALE in his elaborate backyard model railroad and town - including Chip ' n ' Dale and their tree . Here is another typical Duck versus Chipmunks film - fun & fast-moving , but no classic . The cartoon is rare in that amity reigns over all at the conclusion . Clarence Nash provides Donald with his unique voice ; the Chipmunks are largely unintelligible . Walt Disney ( 1901-1966 ) was always intrigued by pictures & drawings . As a lad in Marceline , Missouri , he sketched farm animals on scraps of paper ; later , as an ambulance driver in France during the First World War , he drew comic figures on the sides of his vehicle . Back in Kansas City , along with artist Ub Iwerks , Walt developed a primitive animation studio that provided animated commercials and tiny cartoons for the local movie theaters . Always the innovator , his ALICE IN CARTOONLAND series broke ground in placing a live figure in a cartoon universe . Business reversals sent Disney & Iwerks to Hollywood in 1923 , where Walt's older brother Roy became his lifelong business manager & counselor . When a mildly successful series with Oswald The Lucky Rabbit was snatched away by the distributor , the character of Mickey Mouse sprung into Walt's imagination , ensuring Disney's immortality . The happy arrival of sound technology made Mickey's screen debut , STEAMBOAT WILLIE ( 1928 ) , a tremendous audience success with its use of synchronized music . The SILLY SYMPHONIES soon appeared , and Walt's growing crew of marvelously talented animators were quickly conquering new territory with full color , illusions of depth and radical advancements in personality development , an arena in which Walt's genius was unbeatable . Mickey's feisty , naughty behavior had captured millions of fans , but he was soon to be joined by other animated companions : temperamental Donald Duck , intellectually-challenged Goofy and energetic Pluto . All this was in preparation for Walt's grandest dream - feature length animated films . Against a blizzard of doomsayers , Walt persevered and over the next decades delighted children of all ages with the adventures of Snow White , Pinocchio , Dumbo , Bambi & Peter Pan . Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse , or that childlike simplicity of message and lots of hard work always pay off .
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437,204 | 306,861 | 35,088 | 10 |
A Lighthearted Look At Serious Problem
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An MGM Short Subject . Who's that boorish fellow , with his constant negative talk about our Allies and the War effort ? Why , it's MR . BLABBERMOUTH ! This little film uses a humorous approach to illustrate a problem nagging the country . It is not , as the title might suggest , a ' Loose Lips Sink Ships ' lecture , but rather how to deal with those Americans who constantly brought down the morale of others by their pessimistic attitudes about our fight against the Axis . It is just as pertinent now as it was then . After Pearl Harbor , Hollywood went to war totally against the Axis . Not only did many of the stars join up or do home front service , but the output of the Studios was largely turned to the war effort . The newsreels , of course , brought the latest war news into the neighborhood theater every week . The features showcased battle stories or war related themes . Even the short subjects & cartoons were used as a quick means of spreading Allied propaganda , the boosting of morale or information dissemination . Together , Uncle Sam , the American People & Hollywood proved to be an unbeatable combination .
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437,392 | 306,861 | 56,545 | 10 |
The Professor Sings
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A Walt Disney LUDWIG VON DRAKE Short Subject . The renowned Professor performs a few of his own compositions which together comprise A SYMPOSIUM ON POPULAR SONGS . Disney uses the zany Professor and six wacky songs by the Sherman Brothers to illustrate the musical styles in America during the first half of the 20th Century . In quick succession everything from ragtime to rock ' n ' roll is spoofed . This is all done in a spirit of fun - absolutely no attempt is given to actually discuss or compare the various genres . Amusing stop motion animation helps to punctuate the selections . The inimitable Paul Frees provided the voice for the Professor . Walt Disney ( 1901-1966 ) was always intrigued by pictures & drawings . As a lad in Marceline , Missouri , he sketched farm animals on scraps of paper ; later , as an ambulance driver in France during the First World War , he drew comic figures on the sides of his vehicle . Back in Kansas City , along with artist Ub Iwerks , Walt developed a primitive animation studio that provided animated commercials and tiny cartoons for the local movie theaters . Always the innovator , his ALICE IN CARTOONLAND series broke ground in placing a live figure in a cartoon universe . Business reversals sent Disney & Iwerks to Hollywood in 1923 , where Walt's older brother Roy became his lifelong business manager & counselor . When a mildly successful series with Oswald The Lucky Rabbit was snatched away by the distributor , the character of Mickey Mouse sprung into Walt's imagination , ensuring Disney's immortality . The happy arrival of sound technology made Mickey's screen debut , STEAMBOAT WILLIE ( 1928 ) , a tremendous audience success with its use of synchronized music . The SILLY SYMPHONIES soon appeared , and Walt's growing crew of marvelously talented animators were quickly conquering new territory with full color , illusions of depth and radical advancements in personality development , an arena in which Walt's genius was unbeatable . Mickey's feisty , naughty behavior had captured millions of fans , but he was soon to be joined by other animated companions : temperamental Donald Duck , intellectually-challenged Goofy and energetic Pluto . All this was in preparation for Walt's grandest dream - feature length animated films . Against a storm of naysayers , Walt persevered and over the next decades delighted children of all ages with the adventures of Snow White , Pinocchio , Dumbo , Bambi & Peter Pan . Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse , or that childlike simplicity of message and lots of hard work always pay off .
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438,314 | 306,861 | 37,055 | 10 |
Dangerous Duo
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A Dutch mystery writer tries to strip away THE MASK OF DIMITRIOS Makropoulos to discover the truth about his wicked life . From Warner Bros . and director Jean Negulesco comes this well-produced version of Eric Ambler's novel A Coffin For Dimitrios . Thickly plotted and jammed with intriguing characters , the film will amply reward the attentive viewer . Moving quickly across Europe ( Istanbul , Athens , Sofia , Geneva , Belgrade & Paris ) the plot never lags as it adds details to the plots & crimes of Dimitrios . The final culmination of his nefarious career is most justified and quite satisfying . Diminutive Peter Lorre ( undeserving of the pitiful 4th place billing he receives ) brings his unique talents to the role of the Dutch author . Feisty and tenacious , he lets nothing get in his way as he ferrets out the details for which he's searching . Massive Sydney Greenstreet portrays the mysterious stout gentleman who arranges an alliance with Lorre to seek information about the violently deceased Dimitrios . Looking somewhat like a malevolently cheerful Buddha , Greenstreet literally dominates most of his scenes with his enormous talent , his great bulk and expressive eyes put to most effective dramatic use . Teamed with Lorre , the pair make a compelling duo - - like a sinister Laurel & Hardy - - and are most entertaining to watch . They would appear in nine films together ; this was one of their best . The movie's only real drawback is the complete absence of Greenstreet & Lorre during the lengthy flashback sequences . But this is but a minor quibble as the rest of the cast comport themselves quite well . As the despicable Dimitrios , Zachary Scott manages to divest himself of any hint of the heroic , while retaining a certain dash and smarmy charm about his persona . Faye Emerson , the picture's leading lady , has actually a rather limited role , but she makes good use of her screen time as a Sofia nightclub owner with a sad story to tell Lorre . The large supporting cast features a considerable number of European character actors . Especially noteworthy are Kurt Katch as a Turkish police detective ; Eduardo Ciannelli as a helpful Bulgarian reporter ; Victor Francen as a cat-loving spy master living in Switzerland ; and Steven Geray as a most unfortunate Yugoslavian governmental clerk . Chatty Florence Bates livens up her one short scene as an American society hostess living in Istanbul . Set in 1938 , the film was produced during World War Two . It is a fine example of how movie magic and back lot technology could transport an audience to a temporarily inaccessible geographic location .
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437,087 | 306,861 | 21,861 | 10 |
Antique Western Worth Remembering
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During the Civil War , FIGHTING CARAVANS of freight wagons make their way West , crossing hostile Indian country . This sturdy Zane Grey Western , largely forgotten over the decades , offers some fine entertainment with its good performances and vivid location filming . The number of wagons , livestock and extras used show that Paramount Studios paid out a fair few pennies for decent production values . The dramatic struggles across the wilderness and a rousing Indian attack help punch up the action considerably . Laconic Gary Cooper stars as the trail guide helping to lead the teamsters and settlers through dangerous territory . Hot-tempered Lili Damita plays a solitary French maiden driving her wagon West . Their intermittent romance is completely predictable , but the two young performers make it all very watchable . Stealing their every scene are a pair of old pros from the Silent days : Ernest Torrence & Tully Marshall . Playing a couple of grizzled , drunken , women-hating trail guides - - as well as Coop's best buddies - - they are very amusing in their attempts to break-up the budding romance between their protégé and the troubling Miss Damita . Rotund Eugene Palette is on hand as a lovelorn member of the wagon train . Charles Winninger enlivens the film's opening minutes as the blustery Marshal of Independence , Missouri . Movie mavens will recognize sweet Jane Darwell as a pioneer and Iron Eyes Cody as a Fort Indian in search of firewater , both uncredited .
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437,741 | 306,861 | 26,164 | 10 |
Action , Adventure & Romance In The Yukon
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The Yukon Gold Rush : A savage dog and a lonely man each respond to THE CALL OF THE WILD , that primordial release of primitive urges , in their own way . It should be understood immediately that this movie only borrows the title and a few incidents from Jack London's classic novel . And at that point the comparison between the two should end . This film , rousing & adventurous , is able to stand on its own merits . An excellent cast , fine production values ( notice particularly the care with which Skagway & Dawson are depicted ) and location shooting in Washington State are the film's strongest assets . The plot , meant solely for entertainment , is pure hokum . . . Clark Gable brings his trademark masculinity to a role that didn't require a lot of stretching of his thespian muscles . But in essentially playing himself he is perfectly cast . One cannot overcome the suspicion that London's original story was reworked for the star . Gable had been through this before - remote setting , forces of nature , beautiful woman , adultery . Think RED DUST in the snow . Loretta Young is the beautiful woman . From scene to scene , no matter what the hardship , she remains living proof that a first class Hollywood makeup job can withstand the worst ravages of the Klondike . This is perhaps too harsh . Like Gable , little more is required of her than to exude physicality . She is indeed a treat to the eyes , even if her inclusion in the plot is patently ludicrous . ( The on screen attraction between Gable & Young wasn't faked . A daughter , ostensibly ' adopted ' by Young in France , would be the result . ) As Gable's sidekick , comic Jack Oakie has one of his best screen roles . Getting to play most of his scenes strictly for laughs , he adds chuckles to the story which , one assumes , would have outraged London . Twisting his usual pomposity to a sinister bent , English character actor Reginald Owen is memorable as the film's villain . Dangerously wicked , he makes us want to know more about this man called Smith , with money to burn and a raging temper . The screenplay , wisely , leaves his biography up to the imagination of the viewer . Sidney Toler & Herman Bing are very good in small roles . Movie mavens will recognize Arthur Housman , veteran of many Laurel & Hardy comedy shorts , as a Skagway drunk with a surprisingly mean punch . The affection between Gable and Buck , the great St . Bernard with whom he shares so many scenes , is obvious .
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437,062 | 306,861 | 35,093 | 10 |
War Drama Still Highly Significant
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With her peaceful English life suddenly thrown into turmoil by the Second World War , MRS . MINIVER continues to provide a solid rock of security for her family . Released seven months after America's entry into the War , this film did a great deal to inform the American people about Britain's defiance against Nazi Germany and the steadfast resolution of the British people in the face of seemingly overwhelming odds . Coming at a time of heightened emotions - as well as being expertly produced and extremely well acted - it is easy to see why the film earned 6 Oscars , including Best Picture & Best Director . Greer Garson is completely marvelous in the title role , ( for which she won the Best Actress Oscar ) , presenting a portrait of grace & courage under fire which transcends mere acting . She is representing an entire island full of women who grew the crops & ran the factories and kept the nation operating while the men went to battle . Through her wonderful performance , Garson shows how those she symbolized more than did their part in the fight against the Axis . Two other ladies give outstanding performances in the film . As the local aristocrat , Dame May Whitty is properly imperious & proud , yet the viewer sees her character unbend over the course of the film to become much more vulnerable . Winning the Best Supporting Actress Oscar , lovely Teresa Wright is luminous as Dame May's granddaughter . Sweetly sensible , elegantly at ease , joyous during hardships , Miss Wright gives a performance not easy to forget . In solid , understated roles , both Walter Pidgeon as Mr . Miniver & Richard Ney as his elder son , supply good support to the ladies in the cast . Pidgeon gets to pilot one of the Little Boats to Dunkirk and Ney becomes a flyer with the RAF , but both are performed in an almost subdued manner , leaving the heroics to the women . A quintet of fine actors add small , deft brushstrokes to the movie's canvas : cherubic Henry Travers as the station-master who delights in the gentle art of breeding roses ; blustery Reginald Owen as the local storekeeper who eagerly takes over as air raid warden ; kindly Henry Wilcoxon as the village vicar ; blunt Rhys Williams as the boyfriend of the Miniver's maid ( comically played by Brenda Forbes ) ; and Helmut Dantine as the pitiless German pilot who briefly invades the Miniver household . Six-year-old Christopher Severn will either delight or annoy as the Miniver's talkative infant son . Clare Sandars , as his slightly older sister , is left something of a cipher by the script . Movie mavens should recognize Ian Wolfe , uncredited as a boatman helping with the Dunkirk rescue . The scenes involving the brutal aerial bombardment are still vividly suspenseful , focusing primarily on the faces of the actors involved .
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437,367 | 306,861 | 24,062 | 10 |
Dame Detectives
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Two gold digging chorines think they can solve the mystery of a criminal's murder and a GIRL MISSING on her wedding night . Fast-moving & fun , this is another example of the comedy crime picture that Warner Brothers was so expert at producing . Casts & plots could be shuffled endlessly , with very predictable results . While this assembly line approach created few classics , audience enjoyment could usually be assured . Warners ' wisecracking brassy blonde , Glenda Farrell , and pretty Mary Brian play the chorus girls stranded in Florida who must crack the homicide and kidnapping case in order to earn the sizable reward . They are both excellent in their roles , with sassy Farrell especially funny slinging her one-liners . Ben Lyon plays the newlywed husband with much unexpected trouble on his hands . Lyle Talbot appears as a successful New York gigolo gone adventuring to Miami . Little Ferdinand Gottschalk is the eccentric parent of the purloined bride and wonderful character actor Guy Kibbee enlivens his few scenes as an old lecher desperate to get his hands on Miss Brian . Movie mavens will recognize Louise Beavers as a maid & Walter Brennan as a garage attendant , both uncredited .
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438,149 | 306,861 | 378,629 | 10 |
Fine Telling Of Fantasy Tale
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A wonderful PEACHBOY vows to vanquish a dreadful island full of evil ogres and rescue all the people kidnapped years before . The folks at Rabbit Ears have brought us another international story , this time from Japan , which quietly teaches lessons of courage , comradeship & commitment . The expressive narration of Sigourney Weaver is perfectly complemented by the evocative music of Ryuich Sakamoto and the colorful drawings of Jeffrey Smith .
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437,983 | 306,861 | 26,120 | 10 |
A Heavenly Performance From Edmund Gwenn
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THE BISHOP MISBEHAVES , perhaps just a little , when he sets aside his ecclesiastical duties to attempt solving a puzzling robbery in a neighboring pub . This is a splendid little crime comedy from MGM , sadly neglected , which boasts fine production values and , most especially , delightful performances from a small constellation of first-rate character actors . Edmund Gwenn - in his American movie debut - is charming in the title role , a small , cherubic cleric who loves to read detective novels . Incisive & methodical , he misses very little and faces danger with bubbling enthusiasm . Watching him deal with an assortment of villains is great entertainment . Lucile Watson , as his elderly sister , also plays her part with a superb sense of fun . As the romantic interests , Maureen O ' Sullivan & Norman Foster add a fine comedic flair to their roles . Here's a pair of lovebirds who don't mind getting involved in theft & kidnapping - for a good cause . ( Mr . Foster would eventually become a director of fine repute , associating with Orson Welles & Walt Disney . ) Reginald Owen makes a marvelous , blustery bad guy . Robert Greig , instead of portraying one of his usual plumy butlers , surprises as a Limehouse lowlife who enjoys needlepoint while plotting crimes . Clicking , chittering Etienne Girardot is hilarious as Gwenn's nervous amanuensis . Lilian Bond , Dudley Digges & Melville Cooper round out the excellent cast . If only the Church of England could have more bishops like Edmund Gwenn . . .
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438,298 | 306,861 | 26,126 | 10 |
Mr . Laurel & Mr . Hardy Invite You To Join Them In Scotland & Imperial India
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Stan & Ollie arrive in BONNIE SCOTLAND to claim Stan's inheritance . Through a series of mishaps , the Boys end up in the British Army , stationed in India & threatened with imminent death at the hands of a fierce tribal chief . . . With rather more plot than usual in a typical Laurel & Hardy film - the romantic subplot has virtually nothing to do with Stan & Ollie - this is still a delight for fans of the Boys . By this point in their joint career they were past perfection & beyond praise . Seeing them act together is like watching an intricate piece of clockwork . Among the highlights here : the candle under the bed ; the ' invisible ' accordion ; and the dance to ? A Hundred Pipers ' . Stan & Ollie are given fine support by the rest of the cast : Mary Gordon , as the hotel proprietress ; David Torrence , as a crusty old lawyer ; Daphne Pollard , as a feisty little maid ; and James Finlayson , the Boys ' eternal foil , as their long-suffering Sergeant Major . June Lang & William Janney supply the romantics . The lovely opening shots of Village life set the mood beautifully ; early scene where blacksmith Lionel Belmore hammers out the ' Cuckoo Song ' - while the Boys make their first appearance & march towards the camera - is a joy .
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438,070 | 306,861 | 24,006 | 10 |
Disney's Deluge
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A Walt Disney SILLY SYMPHONY Cartoon Short . Work is proceeding at a hectic pace to complete the building of FATHER NOAH'S ARK . Each of the eight humans , and all of the animals , have specific chores to do . The immense task is no sooner finished than the storm clouds start rolling in . . . A lively retelling of the Biblical story . The large menagerie of animals are fun to look at and must have kept the animators very busy . Most Sunday School lessons would not include the rabbit & dog gags with which Disney ends the cartoon . The SILLY SYMPHONIES , which Walt Disney produced for a ten year period beginning in 1929 , are among the most fascinating of all animated series . Unlike the Mickey Mouse cartoons in which action was paramount , with the Symphonies the action was made to fit the music . There was little plot in the early Symphonies , which featured lively inanimate objects and anthropomorphic plants & animals , all moving frantically to the soundtrack . Gradually , however , the Symphonies became the school where Walt's animators learned to work with color and began to experiment with plot , characterization & photographic special effects . The pages of Fable & Fairy Tale , Myth & Mother Goose were all mined to provide story lines and even Hollywood's musicals & celebrities were effectively spoofed . It was from this rich soil that Disney's feature-length animation was to spring . In 1939 , with SNOW WHITE successfully behind him and PINOCCHIO & FANTASIA on the near horizon , Walt phased out the SILLY SYMPHONIES ; they had run their course & served their purpose .
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437,190 | 306,861 | 28,315 | 10 |
Little Shirley Struts Her Stuff
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Fleeing from bandit-ridden China , a cute & incredibly precocious little orphan accidentally becomes a STOWAWAY on a luxury liner . Once aboard , she proceeds to charm ( nearly ) everyone in sight , while working to bring about the marriage of two lonely Americans . Shirley Temple switches on her megawatt smile & captures the viewers ' hearts once more in this pleasant , crowd pleasing movie . Amply displaying the charm which made her Hollywood's box office queen for years , Shirley gets to sing , dance , and even speak quite a bit of Chinese . Robert Young & Alice Faye appear as the romantic leads , and they do a good job , but ultimately they are just so much grist for Shirley's mill . Little Miss Temple always found her stiffest acting competition coming from the character performers and this film features some fine examples : Helen Westley as a dreadful mother-in-law in-waiting ; wonderful Arthur Treacher as Young's comic butler ; Eugene Palette , boisterous as a perpetually inebriated American ; Philip Ahn as a faithful friend of Shirley's family ; Willie Fung as the negligent boatman who spirits her to Shanghai ; J . Edward Bromberg as a no-nonsense judge ; and Robert Greig as the kindly ship captain . 20th Century Fox obviously pumped a good deal of money into this film and the production values show it . The scenes in China are particularly well done , although the use of rear projection during Shirley's walk near the Shanghai waterfront is all too obvious . Shirley sings ' Goodnight My Love , ' ' That's What I Want For Christmas ' & ' You've Gotta S-M-I-L-E To Be H-A-double P-Y ' . During the performance of this latter song Shirley mimics Al Jolson , Eddie Cantor & Ginger Rogers . Originally , she also impersonated Mae West but that segment was considered too hot and excised .
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438,244 | 306,861 | 24,008 | 10 |
A Classic Of Gender Reversal
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A powerful FEMALE tycoon is accustomed to getting everything she wants - including men - until she meets a fellow utterly unimpressed by her wealth . Ruth Chatterton completely dominates this brilliant , fascinating little film , until off-screen spouse George Brent shows up midway through the proceedings . Deftly handling the details of her life - from controlling her commercial competitors to adroitly arranging her next romantic conquest , Chatterton never lets up for a moment . Suave & composed , Brent arrives on the scene , calmly pegging targets in a sideshow , and presents the immovable object to her irresistible force . Definitely pre-Code , the script throws a few zingers into the face of complacent modern viewers , with Chatterton & Brent doing all they can to entertain their audience . If her toughness turns into compliant conformity at the fadeout , it's a small price to pay for an hour's amusement . Impish Ferdinand Gottschalk steals several scenes as Chatterton's fey factotum , while Ruth Donnelly makes the most of her tiny role as a spinster secretary . Johnny Mack Brown & Philip Reed are two of Chatterton's discarded young men . Movie mavens will recognize Robert Greig & Rafaela Ottiano as Chatterton's butler & maid , as well as elderly Charley Grapewin as a sidewalk inebriate , all uncredited . Warner Brothers gave the film a first-rate production ; the terrific sets use detail to add to the story , rather than detract from it . Also , notice the ironic use of the Harry Warren tune during the seduction scenes ; by the end of 1933 it would be famous as ' Shanghai Lil , ' ( with lyrics by Al Dubin ) climaxing Warner's FOOTLIGHT PARADE .
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437,381 | 306,861 | 124,204 | 10 |
A Cinematic Peek At Italy
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An MGM TRAVELTALK Short Subject . This colorful little film takes the viewer VISITING ITALY , quickly looking at the highlights in the cities of Rome , Assisi , Pisa & Florence . The beautiful Italian countryside is also glimpsed in passing . This is one of a large series of succinct travelogues turned out by MGM , beginning in the 1930's . They featured Technicolor views of beautiful & unusual sights around the globe , as well as vivid , concise commentary . These films were produced & narrated by James A . FitzPatrick .
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437,308 | 306,861 | 26,139 | 10 |
Brown's Peak
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Dazzled by the BRIGHT LIGHTS of Broadway success , a burlesque actor is blinded as to what's really most important in life . The film career of Joe E . Brown , Warner's rubber-faced comedian , essentially reached its zenith in this very enjoyable little comedy / drama obviously tailored for Joe's considerable skills . All too soon a change of studios would sidetrack Brown into cheaply made movies which would inevitably dim his celebrity . But here , in this backstage show biz story , his talents may still be enjoyed at full throttle . Although the movie was directed by Busby Berkeley , it includes none of his celebrated dance extravaganzas , focusing instead on personality rather than pulchritude . The film is fortunate in that Brown , presented as a Broadway star , is genuinely funny when engaging in his slapstick humor . Whether dangerously balancing on a balcony rail as part of his stage act , using his tremendous mouth to great advantage while telling a party story about a ' little mousie , ' or engaging in impressive nightclub acrobatic stunts with The Maxellos , Joe is never less than hilarious . Although the focus is firmly on Brown , he is given able support from the rest of the cast : Ann Dvorak as his patient , long-suffering wife ; Joseph Cawthorn as a fatherly theatrical troupe manager ; William Gargan as an energetic press agent ; and lovely Patricia Ellis as a stage bound heiress . William Demarest appears for a few seconds as a determined detective . Best of all is Arthur Treacher , wonderful as Brown's impeccable new valet . Movie mavens will recognize sour faced Clarence Wilson as a train station clerk .
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437,289 | 306,861 | 19,686 | 10 |
Takin ' A Train Trip With Mr . Laurel & Mr . Hardy
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A LAUREL & HARDY Comedy Short . Vaudeville musicians Stan & Ollie board a train heading for Pottsville . Finding their reserved ' upper ' , their attempts to get into it & maneuver around it are a study in total frustration . They'll have more bruises than just BERTH MARKS when they finally reach their destination . This little film is pure slapstick and very funny . The Boys make travelling in an upper berth look absolutely hideous .
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437,101 | 306,861 | 17,534 | 10 |
Another Successful Military Engagement For William Haines
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A brash , self-centered Army cadet arrives at WEST POINT with a dangerous wise guy attitude towards the Corps . In a role obviously tailor-made for him , William Haines shines in this highly enjoyable tale of honor & friendship . A grade-A scene stealer , Haines during the first half of the film is up to his usual Silly Billy behavior , which under normal circumstances should have gotten him confined to the guardhouse . The last half , however , becomes very serious , leading up to Haines ' moral redemption and giving him a fine opportunity to exhibit his acting talents . If WEST POINT does not quite reach the caliber of Haines ' previous TELL IT TO THE MARINES ( 1926 ) , this is doubtless due to the absence here of a costar of the charisma & quality of Lon Chaney for Haines to interact with . However , this tribute to the Army is very effective entertainment and should be appreciated on its own merit . Joan Crawford appears as Haines ' love interest , playing the virginal daughter of the local innkeeper . Joan is pert & pretty and especially shines in her first scenes , when she meets Haines on a Hudson River ferry and is subjected to his usual immature antics . Haines & Crawford made five silent feature films together and were tremendous friends for life . He was the much bigger celebrity at this period and gave her many hints for getting ahead in Hollywood . A superstar herself by the early 1930's , she reciprocated after his ouster from MGM in 1932 by encouraging his career change to interior decoration . Little William Bakewell is effectively cast as a Plebe who idolizes Haines ; their relationship is actually given more of a sentimental treatment than that of Haines & Crawford . The film was made with the full cooperation of the War Department . Extensive location filming at the Academy helps tremendously with the production's ambiance , which was given splendid production values by MGM . WEST POINT has been recently restored and given a rousing new score by David Davidson .
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437,459 | 306,861 | 33,188 | 10 |
Three Sillies At Sea
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A Walt Disney MICKEY MOUSE Cartoon . TUGBOAT MICKEY , along with crewmen Donald Duck & Goofy , attempts to rush to the rescue of a quickly sinking ship . Here is another classic little film , with excellent animation and lots of good laughs . Many younger viewers may not understand the final gag , what with all the changes in American popular entertainment since 1940 . Walt Disney provides Mickey with his squeaky voice ; Clarence Nash does the honors for the Duck . Walt Disney ( 1901-1966 ) was always intrigued by pictures & drawings . As a lad in Marceline , Missouri , he sketched farm animals on scraps of paper ; later , as an ambulance driver in France during the First World War , he drew comic figures on the sides of his vehicle . Back in Kansas City , along with artist Ub Iwerks , Walt developed a primitive animation studio that provided animated commercials and tiny cartoons for the local movie theaters . Always the innovator , his ALICE IN CARTOONLAND series broke ground in placing a live figure in a cartoon universe . Business reversals sent Disney & Iwerks to Hollywood in 1923 , where Walt's older brother Roy became his lifelong business manager & counselor . When a mildly successful series with Oswald The Lucky Rabbit was snatched away by the distributor , the character of Mickey Mouse sprung into Walt's imagination , ensuring Disney's immortality . The happy arrival of sound technology made Mickey's screen debut , STEAMBOAT WILLIE ( 1928 ) , a tremendous audience success with its use of synchronized music . The SILLY SYMPHONIES soon appeared , and Walt's growing crew of marvelously talented animators were quickly conquering new territory with full color , illusions of depth and radical advancements in personality development , an arena in which Walt's genius was unbeatable . Mickey's feisty , naughty behavior had captured millions of fans , but he was soon to be joined by other animated companions : temperamental Donald Duck , intellectually-challenged Goofy and energetic Pluto . All this was in preparation for Walt's grandest dream - feature length animated films . Against a blizzard of doomsayers , Walt persevered and over the next decades delighted children of all ages with the adventures of Snow White , Pinocchio , Dumbo , Bambi & Peter Pan . Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse , or that childlike simplicity of message and lots of hard work always pay off .
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438,231 | 306,861 | 21,825 | 10 |
Pre-Code Soap Suds
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A beautiful young model finds THE EASIEST WAY to support her needy family is to become a rich man's mistress - - until she falls in love with an energetic reporter . This little film is strictly soap opera , but it's well presented and makes a pleasant diversion . The production values are good , especially in the opening sequence which reveals the inside of a tenement flat , and causes the viewer to appreciate the trouble MGM expended on even its small pictures . Beautiful Constance Bennett is very convincing as a woman who frankly admits her moral standing - - until true love complicates everything . Urbane Adolphe Menjou , as the rich businessman who controls Bennett , is slightly more sympathetic than usual in a role he could probably have played in his sleep . And Robert Montgomery gives his patented friendly portrayal as the steadfast fellow who earnestly loves Bennett - - until he is told the truth of her situation . A fine supporting cast helps the proceedings : tough-talking Marjorie Rambeau as an aging model out to squeeze every penny possible from the male animal ; lazy J . Farrell MacDonald & careworn Clara Blandick as Bennett's poor parents ; blonde Anita Page as Bennett's lively younger sister ; and sturdy Clark Gable , as Page's laundryman boyfriend , who would eventually supplant Montgomery as MGM's favorite heartthrob . Movie mavens will recognize jovial Dell Henderson and stately Hedda Hopper , both uncredited as Bennett's Colorado hosts .
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437,116 | 306,861 | 50,539 | 10 |
One Of The Best Eisenhower Era Science Fiction Films
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This is the tale of the very cruel joke played upon a young man by Fate . Against horrifying odds he triumphs and retains his dignity . In so doing , this film is raised from being a merely superior monster movie to one of strangely spiritual significance . The special effects are still pleasing and the tarantula remains one of Cinema's truly terrifying embodiments of mindless evil . This was to be Grant William's finest film . He died in 1985 at the age of only 54 .
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438,067 | 306,861 | 21,831 | 10 |
Disney Opens An Ancient Tomb
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A Walt Disney SILLY SYMPHONY Cartoon Short . A large spider enters the Sphinx at Giza and makes its way to the burial chamber . Once there , the adventurous arachnid gets the scare of its life when the mummies & wall paintings come to life to the strains of EGYPTIAN MELODIES . . . This is a wacky , wonderful black & white cartoon . Forget the plot - there almost isn't any . When the stylized wall paintings awake , the animators indulge themselves in a perfect riot of humorous movement which delights the eye . These few moments are one of the great unheralded gems of early Disney animation . Also noteworthy is the sinuous ease with which the ' camera ' flows along the corridors & down the staircases inside the Sphinx . The SILLY SYMPHONIES , which Walt Disney produced for a ten year period beginning in 1929 , are among the most fascinating of all animated series . Unlike the Mickey Mouse cartoons in which action was paramount , with the Symphonies the action was made to fit the music . There was little plot in the early Symphonies , which featured lively inanimate objects and anthropomorphic plants & animals , all moving frantically to the soundtrack . Gradually , however , the Symphonies became the school where Walt's animators learned to work with color and began to experiment with plot , characterization & photographic special effects . The pages of Fable & Fairy Tale , Myth & Mother Goose were all mined to provide story lines and even Hollywood's musicals & celebrities were effectively spoofed . It was from this rich soil that Disney's feature-length animation was to spring . In 1939 , with SNOW WHITE successfully behind him and PINOCCHIO & FANTASIA on the near horizon , Walt phased out the SILLY SYMPHONIES ; they had run their course & served their purpose .
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437,594 | 306,861 | 24,028 | 10 |
Cagney Struts His Stuff In Busby Berkley Spectacular
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The energetic young producer of theatrical prologues ( those staged performances , usually musical , that often proceeded the movie in the larger cinemas in bygone days ) must deal with crooked competition , fraudulent partners , unfaithful lovers & amateur talent to realize his dream of making his mark on the FOOTLIGHT PARADE . While closely resembling other Warner's musical spectaculars , notably the GOLDDIGGER films , this movie had a special attraction none of the others had : Jimmy Cagney . He is a wonder , loose-jointed and lithe , as agile as any tomcat - a creature he actually mimics a few times during the movie . Cagney grabs the viewers attention & never lets go , powering the rapid-fire dialogue and corny plot with his charisma & buoyant charm . The rest of the cast gives their best , as well . Joan Blondell is perfect as the smart-mouthed , big-hearted blonde secretary , infatuated with Cagney ( major quibble - why wasn't she given a musical number ? ) . Dick Powell & Ruby Keeler once again play lovers onstage & off ; the fact that her singing & acting abilities are a bit on the lean side are compensated for by her dancing ; Powell still exudes boyish enthusiasm in his unaccustomed position as second male lead . Guy Kibbee & Hugh Herbert are lots of fun as brothers-in-law , both scheming to cheat Cagney in different ways . Ruth Donnelly scores as Kibbee's wealthy wife , a woman devoted to her handsome protégés . Frank McHugh's harried choreographer is an apt foil for Cagney's wit . Herman Bing is hilarious in his one tiny scene as a music arranger . Mavens will spot little Billy Barty , Jimmy Conlin & maybe even John Garfield during the musical numbers . Finally , there's Busby Berkeley , choreographer nonpareil . His terpsichorean confections , sprinkled throughout the decade of the 1930's , were a supreme example of the cinematic escapism that Depression audiences wanted to enjoy . The big joke about Berkeley's creations , of course , was that they were meant , as part of the plot , to be stage productions . But no theater could ever hold these products of the master's imagination . They are perfect illustrations of the type of entertainment only made possible by the movie camera . Berkeley's musical offerings generally took one of two different approaches , either a story ( often rather bizarre ) told with song & dance ; or else stunning geometrically designed numbers , eye candy , featuring plentiful chorus girls , overhead camerawork & a romantic tune . In a spasm of outré extravagance , FOOTLIGHT PARADE climaxes with three Berkeley masterworks : ' Honeymoon Hotel ' and its pre-Production Code telling of a couple's wedding night ; ' By A Waterfall ' - dozens of unclad females , splashing , floating & diving in perfect patterns & designs ( peer closely & you'll see how the synchronous effects were achieved ) ; and finally , ' Shanghai Lil ' - a fitting tribute to the talents of both Cagney & Berkeley .
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437,117 | 306,861 | 26,221 | 10 |
A Slice of History , Cinema Style
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Just how did India become part of the British Empire ? This film will introduce you to Robert Clive , one of the great names in English history . After viewing , a perusal of the Encyclopaedia Britannica convinced me that essentially the film got most of the facts right . This is a colorful , sometimes a little violent , story ( empires don't come easy ) which also deals with the political complications for men who take Big Chances . Ronald Colman is always fun to watch . Loretta Young is beautiful , even if her American accent gets in the way of her performance occasionally . Cesar Romero , Colin Clive & Sir C . Aubrey Smith all have small rolls . The historical Clive died an opium addict and a suicide at the age of only 49 . CLIVE OF INDIA shows us a little of his brilliance and tragedy .
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438,159 | 306,861 | 26,222 | 10 |
Disney Invades The Poultry Yard
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A Walt Disney SILLY SYMPHONY Cartoon Short . Fighting COCK O ' THE WALK arrives in town , the star of his own conceited parade , and proceeds to win the hearts of all the biddies . He latches onto fickle Prunella Pullet , who acquiesces completely to his charms - much to the chagrin of her skinny boyfriend , Hick Rooster . . . This is a very colorful & entertaining cartoon . Its highlight is a wild spoof of Hollywood dance musicals , from Rogers / Astaire ( complete with " The Carioca " ) to a terpsichorean extravaganza even Busby Berkeley would be proud of . The SILLY SYMPHONIES , which Walt Disney produced for a ten year period beginning in 1929 , are among the most interesting of series in the field of animation . Unlike the Mickey Mouse cartoons in which action was paramount , with the Symphonies the action was made to fit the music . There was little plot in the early Symphonies , which featured lively inanimate objects and anthropomorphic plants & animals , all moving frantically to the soundtrack . Gradually , however , the Symphonies became the school where Walt's animators learned to work with color and began to experiment with plot , characterization & photographic special effects . The pages of Fable & Fairy Tale , Myth & Mother Goose were all mined to provide story lines and even Hollywood's musicals & celebrities were effectively spoofed . It was from this rich soil that Disney's feature-length animation was to spring . In 1939 , with SNOW WHITE successfully behind him and PINOCCHIO & FANTASIA on the near horizon , Walt phased out the SILLY SYMPHONIES ; they had run their course & served their purpose .
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437,165 | 306,861 | 35,148 | 10 |
To The Victor Belongs The Spoils
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A Walt Disney GOOFY CartoonTHE OLYMPIC CHAMP was the greatest athlete of the ancient world . And then there's the Goof . . . This very humorous little film was one of the best of the Sports Goofy cartoons , what with its above average animation and sly commentary . Tidbits of interesting information may be gleaned concerning the tradition of the Torchbearer and various Olympic track & field sports - running , hurtling , the pole vault , the hammer throw and the decathlon . John McLeish narrates in his best documentarian manner . Walt Disney ( 1901-1966 ) was always intrigued by pictures & drawings . As a lad in Marceline , Missouri , he sketched farm animals on scraps of paper ; later , as an ambulance driver in France during the First World War , he drew comic figures on the sides of his vehicle . Back in Kansas City , along with artist Ub Iwerks , Walt developed a primitive animation studio that provided animated commercials and tiny cartoons for the local movie theaters . Always the innovator , his ALICE IN CARTOONLAND series broke ground in placing a live figure in a cartoon universe . Business reversals sent Disney & Iwerks to Hollywood in 1923 , where Walt's older brother Roy became his lifelong business manager & counselor . When a mildly successful series with Oswald The Lucky Rabbit was snatched away by the distributor , the character of Mickey Mouse sprung into Walt's imagination , ensuring Disney's immortality . The happy arrival of sound technology made Mickey's screen debut , STEAMBOAT WILLIE ( 1928 ) , a tremendous audience success with its use of synchronized music . The SILLY SYMPHONIES soon appeared , and Walt's growing crew of marvelously talented animators were quickly conquering new territory with full color , illusions of depth and radical advancements in personality development , an arena in which Walt's genius was unbeatable . Mickey's feisty , naughty behavior had captured millions of fans , but he was soon to be joined by other animated companions : temperamental Donald Duck , intellectually-challenged Goofy and energetic Pluto . All this was in preparation for Walt's grandest dream - feature length animated films . Against a blizzard of doomsayers , Walt persevered and over the next decades delighted children of all ages with the adventures of Snow White , Pinocchio , Dumbo , Bambi & Peter Pan . Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse , or that childlike simplicity of message and lots of hard work will always pay off .
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437,534 | 306,861 | 17,423 | 10 |
Marvelous Mary In Her Final Little Girl Role
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A spunky orphan girl , enslaved on a horrible baby farm , looks after the younger children as tenderly as Christ cares for His little SPARROWS . Mary Pickford , America's Sweetheart and the most popular movie star in Hollywood's history , had made a career out of playing little girls in general & orphans in particular . Her legions of international fans thrilled at her adventures in harsh orphanages , dealing with stony-hearted adults . Time relentlessly marched on , however , and it became obvious that Little Mary could not carry on the adolescent act forever . Thus , in 1926 at the age of 34 , Pickford appeared in her final orphan picture and she made sure it was a doozy . Never before had one of her characters been subjected to such hideous conditions , surrounded by quicksand , starved & overworked , living at the mercy of a self-avowed baby killer - a reptilian old reprobate who doesn't hesitate to ' chuck children into the swamp ' whenever he feels like it . Mary's audiences ate it up like sweet molasses on hot cornbread . Several sequences are memorable . The selling of a little boy to a hog-buying farmer sets up a remarkably poignant shot : as the little fellow is driven out of the gates of the baby farm he feebly waves farewell towards the barn , where Mary & the other children remain hidden ; poking through cracks & crevices in the wooden structure several hands sadly wave back . Later , the coming of The Good Shepherd for the dead baby cradled in Mary's arms would have been maudlin in less reverent hands ; here it succeeds because it is presented with true emotion . Finally , the escape & chase across the swamp , with desperate Mary leading eight tiny children through the perils of mud & crocodiles , is still as exciting & suspenseful now as it was at the film's inception . Gustav von Seyffertitz makes a marvelously hissable villain ; abetted by his vile wife & unspeakable son , old Grimes is evil to his very core . His final fate is both just & emphatically well-deserved . SPARROWS boasts very high production values , and although burdened with a couple of climaxes too many , Mary's lively performance should effortlessly win over the toughest of critics .
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437,903 | 306,861 | 28,401 | 10 |
Excellent Golden Era Film
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' In the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia , on THE TRAIL OF THE LONESOME PINE , ' a young woman discovers love , but no respite from the violent feud which has torn apart two families . Full of good performances & boasting excellent production values courtesy of Paramount Studios , this fine drama brings to its viewers a not-so-subtle message of peace & tolerance . The vividly depicted consequences of mindless , violent behavior give the film a real punch . The film's romantic triangle consists of barefoot mountain lass Sylvia Sidney , her decent , uncomplicated cousin Henry Fonda , and mining executive Fred MacMurray , who , as a newcomer to the backwoods , rebels against the traditions of violence & revenge he finds there . All three deliver compelling performances , with a slight advantage going to the gentlemen , as their roles do not require as much shrill , fickle behavior as does Miss Sidney's . The marvelous character actress Beulah Bondi appears as Miss Sidney's mother , one of the first in a decades-long line of stubborn , proud old women she would play ; her eyes tell of the world of trouble her character has seen on the mountain . Cuddly Nigel Bruce is MacMurray's associate - gruff & grumbly , but with a heart of gold . Special mention should be made of seven-year-old Spanky McFarland , who plays Miss Sidney's little brother . Already the star of numerous OUR GANG comedies , the tiny tyke here displays the talent that placed him in the front rank of child movie stars . Precocious & poignant , Spanky's character is quite unforgettable . Fred Stone & Robert Barrat play the heads of the two feuding clans , one gentle - the other fierce . Movie mavens will recognize Clara Blandick as a frightened landlady and Samuel S . Hinds as the Gaptown sheriff . The film is stitched together by the evocative , nostalgic singing of Fuzzy Knight , who introduces ? Twilight On The Trail ' & ? A Melody From The Sky , ' ( both by Louis Alter and Sidney D . Mitchell ) . The tune for the chorus of ? The Trail Of The Lonesome Pine , ' by Ballard MacDonald & Harry Carroll , can be briefly heard during the opening credits ; viewers will need to watch Laurel & Hardy's WAY OUT WEST ( 1937 ) to hear this fine old song actually sung . Famous as the first outdoor film produced in full Technicolor , THE TRAIL OF THE LONESOME PINE benefits greatly from its location filming near Cedar Lake , in California's San Bernardino Mountains .
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437,556 | 306,861 | 23,982 | 10 |
All Runners Batted In
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ELMER , THE GREAT home run hitter doesn't want to leave his pretty boss in Gentryville , Indiana , to play ball for the Chicago Cubs . Rubber-limbed comic Joe E . Brown scores big in this fine little comedy . Without even trying , the fellow could be funny - his huge grin and mischievous eyes a sure catalyst for laughter . In his first scenes , the mere act of his putting on his socks or eating his breakfast is a riot . The film also gives him a chance to suffer from unrequited love and face the abuse heaped on him for his yokel ways as he tries to deal with professional ballplayers and dangerous gamblers . Brown carries it all off with natural aplomb . A sturdy cast lends fine support : pretty Patricia Ellis as Brown's conflicted boss ; sweet Emma Dunn as his loving mother ; goofy Sterling Holloway , perfectly cast , as Brown's baseball-mad younger brother ( notice that Holloway's name is spelled incorrectly in the credits ) . Blustery Berton Churchill plays the owner of the Cubs , Preston Foster is the manager . Genial Frank McHugh plays the Cubs catcher . Claire Dodd has a mysterious role ; she seems to be a chum of the ballplayers and little else - but at least she's easy on the eyes and the plot doesn't try to set up a silly romance between her and Brown . Casino hoodlum J . Carrol Naish plays the film's villain . Movie mavens will recognize an uncredited Jessie Ralph as Brown's plain speaking , softhearted housekeeper . The early scenes in Gentryville have a delightfully homespun , nostalgic charm which the later Chicago sequences can't match . Notice the fine use the minimal soundtrack makes of just two songs : ? Take Me Out To The Ball Game ' & ? On The Banks Of The Wabash . ' Brown's use of a four-letter word near the film's climax underscores the film's pre-Code status . Also of interest , in the last inning of the final World Series game , the plot has the catcher & pitcher of the New York Yankees deliberately and maliciously cheat in an attempt to win . One wonders what Babe Ruth & Lou Gehrig must have thought of that . . . ELMER , THE GREAT was the second of Brown's ? baseball trilogy , ' the other films being FIREMAN , SAVE MY CHILD ( 1932 ) & ALIBI IKE ( 1935 ) .
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437,181 | 306,861 | 39,029 | 10 |
Triple Threat
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THREE STRANGERS stake their future fortunes on the whims of Kwan Yin , an ancient Chinese goddess . The original story behind this tidy little thriller was originally conceived by John Huston as a sequel to THE MALTESE FALCON ( 1941 ) . That not proving possible , it was shaped into its present form with help from the writer Howard Koch and turned over to the noted director Jean Negulesco . The film stars Sydney Greenstreet & Peter Lorre in one of their several pairings . Greenstreet , huge and implacable , plays a desperately duplicitous solicitor . Spooky-eyed Lorre , who gets to play a rare romantic role , is a petty criminal on the lam from the police . Their actual screen time together is sparse , but they make the most of it - - the nervous little fellow playing perfectly off of the rumbling fat man . Greenstreet , especially , overacts magnificently , descending into melancholia and , eventually , madness , to the delight of the viewer . Geraldine Fitzgerald is pure vixen as the third member of the trio , a woman so consumed by jealousy , and obsessed with the supposed powers of the goddess Kwan Yin , that she has ceased being influenced by natural love & affection . Every man's nightmare , she is unadulterated malice . The supporting cast includes the sprightly Joan Lorring as Lorre's loyal girlfriend ; Alan Napier as Fitzgerald's estranged husband ; Rosalind Ivan as a widowed dowager still in communication with her deceased husband ; Arthur Shields as a stern prosecutor ; and the always competent Doris Lloyd as Lorre's slovenly landlady . Movie mavens will recognize an unbilled Ian Wolfe as a London barrister .
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438,023 | 306,861 | 13,201 | 10 |
Getting Courage With Mr . Lloyd
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GRANDMA'S BOY is a terribly timid fellow until the old lady decides to instill some much needed courage into him . This sweetly poignant and very funny film started off as a two-reeler , but star Harold Lloyd , with the approval of producer Hal Roach , kept adding gags until the completed picture ran about an hour . Harold also wanted something else - to instill a serious element to the story and his character , an innovation new to American comedy films . He succeeded brilliantly , with the finished film a joy , blending the hilarious and the sentimental seamlessly . As always , Harold is a special treat to watch , his amazing athletic abilities made even more impressive by the fact that he was missing half of his right hand . The plot makes Harold deal with both a contemptible bully and a vicious tramp , giving our hero full opportunity for running , falling , leaping & almost endless fisticuffs , all of which he carries off with great skill and good humor . And just to show that his bag of tricks is not depleted Harold throws in an uproarious Civil War flashback to delight the viewer . Lovely Mildred Davis plays the girl of Harold's dreams . Charles Stevenson as the Rival and Dick Sutherland as the Tramp both make wonderful villains . Noah Young , who so often played the heavy in Harold's films , here has the relatively small role as the sheriff of Blossom Bend . Best of all is sweet elderly Anna Townsend , playing Harold's little darling of a grandma ; whether attacking the Tramp with a broom or rejoicing at her grandson's newly found courage , she remains the heart of this very special movie . Anna Townsend would die the following year , 1923 , at the age of 78 . Robert Israel has composed an excellent film score which perfectly complements Harold's antics on the screen .
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437,841 | 306,861 | 33,243 | 10 |
To Heal The Sick
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With almost Biblical intensity , a courageous doctor searches for the cure for a disease which ravaged the South in the years before 1920 . This short film memorably profiles Dr . Joseph Goldberger ( 1874-1929 ) and his conquest of the scourge pellagra . Shepperd Strudwick plays the good doctor . The extracts from newsreel footage woven into the narrative give the story historical authenticity . ( To be technically specific , the missing protein substance which caused the dietary deficiency was niacin , and was identified after Goldberger's death . ) Directed by Fred Zinnemann , this was part of the MGM series John Nesbitt's Passing Parade , and was narrated by Mr . Nesbitt . Movie mavens will recognize an unbilled Bill Wolfe , W . C . Fields ' buddy , appearing for a few moments as a hungry , destitute man . Often overlooked or neglected today , the one and two-reel short subjects were useful to the Studios as important training grounds for new or burgeoning talents , both in front & behind the camera . The dynamics for creating a successful short subject was completely different from that of a feature length film , something akin to writing a topnotch short story rather than a novel . Economical to produce in terms of both budget & schedule and capable of portraying a wide range of material , short subjects were the perfect complement to the Studios ' feature films .
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438,183 | 306,861 | 39,025 | 10 |
A Fond Look Back
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A Warner Bros . Short Subject . An elderly gentleman tells his granddaughter about THOSE GOOD OLD DAYS of vaudeville . William T . Orr energetically performs his way through three sprightly musical numbers which illustrate a typical song-and-dance man's routine in the glory days of vaudeville . This pleasant little film was helmed by Jean Negulesco , later a celebrated director . Notice the mention of television in the script . It greatly threatened the popularity of movies & radio , which had themselves been the cause of the demise of vaudeville . The reference is also ironic in that Mr . Orr would eventually become an important & talented executive producer in the new medium , responsible for many successful TV shows . Often overlooked or neglected today , the one and two-reel short subjects were useful to the Studios as important training grounds for new or burgeoning talents , both in front & behind the camera . The dynamics for creating a successful short subject was completely different from that of a feature length film , something akin to writing a topnotch short story rather than a novel . Economical to produce in terms of both budget & schedule and capable of portraying a wide range of material , short subjects were the perfect complement to the Studios ' feature films .
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438,279 | 306,861 | 59,238 | 10 |
Disney's Freeway Safety Lesson
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A Walt Disney GOOFY Cartoon . GOOFY'S FREEWAY TROUBLES begin the moment he leaves common sense behind and heads out onto the busy motor ways . This valuable cartoon is full of practical advice on how to maintain safety while driving America's most dangerous roads . Goofy illustrates in the persona of Stupidicus ultimus . Paul Frees supplies the narration . Walt Disney ( 1901-1966 ) was always intrigued by drawings . As a lad in Marceline , Missouri , he sketched farm animals on scraps of paper ; later , as an ambulance driver in France during the First World War , he drew figures on the sides of his vehicle . Back in Kansas City , along with artist Ub Iwerks , Walt developed a primitive animation studio that provided animated commercials and tiny cartoons for the local movie theaters . Always the innovator , his ALICE IN CARTOONLAND series broke ground in placing a live figure in a cartoon universe . Business reversals sent Disney & Iwerks to Hollywood in 1923 , where Walt's older brother Roy became his lifelong business manager & counselor . When a mildly successful series with Oswald The Lucky Rabbit was snatched away by the distributor , the character of Mickey Mouse sprung into Walt's imagination , ensuring Disney's immortality . The happy arrival of sound technology made Mickey's screen debut , STEAMBOAT WILLIE ( 1928 ) , a tremendous audience success with its use of synchronized music . The SILLY SYMPHONIES soon appeared , and Walt's growing crew of marvelously talented animators were quickly conquering new territory with full color , illusions of depth and radical advancements in personality development , an arena in which Walt's genius was unbeatable . Mickey's feisty , naughty behavior had captured millions of fans , but he was soon to be joined by other animated companions : temperamental Donald Duck , intellectually-challenged Goofy and energetic Pluto . All this was in preparation for Walt's grandest dream - feature length animated films . Against a blizzard of doomsayers , Walt persevered and over the next decades delighted children of all ages with the adventures of Snow White , Pinocchio , Bambi , Peter Pan and Mr . Toad . Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse , or that simplicity of message and lots of hard work always pay off .
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437,921 | 306,861 | 43,839 | 10 |
Classic Walt Disney Nature Documentary
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A Walt Disney TRUE-LIFE ADVENTURE Short Subject . NATURE'S HALF ACRE could be anywhere - a backyard , a corner of an abandoned orchard , or a patch of wildflowers . Wherever , it teams with a myriad of life . Focusing on the domestic lives of birds & honeybees ( plus looks at spiders , mud dauber wasps & chameleons ) , this superior & compelling little documentary climaxes with superb time-lapse photography of blossoming flowers . ' This is one of a series of TRUE-LIFE ADVENTURES presenting strange facts about the world we live in . These films are photographed in their natural settings and are completely authentic , unstaged and unrehearsed . ' Winston Hibler is the narrator .
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437,806 | 306,861 | 17,437 | 10 |
Mr . Langdon Brings Down The House
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A shy young Belgian immigrate searches for the American girl who wrote of her love to him during the Great War . Director Frank Capra and clown Harry Langdon together fashioned THE STRONG MAN , one of the finest comedies of the Silent Era . Moving the action from No Man's Land in Western Europe , to Ellis Island and the hectic streets of New York , and finally to the temporarily corrupted village of Cloverdale , Capra & Langdon expertly mix belly laughs with scenes of great emotional tenderness . If either of them had never made another film , this one would have been enough to have ensured each a footnote in movie history . Langdon's minimalist style is highlighted in a series of vignettes which perfectly captures his unique adult baby persona : Harry's hilarious encounter with Broadway Lily , which includes his classic up-the-stairs-backward routine ; Harry's finding of blind Mary Brown and the incredibly poignant way in which he immediately falls in love with her ; Langdon's hapless impersonation of The Strong Man and his single-handed battle against a saloon full of bad guys . A sturdy cast gives able support : Gertrude Astor as dangerous Lily ; saintly William V . Mong as Holy Joe , the Cloverdale minister ; Priscilla Bonner as sweet Mary ; beefy Arthur Thalasso as The Great Zandow ; Robert McKim as Cloverdale's wicked criminal boss ; and Brooks Benedict as a tough passenger encountered by Harry on a bus . A quick caricature of Harry , dressed in his policeman's uniform from the end of the movie , appears courtesy of Walt Disney at the beginning of the animated MICKEY'S GALA PREMIER ( 1933 ) .
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438,047 | 306,861 | 21,806 | 10 |
Tears & Laughter With The Little Rascals
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An OUR GANG Comedy Short . Living with their wicked stepmother , Wheezer & Dorothy discover that DOGS IS DOGS when the evil woman threatens Pete , but protects nasty Sherwood's pedigreed Nero . Things start to move fast , however , when Sherwood falls down a well & Pete is accused of killing the neighbor's chickens . A very good little film , with equal measures of comedy & tears . It's difficult to watch Wheezer being beaten . Standout performance from the inimitable Stymie . Highlight : Stymie's ham & eggs story . That's Billy Gilbert as the crazed neighbor with the gun .
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437,078 | 306,861 | 23,990 | 10 |
Frozen North Comes Alive In Forgotten Documentary
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The arrival of White Men in Arctic Canada challenges the freedom of a fearless ESKIMO hunter . W . S . Van Dyke , MGM's peripatetic director , was responsible for this fascinating look at life in the Arctic among the Inuit . His production was on location filming from April 1932 until November 1933 ( although some annoying rear projection effects show that some of the shooting took place back at the Studio ) . While considered a documentary at the time , we would likely term it a ' docudrama ' as it is scripted with an intriguing plot & storyline . The film shows the daily life of the Eskimo , both Winter & Summer , and in fact starts in the warmer time of the year without any snow or ice in sight . The constant striving for food is depicted , and the viewer gets to watch the exciting hunts for walrus , polar bear , whale & caribou . The native language is used throughout , with the use of title cards ; the only English is spoken by the fishermen & Mounties encountered by the Eskimo . In fact , it is the arrival of White Men , both good & bad , and the change they make on Eskimo society , which is a major element in the narrative . This Pre-Code film deals in a refreshingly frank manner with the Eskimo moral code , particularly with their practice of wife-sharing , which was an important and completely innocent part of their culture . In fact , the entire film can be appreciated as a valuable look at a way of life which was rapidly disappearing even in the early 1930's . None of the cast receives screen credit , which is a shame as there are some notable performances . Foremost among them is that of Ray Wise , playing the leading role of Mala the Eskimo . Wise ( 1906-1952 ) was an Alaskan Native of Inuit ancestry and is absolutely splendid and perfectly believable in what was a very demanding part . As handsome as any Hollywood star , he would continue acting , using the name of Ray Mala , in a sporadic film career , often in tiny unbilled roles . Lovely Japanese-Hawaiian actress Lotus Long plays Mala's loyal second wife ; the names of the fine actresses playing his other two wives are now obscure . Director Woody Van Dyke steps in front of the cameras as a strict North West Mounted Police inspector . The two decent-hearted Mounties who must deliver Mala to Canadian justice are played by Joe Sawyer & Edgar Dearing , both longtime movie character actors . Danish author Peter Freuchen , upon whose books the film was based , has a short vivid role of an evil wooden-legged sea captain who unwisely rouses Mala's icy wrath .
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437,021 | 306,861 | 28,390 | 10 |
Disney's Tortoise Versus Hare , Round Two
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A Walt Disney SILLY SYMPHONY Cartoon Short . TOBY TORTOISE RETURNS to compete once more with Max Hare , this time in the boxing ring . What's needed now is some fancy footwork , but all Toby has to offer is ' slow and steady ' . . . This little film , a follow-up to THE TORTOISE AND THE HARE ( 1935 ) , is enjoyable & entertaining , but not on the same stylistic level as its Oscar-winning predecessor . Several characters from other SILLY SYMPHONIES make cameo appearances , including the Three Little Pigs and Jenny Wren . The SILLY SYMPHONIES , which Walt Disney produced for a ten year period beginning in 1929 , are among the most fascinating of all animated series . Unlike the Mickey Mouse cartoons in which action was paramount , with the Symphonies the action was made to fit the music . There was little plot in the early Symphonies , which featured lively inanimate objects and anthropomorphic plants & animals , all moving frantically to the soundtrack . Gradually , however , the Symphonies became the school where Walt's animators learned to work with color and began to experiment with plot , characterization & photographic special effects . The pages of Fable & Fairy Tale , Myth & Mother Goose were all mined to provide story lines and even Hollywood's musicals & celebrities were effectively spoofed . It was from this rich soil that Disney's feature-length animation was to spring . In 1939 , with SNOW WHITE successfully behind him and PINOCCHIO & FANTASIA on the near horizon , Walt phased out the SILLY SYMPHONIES ; they had run their course & served their purpose .
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